Highlights from April 17, 2025
- Sen. Chris Van Hollen confirmed tonight that he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who the Trump administration said it mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month.
- The Supreme Court said this afternoon that it will hear oral arguments next month on whether the government can move forward with President Donald Trump's plan to end birthright citizenship. The court will consider whether judges exceeded their authority in issuing nationwide injunctions against the proposal.
- Trump met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at the White House, where the two leaders discussed trade and tariffs.
- Trump signed a proclamation allowing U.S.-flagged commercial fishing in Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument. He also signed an executive order directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to reconsider regulations that "overly burden" the fishing industry.
‘Take off the gloves’: Town hall attendees in Michigan want Democrats to hit back at Trump
People at a town hall tonight at which Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., appeared want Democrats to push back against Trump.
“I think every Democrat in Washington needs to have a fire lit under their a--,†a woman said at the microphone at Scholten’s town hall in Grandville, Michigan, just outside Grand Rapids.Â
Scholten said that she will “put the responsibility on Republicans who are in charge†but that she will also tell congressional Democratic leadership that her constituents want Democrats to do more.
“I want you to know when I go back to Washington, I do say to the Democratic leadership I’ve had a town hall, and you want to know what? Yes, people are mad at Republicans, but they’re mad at you, too, and they’re mad at us. They want us to do more,†she said.
The first question of the night was about Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Scholten said she applauds Sen. Chris Van Hollen for going to El Salvador.
“And I promise you I am doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen here, but I can tell you if that happened to any one of my constituents, I would be the first one on a plane going down to make sure that they were safe,†she said.Â
Scholten gave a nod to Grand Rapids’ favorite son, President Gerald Ford, while defending the necessity of the Education Department.
Referring to Linda McMahon as “the WWE-administrator-turned-U.S. secretary of education,†Scholten said McMahon "may not know" what the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is. “But you know who does? President Gerald Ford, who signed that bill into law and knew something about making sure that kids with disabilities could learn just the same as anyone else.â€
Sen. Van Hollen meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador
Sen. Chris Van Hollen confirmed tonight that he met with Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
“I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance. I have called his wife, Jennifer, to pass along his message of love. I look forward to providing a full update upon my return,†Van Hollen wrote on X.
Van Hollen traveled to El Salvador yesterday to push for the Abrego Garcia’s release.
Transportation Department to take over NYC train station reconstruction project
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced today that Amtrak and the federal Transportation Department will take over the planned reconstruction at New York City's Penn Station from the local Metropolitan Transportation Authority, slashing the amount of federal funding allocated for the project.
In a statement, Duffy accused the MTA of having a "history of inefficiency, waste and mismanagement," saying: "New York City deserves a Penn Station that reflects America’s greatness and is safe and clean. The MTA’s history of inefficiency, waste, and mismanagement also meant that a new approach is needed. By putting taxpayers first, we’re ensuring every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in.â€
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said in a statement today, "As the major leaseholder in the station, we expect to participate in the administration’s and Amtrak’s efforts to ensure future plans meet the needs of everyone who uses it."
Spokespeople for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In November, the New York Post reported Penn Station received a $72 million grant from the federal government for a renovation project that would include building a public plaza above ground and new escalators and elevators.
Alongside today's announcement, the Federal Railroad Administration told the MTA in a letter wrote that its grant funds would be withdrawn and the project would be funded by federal grant money that had been awarded to Amtrak.
In a separate letter, the FRA informed Amtrak's president, Roger Harris, that the grant to the MTA would be slashed, adding that Amtrak and the FRA would work together "to identify improvements with the goal of optimizing service and recognizing fiscal constraints" with the goal of also reducing the amount of money awarded to Amtrak for the project.
Job cuts underway at CFPB after shift in bureau's enforcement priorities
Reduction-in-force notices were sent out to employees with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau today, per a CFPB staffer who received an RIF notice directly.
