Politics

Donald Trump’s latest strategy to ramp up pressure on Iran has been dealt an embarrassing blow after several ships defied his blockade in the Strait of Hormuz.

Multiple Iran-linked tankers—including sanctioned ships and a Chinese-linked tanker—transited the vital waterway within hours of the U.S. Navy’s blockade taking effect.

The news raised immediate questions about the effectiveness of Trump’s plan, which was announced on Sunday after the collapse of U.S.-Iran talks in Islamabad.

Gov. Greg Abbott is threatening to pull $110 million in grant funds from Houston if the city does not revoke its new policy limiting cooperation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.

The director of Abbott’s Public Safety Office, Andrew Friedrichs, told Mayor John Whitmire that Houston was out of compliance with its agreement for state grant funds and must revoke the policy by April 20, according to a letter obtained by the Houston Chronicle. If the city does not, the letter states, Houston would be on the hook for repaying $110 million within 30 days of the grant's termination.

Houston City Council last week eliminated a police department policy that required officers to wait 30 minutes for ICE agents to pick up people with civil immigration warrants. It also required the department to make reports to the council about its cooperation with ICE. The proposal passed in a 12-5 vote, with Whitmire in support.

Faced with high demand for GLP-1 drugs, some American cities and states that previously covered the cost of the weight-loss medication for low-income residents and public employees have now started to restrict or eliminate coverage.

The pullback stems from the dramatic increase in public spending on drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy in recent years.

Still, some legislators and healthcare providers argue that dropping coverage of the drugs might provide short-term relief for governments but will ultimately harm Medicaid recipients’ health. They argue that cities and states will then have to pay for more health problems related to obesity.

“Patients should have access to these therapies,” said Dr Matthew Klebanoff, a professor of internal medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine who has studied prior authorization policies for GLP-1 drugs. “It’s just very challenging right now for payers to be able to afford covering these medications for everyone who could benefit.”

The Trump administration fired four Justice Department prosecutors involved in cases against anti-abortion activists, accusing the Biden administration on Tuesday of abusing a law designed to protect abortion clinics from obstruction and threats.

The firings are the latest wave of terminations of employees involved in cases criticized by conservatives or because they were perceived as insufficiently loyal to President Donald Trump’s agenda. The terminations came before the release of a report accusing the Biden administration of biased prosecutions under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or “FACE Act.”

Republican representative to resign

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) also announced on Monday that he planned to resign from Congress. He admitted earlier to having an affair with a former staffer. That staffer later died by suicide.

U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell announced Monday he plans to resign from Congress.

The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into the Democratic lawmaker Monday over allegations of sexual misconduct, including claims involving a staff member.

Trump sued the American newspaper and its owners including Rupert Murdoch in a Florida federal court last summer, asking for at least $10bn (£7.4bn) in damages.

The president claimed the newspaper defamed him in a 17 July report that said Trump's name was in a "birthday book" given to Epstein in 2003. In that message, the Journal reported, Trump included a drawing of a woman's body.

Trump's lawyer told CBS News, the BBC's US news partner, that the president will refile the "powerhouse" suit.

The Justice Department said Friday that it would move forward on a proposed $68 million settlement with a Texas land developer it had accused of preying on Hispanic residents, despite a judge’s concerns that the agreement did not do enough to help victims.

During a hearing, U.S. District Judge Alfred H. Bennett questioned why the settlement had no compensation for those who were harmed and grilled a federal prosecutor over $20 million devoted to police and immigration enforcement. He said he was uncomfortable with the provision because the Justice Department’s lawsuit against Colony Ridge, which has massive subdivisions north of Houston, mentioned nothing about public safety or immigration.

“I thought I was dealing with … folks who had been defrauded, with allegations of above-market interest rates, improper foreclosures,” Bennett said, holding up the original lawsuit in his right hand and the settlement in his left. “Now, all of the sudden, I’m being asked to OK increased law enforcement?”

“Who in the settlement room said it would be a good idea to give $20 million to law enforcement?” Bennett asked early in the hearing. “Where did that come from?”

