Posts by Tom

ICE’s re-detention of a family after a federal court ordered release turns an immigration fight into a test of whether court orders still bind the executive branch.

The White House Correspondents’ dinner shooting should be treated as a security-accountability failure, not merely another partisan spectacle.

NPR reports the Justice Department wants power to step into state bar complaints against federal prosecutors. The mechanism matters: independent oversight is being pulled back inside the institution it is supposed to check.

NPR reports Mike Johnson’s new FISA 702 bill would reauthorize the surveillance power for three years without a warrant requirement. That is not serious reform; it is a power-preservation deal with oversight language bolted on.

Reuters reported Friday that an internal Pentagon email outlined options for punishing NATO allies the United States believes did not sufficiently support U.S. operations in the war with Iran. A U.S. official told Reuters the email discussed possible steps including suspending Spain from NATO and reviewing the U.S. position on Britain’s claim to the Falkland Islands. The options were tied to frustration over access, basing, and overflight rights for the Iran war. Reuters reported that Spain’s government refused to allow its bases or airspace to be used to attack Iran, while Britain initially withheld approval for U.S. aircraft to attack Iran from British bases before later allowing defensive missions. The email reportedly described access, basing, and overflight rights as the “absolute baseline for NATO” and sought to reduce Europe’s “sense of entitlement.” President Trump has criticized NATO allies for not sending navies to help reopen the Strait of Hormuz and has said he is considering withdrawing from the alliance. Spain’s prime minister said Spain works from official positions, not emails.

Reuters reports that Senate Republicans voted 50-48 in the predawn hours Thursday to advance a non-binding budget resolution that would provide $70 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol over the next three years. Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski were the two Republicans who opposed the measure. If the House adopts it, congressional committees can write detailed legislation using budget reconciliation, allowing the plan to bypass a 60-vote Senate threshold. The funding fight has helped keep much of the Department of Homeland Security partially shut since mid-February. Democrats demanded operational guardrails after two U.S. citizens were fatally shot by immigration enforcement agents in Minneapolis, including a requirement that agents obtain judicial warrants before entering private homes. Republicans accused Democrats of trying to defund immigration enforcement. Reuters notes that last year Republicans separately approved roughly $130 billion for ICE and Border Patrol, meaning this new package would come on top of a major prior expansion.

Newly released documents obtained by Public Citizen show the Trump administration set up a legal framework allowing anonymous private donations for a roughly $400 million White House ballroom project while limiting conflict-of-interest reviews. Known donors include Amazon, Lockheed Martin, Palantir, and Google — companies that collectively hold billions in federal contracts.

Reuters reported Wednesday that the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran is now pushing through corporate earnings in plain sight. Companies across consumer goods, travel, mining, industrials, and aviation said the conflict is driving up transport and raw-material costs, disrupting supply chains, and clouding the rest of the year. Reuters’ review found that since the war began, 21 companies have withdrawn or cut guidance, 32 have signaled price hikes, and 31 have warned of a financial hit. AkzoNobel told Reuters that disruption around the Strait of Hormuz could push its raw-material basket up by percentages in the high teens over the next two quarters. Danone said baby-formula shipments were disrupted. TUI cut its operating-profit forecast and suspended revenue guidance.

Reuters reported Wednesday that the economic fallout from the Iran war is spreading far beyond oil traders and military briefings. Companies across consumer goods, travel, mining, and aerospace said the conflict is driving up costs, disrupting supply chains, and reducing visibility for the rest of the year. Reuters said 21

Reuters reported Tuesday that Pacific governments are scrambling to cushion a fuel and food shock tied to the Iran war and disruption through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas flows. In Papua New Guinea, aid groups said diesel, petrol, and kerosene prices