“The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau identified your position being eliminated and your employment is subject to termination in accordance with reduction-in-force (RIF) procedures,†the email reads.Â
The attached memo, signed by acting Director Russell Vought, says the recipient will be separated from federal service effective June 16. Affected employees have access to internal systems until 6 p.m. ET tomorrow.Â
CFPB Chief Legal Officer Mark Paoletta sent a document yesterday outlining a shift in the bureau’s enforcement priorities — including moving resources “away from enforcement and supervision that can be done by the States."Â
The memo says the bureau’s focus will shift “back to depository institutions, as opposed to non-depository institutions,†and “on actual fraud against consumers,†and it added an emphasis on respecting federalism and other federal agencies’ regulatory power. The bureau said it would de-prioritize “loans or other initiatives†for criminals, medical debt, peer-to-peer platforms and lending and student loans, among other areas.
DOGE employees visited the bureau’s headquarters at least once in February, said a source who witnessed their visit.
An auto-reply email response from the CFPB’s Bureau of Fiscal Service confirms the widespread nature of the RIF notices: “We are currently receiving an influx of inquiries regarding the notice of Reduction in Force issued April 17, 2025. We are working diligently to address each individual inquiry. Thank you in advance for your patience.â€
As of the start of this year, the CFPB had roughly 1,700 employees.
This evening, the GOP-led House Financial Services Committee said on X, “The Committee applauds Acting Director Vought’s reprioritization of the CFPB’s enforcement priorities. This is a welcomed change from the Biden Administration’s aggressive regulation by enforcement approach.â€
Appeals court rejects Trump request in Kilmar Abrego Garcia case, citing due process concerns
A federal appeals court today rejected a bid by the Trump administration to block an order directing it to facilitate the return of a mistakenly deported man, saying it was trying to claim “a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process.â€
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia as the administration has been accused of giving short shrift to deportees’ due process rights and after Trump and Vance have complained those protections are hampering their efforts at mass deportations.
The administration is challenging a judge’s order that it “facilitate†the return of Abrego Garcia, who the Justice Department has acknowledged should not have been sent to a prison in his native El Salvador because of an immigration judge’s 2019 order barring such action.
It’s part of a larger running battle between the Trump administration and the courts. The administration has stretched existing law with new executive orders and novel legal theories, and a number of federal courts have acted to rein it in — with Trump and allies then firing back in the court of public opinion, accusing the judges of overstepping their authority.
Trump signs fishing-related executive actions
Trump signed a proclamation today allowing U.S.-flagged commercial fishing in Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument.
"Between 50 to 200 nautical miles from the landward boundaries of the Monument, the Secretary of Commerce shall not prohibit commercial fishing within the boundaries of the Monument," the proclamation says.
The White House said American fishing fleets had "lost access to nearly half of the United States’ Exclusive Economic Zone in the Pacific Islands" because of restrictions on fishing, which in turn required them to fish farther ashore.
Before he left office in 2009, President George W. Bush named three remote Pacific island areas as national monuments to guard them from commercial fishing.
In the proclamation, Trump called the area the "Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument." President Joe Biden had renamed the monument to honor the heritage of Indigenous and Pacific Island communities before he left office in January.
Trump also signed an executive order today directing Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to reconsider regulations that "overly burden" the fishing industry.
The order also directs the National Marine Fisheries Service to "incorporate less expensive and more reliable technologies and cooperative research programs into fishery assessments" and broaden exempted fishing permit programs.
Maryland senator turned away from El Salvador prison housing Kilmar Abrego Garcia
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., was denied entry to the prison in El Salvador where Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being detained.
Van Hollen tried to enter the CECOT prison alongside the lawyer representing Abrego Garcia's wife and mother to "check on the health and wellbeing of Kilmar" but were promptly denied entry.
"We were stopped by soldiers at a checkpoint about 3 kilometers from the CECOT prison," Van Hollen told reporters. "We were told by the soldiers that they’d been ordered not to allow us to proceed any further than that point."
Hollen traveled to El Salvador yesterday to advocate for the release of Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration says was mistakenly deported from Maryland. The Supreme Court last week ordered the administration to "facilitate" his return to the United States.