• Safeguards Destroyed: In advance of this year’s midterm elections, President Donald Trump has systematically demolished federal guardrails that prevented him from overturning the 2020 election.
• Changing of Guard: At least 75 career staff are gone. Two dozen appointees, including many from the election denial movement, have been hired. Ten helped try to overturn the 2020 vote.
• Political Interference: Once-fringe actors now have access to vast powers, which they’ve already used to push forward unprecedented actions that critics say amount to partisan interference.

Note: Love to see this at the bottom of the summary

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

The attacks on Saturday bring the number of people who have been killed in boat strikes by the U.S. military to at least 168 since the Trump administration began targeting those it calls "narcoterrorists" in early September.

As with most of the military's statements on the dozens of strikes in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea, U.S. Southern Command said it targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. Videos posted on X showed small boats moving across the water before they each were engulfed in a bright explosion.

“Employees who are unable to report for duty on their next scheduled workday must request leave and receive approval from their supervisors,” today’s message states. “Employees that do not follow this process may be subject to administrative or disciplinary action.”

The recall comes after President Donald Trump earlier this month directed DHS to use funds from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act to pay civilian employees, including furloughed staff, who had not received paychecks through the shutdown.

In a message to employees earlier this week, DHS said employees covered under Trump’s order would receive backpay through April 4. But DHS added that “any additional compensation owed to you will be paid once D.H.S. funding is restored” by Congress, sparking concerns that the same DHS employees will again have to go without pay.

“DHS is using available funds to ensure employees are paid,” today’s message states. “Should the department exhaust currently available funds before an FY 2026 appropriation is enacted, you will receive a new notification of your work status at that time.”

Two months ago, Democrats in Congress said they would not give immigration enforcement agencies another cent without reforms to limit the tactics of their officers.

But 59 days into a record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown, that strategy has resulted in none of the policy changes they have demanded, while President Trump's immigration crackdown is still operating at full speed.

That is thanks to congressional Republicans, who gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement a $75 billion windfall last year with few strings attached — money that has helped insulate ICE from congressional pressure and oversight.

And as Congress returns from a two-week recess, top Republicans are making plans to skirt Democrats again to ensure ICE and Customs and Border Protection have funding through the end of Trump's term.

In January, Zach Witkoff sat down at a table in Islamabad and signed a deal with Pakistan’s finance minister. Witkoff is the young CEO of Donald Trump’s crypto finance firm, World Liberty Financial, and the arrangement he struck that day would allow WLF’s stablecoin to be used for Pakistan’s cross-border transactions.

It was a hugely consequential moment for World Liberty. Despite Trump’s association and the involvement of his sons, this firm hasn’t exactly lit the blockchain world on fire. The value of the company’s token has plummetted from 31 cents to just 8 cents in recent months. World Liberty could use a deal like this—a government vouching for and endorsing the use of its coin. And the deal was being consummated, standing behind Witkoff was General Asim Munir, the top officer in Pakistan’s army.

The presence of a military leader during this financial meeting was odd. But three months later, Munir is connected to another Witkoff family effort: the ongoing negotiations to settle the war in Iran.

The Guardian has reviewed figures from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection since Trump’s inauguration

Florida officials are probing OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT, for allegedly assisting in planning a mass shooting at Florida State University last year that killed two people.

“We support innovation, but that doesn’t give any company the right to endanger our children,” Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a Thursday video announcing the investigation. “AI should exist to supplement, support, and advance mankind, not lead to an existential crisis or our ultimate demise.”

Court documents show that the alleged shooter had more than 200 messages with ChatGPT, including the questions, “If there was a shooting at FSU, how would the country react?” and “What time is it the busiest in the FSU student union?” The suspect also asked ChatGPT about specifics on different kinds of firearms.

Bill Pulte’s charity, Team Pulte, sent $65,000 to a nonprofit called “One World Love LLC” in 2023 to help the “underserved,” according to the charity’s tax filings. But our February reporting found that One World Love does not appear to be a nonprofit and is instead a corporate entity with ties to the law firm that represented President Donald Trump in his efforts to prove election fraud and to avoid paying damages after the January 6 insurrection at the Capitol.