During a meeting with El Salvador's vice president yesterday, Van Hollen said his requests to speak with Abrego Garcia, in person, virtually or by phone, were denied.
The Salvadoran official also denied a request from Van Hollen to facilitate a phone call between Abrego Garcia and his wife, who says she has not spoken to him since he was transferred to the Central American facility.
Several other Maryland officials wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding "verifiable proof that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is alive, healthy and safe."
“It has now been over a month since Mr. Abrego Garcia was illegally deported by federal authorities in direct violation of a court order, and during that time, his family has received no meaningful confirmation of his health,†the officials wrote.
Trump extends federal hiring freeze through July 15
Trump signed an executive memorandum today extending an ongoing federal hiring freeze through July 15.
Trump first implemented a hiring freeze after his Jan. 20 inauguration, as his administration moved to drastically reduce the federal workforce.
When the freeze expires, federal agencies will be able to hire “no more than one employee for every four employees that depart from federal service,†according to today's memo.
The executive action prohibits the government from filling most vacant federal civilian positions or creating new ones.
The hiring freeze has exceptions for military personnel; positions related to immigration enforcement, national security and public security; and jobs within the Executive Office of the President.
Appeals court denies government's request for pause in Kilmar Abgrego Garcia's case
The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals denied the government’s request for a stay of U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis’ order in the case dealing with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man who the government says was mistakenly deported to El Salvador last month.
Xinis' order requires the government to provide answers about what it is doing to facilitate bringing Abrego Garcia back from El Salvador, pending appeal.Â
“While we fully respect the Executive’s robust assertion of its Article II powers, we shall not micromanage the efforts of a fine district judge attempting to implement the Supreme Court’s recent decision,†the three-judge panel wrote.
The panel added: “It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter. But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done.â€
“This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear,†the judges wrote.Â
The circuit panel recognized the emotions involved in the case, writing: “The government is obviously frustrated and displeased with the rulings of the court. Let one thing be clear. Court rulings are not above criticism. Criticism keeps us on our toes and helps us do a better job.â€
And in stark terms, and without naming names, the judges took on the issue of Trump’s clashes with the judiciary. “Now the branches come too close to grinding irrevocably against one another in a conflict that promises to diminish both,†they wrote.Â
“This is a losing proposition all around. The Judiciary will lose much from the constant intimations of its illegitimacy, to which by dent of custom and detachment we can only sparingly reply," they wrote. "The Executive will lose much from a public perception of its lawlessness and all of its attendant contagions. The Executive may succeed for a time in weakening the courts, but over time history will script the tragic gap between what was and all that might have been, and law in time will sign its epitaph.â€
It was decided by Judges J. Harvie Wilkinson, Robert King and Stephanie Thacker of the 4th Circuit.Â
In a short order today, Xinis had also denied the government’s request that she pause her own order during the appeals process.
Trump says Washington and Beijing are actively speaking amid escalating tariff fight
Trump told reporters today that American and Chinese officials have spoken "a number of times" since he placed additional tariffs on Beijing this month, emphasizing his close relationship with President Xi Jinping and hinting at direct conversations with Xi himself.
"I have a very good relationship with President Xi, and I think it's going to continue, and I would say they have reached out a number of times," Trump said.
"If you knew him, you would know that if they reached out, he knew exactly — he knew everything about it," Trump added.
Asked specifically whether Xi has called him since the new tariffs went into effect, Trump hinted toward recent conversations.
"You'd think it was pretty obvious that he has, but we will talk about that soon," Trump said. "It's not that important, because honestly, we're going to have a deal. I believe we're going to have a deal with China."
DOJ drops one of the gun charges against Jan. 6 defendant arrested near Obama’s home after gun group complaints
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has dropped one of the gun charges against Taylor Taranto, a participant in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, who appeared at former President Barack Obama’s home in 2023 with weapons in his van.
“The government is moving to dismiss Count One in the interest of justice,†federal prosecutors wrote in a motion filed yesterday.
The U.S. attorney’s office dropped the federal possession of an unregistered firearm charge after gun rights groups Gun Owners of America and the Firearms Regulatory Policy Coalition sent a letter to the prosecutors in the case expressing “serious concerns†with the charges against Taranto.
The gun rights groups argued that prosecutors were treating the Scorpion CZ weapon Taranto is alleged to have possessed as both a “short-barreled rifle†and a pistol, which is unlawful to carry without a license outside the home or place of business under Washington, D.C., code.Â
Taranto’s trial on the remaining counts is scheduled for May 12.
Taranto had appeared at Obama’s residence after Trump posted a screenshot that featured the address.
“We got these losers surrounded!†Taranto posted on Telegram, according to prosecutors. “See you in hell, Podesta’s and Obama’s.â€
Online sleuths had identified Taranto as a Jan. 6 participant back in 2021. He wasn't arrested until more than two years later, when law enforcement found weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van near Obama's home.
In January, Trump issued clemency for Taranto and nearly all others charged in connection with the Capitol riot.
Democrats draw on renewed energy in the fight against Trump
In the red state of Montana yesterday, a crowd swelled for two political stars of the left who vowed to “fight oligarchy†in Trump’s administration. Last night, in a Midwestern swing district, a congresswoman drew her largest ever town hall crowd, with many wanting to know how Democrats were pushing back.
And hours later, a Democratic senator traveled to El Salvador to bring attention to a case at the center of the party’s arguments that Trump’s immigration policies have gone beyond existing law and court orders.
Those events of the last 24 hours point to a similar phenomenon: In ways big and small, the second-term resistance to Trump is growing stronger and bolder.
Coming to a beauty supply store near you: Trump’s trade war
With its chandeliers and pink couches, Pink Noire, a Black-owned hair and beauty supply store in Memphis, Tennessee, seems a world away from the major industries caught up in the global trade war.
But owner Chasity Monroe is bracing for the Trump administration’s trade policies to hit her shelves. Tariffs have hiked the import fees on hair products she carries from overseas — by roughly 145% in the case of Chinese-made goods.
“It’s just been really scary for a small business that’s not been open long,†Monroe said.Â
For a generation of Black girls, their first brush with makeup was the fruity-scented or shiny, clear squeeze-tube lip gloss they bought at the local beauty supply shop. It has been the place to prep for wash day as they transitioned to natural hair in their adulthood. Korean Americans own many of the stores, but Black ownership is slowly growing.
In the United States, Black hair care is estimated to be a more than $2.5 billion industry. And foreign exporters are critical to that engine, providing everything from the wefts used in sew-ins to ingredients for ethnic hair care products, like shea butter imported from Ghana and elsewhere.Â
HUD headquarters added to list of federal buildings for sale in D.C.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development office in Washington is the latest addition to a list of federal government buildings the Trump administration is seeking to sell and relocate to downsize the federal real estate portfolio.Â
The General Services Administration, the federal agency leading the effort, announced the addition of HUD’s Washington headquarters to an “accelerated disposition†list that aims to expedite selling federal property this afternoon.
Currently, with every member of HUD’s staff at its headquarters, the building is just 50% occupied, according to a GSA official. That falls short of the minimum occupancy set in a bill President Joe Biden signed into law to help address the government’s inefficient use of office space before he left office in January.
The Biden-era law directs the Office of Management and Budget and the GSAÂ to reduce or consolidate space if federal building use rates fall below 60%.
The accelerated list, according to the GSA, “will right size the federal real estate portfolio to reduce the burden on the American taxpayer,†which the agency says reflects the Trump administration’s broader goal of reducing the size and reach of the federal government.Â
The GSA last month published a sprawling list that named 443 “non-core†federal buildings across the country it sought to shed from the federal real estate portfolio, but it rolled the list back to fewer than 50 buildings shortly afterward, citing “the overwhelming response that we received after publishing the first list.â€Â
“While the timeline and final location are still under evaluation, officials confirmed that the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area remains a top priority,†a GSA spokesperson wrote of the accelerated list in the news release today.Â
The GSA official said the accelerated list is just the first step in a lengthy regulatory process that will come with selling and relocating federal agency headquarters. The official added the agency will also need to account for the outsized impact the sell-off will have on the Washington real estate market.
Trump accuses Federal Reserve chair of 'playing politics'
Trump said Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, whom he appointed in his first term, would "be out of there real fast" if he asked him to step down, even though Powell has said he will not resign if he is pressured by the administration.
"I don’t think he’s doing the job. He’s too late, always too late," Trump told a reporter in the Oval Office this afternoon. "I'm not happy with him. I let him know it, and if I want him out, he’ll be out of there real fast, believe me."
Trump slammed Powell on social media after Powell warned yesterday that his expansive tariff agenda could cause excessive inflation and unemployment in a speech at the Economic Club of Chicago.
"His termination cannot come fast enough!†Trump wrote on Truth Social. Asked by a reporter today whether he would explicitly seek to dismiss Powell from his position, which is designed to be insulated from political turbulence to allow the chair to make difficult decisions about America's economy, Trump dodged the question.
"We have a Federal Reserve chairman that is playing politics, somebody that I’ve never been very fond of, actually, but he’s playing politics," Trump told reporters this afternoon, adding he expects interest rates to come down amid his administration's high tariffs.
NLRB says two DOGE representatives to be detailed to the agency
National Labor Relations Board Chairman Marvin Kaplan and acting General Counsel William Cowen met with three DOGE officials yesterday morning, an email sent to agency employees yesterday evening confirmed.
The email, which NLRB spokesperson Timothy Bearese shared with NBC News, said DOGE requested the meeting Tuesday afternoon. Kaplan and Cowen wrote that the agency "had no official contact with any DOGE personnel" before the meeting was requested.
Two representatives from DOGE "will be detailed to the agency from GSA part-time for several months," the email said. Most of their work would be done remotely, though they would be at headquarters "occasionally," according to the email.
"The representatives have requested information about agency operations but asked us to remove any personally identifiable information from documents we provide," the email said. "Consistent with the President’s Executive Order and applicable laws, the Agency will comply with DOGE’s requests for access and information."
NBC News has reported that DOGE representatives went to the NLRB yesterday, one day after a whistleblower document detailing allegations related to DOGE activities at the NLRB was made public.
Trump confident E.U. trade deal will come together before 90-day tariff reduction ends
As he met with Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni over lunch, Trump told reporters that “of course†there will be a trade deal with the E.U. before his 90-day period for reduced tariffs is up.
"We're going to have very little problem making a deal with Europe or anybody else, because we have something that everybody wants," Trump said.
Meloni is the first European leader to meet Trump since he announced tariffs on European imports this month. The meeting comes amid concerns of an escalating trade war between the United States and the European bloc.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal calls on Trump administration to explain revocation of student visas
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., wrote a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem requesting that the Trump administration stop revoking visas for international students nationwide.Â
The letter, released this morning by Blumenthal’s office, is the latest in a series of Democratic lawmakers highlighting what they say are violations of due process in the Trump administration’s immigration proceedings. Blumenthal requested an explanation from the administration for its revocation of hundreds of international student visas, which he said has been done without proper notice or due process.Â
“Due process is a bulwark against tyranny and a legal protection afforded to these students by law,†Blumenthal wrote. “Accordingly, students should be given both proper notice and a forum to contest the allegations brought against them.â€Â
The Trump administration has revoked more than 300 international student visas since January, according to an estimate from Rubio. It has seemingly targeted international students who have engaged in political activism such as campus protests or political organizing on social media. In several cases, unmarked and masked immigration agents have shown up at university campuses and detained international students without warning. Â
In his letter, Blumenthal said at least 53 international student visas have been revoked in Connecticut alone and asked the administration, which has not publicly said why international students are being targeted, to provide examples of the legal justification it is providing.Â
“As this Administration has already proven, mistakes are made. Due process helps prevent mistakes and subsequent harm,†Blumenthal wrote.Â
Judge orders disclosure of records related to the subpoena of FBI Director Kash Patel
Federal Judge James E. Boasberg has ordered that documents related to the grand jury subpoena of now FBI Director Kash Patel in connection with Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s handling of classified information be disclosed back to the Justice Department after the department had trouble finding some of the records.
POLITICO moved for access to the judicial records back in February, and the government has said that some records “can be released in redacted form.â€Â
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Justice Department attorney Jeremy S.B. Newman wrote earlier this week that he “attempted to obtain the records at issue from colleagues at the Department of Justice,†but was only able to obtain some version of some of the records because “the people most familiar with these records are no longer at the Department.â€
Boasberg signed an order today for the court to disclose the documents to the government in connection with the Patel subpoena.
A grand jury subpoena was issued to Patel in September 2022, and Patel filed a motion to quash the subpoena, which was denied by the court.
Patel declined to answer some questions and cited his Fifth Amendment rights, and the government then moved to compel more testimony from Patel. The court granted that motion “contingent on the government offering statutory immunity to Patel,†and Patel then testified before the grand jury a second time.
The investigation led to the indictment of Trump along with Walt Nauta in the Southern District of Florida.
Abrego Garcia's legal team requests government reveal steps taken to facilitate his return to the U.S.
Abrego Garcia's legal team has submitted a comprehensive list of questions and has requested documents from the Trump administration surrounding his deportation to El Salvador and efforts to try to return him to the U.S.
The requests were included in a filing provided by the government this morning as part of the discovery process ordered by Judge Paula Xinis.
Abrego Garcia's attorneys have asked the administration, for example, to provide documents describing the actions the government has taken to facilitate his return to the U.S. as ordered by the Supreme Court as well as records related to the agreement between the U.S. and El Salvador to hold him at a notorious prison.
They also want the government to describe the communications that the government has had with El Salvador's government or the prison where Abrego Garcia has been held or any payments made related to his detention.
His attorneys request that the government provide the legal basis for their client's continued confinement at the prison.
The Trump administration has refused to take steps to facilitate his return to the U.S., still claiming that Abrego Garcia was a member of MS-13. The government, however, has not disclosed any evidence to show he was a member of that gang.
Abdul El-Sayed jumps into Michigan Senate race
Dr. Abdul El-Sayed announced this morning that he's running for Michigan's Senate seat in 2026, an opening created by Sen. Gary Peters' announcement this year that he wouldn't seek re-election.
El-Sayed, a Democrat, served as Detroit's Health Department executive director and as an assistant professor at Columbia University's department of epidemiology. He lost a primary challenge to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2018.
"I'm running for U.S. Senate because in a state that built the American dream, it shouldn't be this hard just to get by," El-Sayed said in the video announcing his run.
State Sen. Mallory McMorrow was the first major Democrat to enter the race.
Schumer calls on DOJ to investigate whether Shapiro arson attack was a hate crime
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether the arson attack on the house of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro constitutes a hate crime.
"Given the deeply troubling allegations that the suspect targeted Governor Shapiro based in part on his religious identity, the April 13 incident warrants immediate and serious federal scrutiny," Schumer wrote in a letter today to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Schumer referred to revelations contained in search warrants made public yesterday about the arson attack suspect "harboring hatred" for Shapiro. The suspect also told 911 operators that Shapiro needed to know he “will not take part in [Shapiro’s] plans for what he wants to do to the Palestinian people."
"These statements — in conjunction with the timing of the attack during Passover, Governor Shapiro’s visible embrace of his Jewish faith, and the context of rising antisemitism globally and across the country — raise serious concerns about antisemitic motivation," wrote Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the U.S.
"Our federal authorities must bring the full weight of our civil-rights laws to bear in examining this matter," he wrote, adding that the local district attorney hasn't filed hate crime charges but has "acknowledged that Governor Shapiro’s religion appears to have factored into the suspect’s decisions."
For her part, Bondi said yesterday at an unrelated event that she and FBI Director Kash Patel spoke with Shapiro after the arson attack on the governor's mansion, which she called "horrific."
“I firmly believe they wanted to kill him,†she said, pledging to continue to work with state authorities to do “anything we can to help convict the person that did this and keep them behind bars, as long as possible.â€
The Pentagon is working to make Trump’s vision of a U.S. ‘Iron Dome’ a reality
Defense Department officials will soon brief Trump on a variety of options for him to fulfill his pledge to protect the United States with something modeled on Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile defense, according to U.S. officials and experts familiar with the initiative.
Like then-President Ronald Reagan’s push for the Strategic Defense Initiative, which was proposed to protect the U.S. from Soviet nuclear missiles, Trump’s call for an “Iron Dome for America,†more often referred to as Golden Dome, is a signature endeavor that could sew together multiple air defense systems with the idea of keeping the country and perhaps eventually U.S. assets around the world safe.
Trump says 'Every Nation, including China' wants to meet
Trump said in a Truth Social post that China wants to meet with his administration, but the president mentioned it as a brief aside and did not go into details.
"Had a very productive call with the President of Mexico yesterday. Likewise, I met with the highest level Japanese Trade Representatives. It was a very productive meeting. Every Nation, including China, wants to meet!" Trump said in the post. "Today, Italy!"
Trump has levied 145% tariffs on goods imported from China. A spokesperson for the Chinese Commerce Ministry said at a news conference today that it "has always maintained communication at the working level with its U.S. counterparts."
"China’s position has always been clear, and we are open to economic and trade consultations with the U.S.," He Yongqian said. "The unilateral tariff measures were entirely initiated by the U.S., and 'the one who tied the bell must untie it.'"
How Trump’s fight with one media outlet could set up a battle between the executive and judicial branches
Wire services including Reuters and Bloomberg News will no longer hold a permanent slot in the small pool of reporters who cover Trump. NBC News’ Hallie Jackson details how the ban could set up a battle between the executive and judicial branches.
New documents detail government’s case that mistakenly deported man was a gang member
The Trump administration released a series of documents yesterday that revealed new details in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man deported to El Salvador a month ago in what a government lawyer called an “administrative error.â€Â
The release comes 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 mega-prison in the Central American country as part of its promised deportation program of alleged criminals.Â
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 state, and his attorneys have denied that he is a gang member.Â
In a document titled “gang field interview sheet,†the Prince George’s County Police Department detailed how in March 2019 they approached Abrego Garcia along with three others for loitering at a Home Depot parking lot in Hyattsville. Abrego Garcia said in a court filing he was there looking for day labor work.
Italy’s ‘Trump whisperer’ Giorgia Meloni to meet with president amid trade standoff with Europe Â
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet with Trump today amid a tense trade standoff with the European Union over tariffs.
Meloni’s visit to Washington makes her the first European leader to meet with the president since he announced tariffs on European imports earlier this month.
Trump blasts Powell after fed chair's tariff remarks yesterday
Trump has again blasted Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying in a Truth Social post this morning that his “termination cannot come fast enough†after Powell said yesterday that tariffs were “likely to move us further away from our goals.â€
“For the time being, we are well positioned to wait for greater clarity before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,†Powell said during his remarks.
The president, who appointed Powell during his first term, urged the head of the independent agency to lower interest rates, and he claimed Powell is “always too late and wrong.â€
After he was elected, Trump said he would not seek to replace Powell, with whom he has frequently clashed over interest rates.
Judge finds ‘probable cause’ Trump administration is in criminal contempt
Federal Judge James Boasberg slammed the government for failing to comply with his court order to temporarily halt removal flights to El Salvador. He wrote “probable cause exists to find the Government in criminal contempt.†NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez reports it comes as the administration released new documents about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was recently deported to El Salvador. The White House says the documents show he was affiliated with the MS-13 gang.
Rubio and Witkoff touch down in Paris to hear Ukraine plead its case
Top Ukrainian officials flew today for a previously unannounced visit to Paris, where Europeans were assembling to plead Kyiv’s case to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff.
The high level diplomacy reflects Europe’s mounting concern over the U.S. administration’s overtures toward Moscow, after the failure so far of Trump’s efforts to arrange a ceasefire in the three-year-old Russia-Ukraine war. The U.S. officials were also due to discuss nuclear talks with Iran during their visit to Paris.