Under anti-vaccine Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been blocked from publishing a scientifically vetted study finding significant health benefits from this season’s COVID-19 vaccines, according to reporting by The Washington Post.

The move adds to longstanding concern among health experts that chaos and political interference under Kennedy—a staunch anti-vaccine activist who has long falsely maligned COVID-19 vaccines—is deeply undermining science at federal agencies and beyond.

CDC scientists and insiders told the Post that the COVID-19 vaccine study went through the agency’s standard scientific review process and was slated for publication on March 19 in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). But acting CDC director Jay Bhattacharya blocked the scheduled publication and is holding the study, claiming he has concerns about its methodology.

As these efforts took shape, Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, launched a salvo that appeared rather serious. Last month, the former television personality said New York’s Medicaid program last year provided personal care services, covering things such as bathing and meal preparation, to roughly 5 million people.

“That level of utilization is unheard of,” Oz said in a social media video, in which he levied the allegations. He added that New York needs to “come clean about its Medicaid program.”

But the CMS chief was wrong. The number wasn’t 5 million, it was 450,000. Oz was off by a factor of 11. (He also made false claims about eligibility for the program. The video he posted remains online as of this writing.)

A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana’s Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-controlled Legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in.

Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote last November to become the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court after running on a platform to reformthe justice system based on his own experience fighting to access court records while in maximum security prison.

Duncan rebuilt his life, in part by running for and winning the clerk’s office. But Louisiana Senate Republicans on Wednesday voted to scrap Duncan’s new job as part of a broader GOP effort to streamline the judiciary in New Orleans, a Democratic hub with a predominantly Black electorate. The state Legislature is largely Republican and white, and the deeply red state has been leading efforts to gut the Voting Rights Act.

But Trump had alternatives to IEEPA. The quickest option was Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows the president to impose global tariffs of up to 15% for 150 days, after which congressional approval is needed to extend them. After his defeat at the Supreme Court, Trump quickly announced 10% Section 122 tariffs. He said he'd raise them to the maximum 15% but hasn't yet done so. The tariffs are scheduled to expire July 24.

Two dozen states and some businesses quickly challenged the new tariffs in court. Friday's hearing lasted more than three hours as a three-judge panel tried to assess a provision that had never been used before to impose tariffs and to analyze congressional decisionmaking from more than a half century ago.

Men in the United States will be automatically registered with the Selective Service System starting in December 2026 under a new law. The system maintains records for a potential military draft, though no draft is currently in place.

Previously, individuals were required to register with the Selective Service System, but a law signed by President Donald Trump in late 2025 shifts that responsibility to the federal government to streamline the process.

Under the current system, men are required to register with the Selective Service System within 30 days of their 18th birthday. Late registration is accepted until age 26.

Placerville is one of hundreds of communities around the country waiting on a growing backlog at FEMA. States say that under the Trump administration, disaster funding payments have slowed to a trickle, delaying crucial projects that could help communities withstand wildfires, hurricanes and floods.

In all, FEMA owes communities almost $10 billion, according to internal agency documents obtained by NPR. Much of that funding would reimburse local governments for what they've already spent repairing infrastructure after major disasters.

Emergency managers from several states say the backlog in funding is having ripple effects through communities, stressing local budgets and delaying or potentially derailing disaster projects that have taken years to plan.

An attempt by House Democrats to pass a long-shot resolution on Thursday curtailing Donald Trump’s war powers over Iran failed after the Republican pro forma speaker, Chris Smith, did not recognize lawmakers from the opposite party on the floor.

The vote, scheduled for Thursday morning, used a procedure called unanimous consent, which is a shortcut that allows legislation to pass the chamber instantly, without debate or a formal tally, so long as not a single member objects. Any one lawmaker can kill the resolution by simply objecting, and Republicans were expected to do exactly that.

Glenn Ivey, a Democratic representative from Maryland, attempted to be recognized on the floor, but Smith ended the session immediately. There were a handful of other Democrats in attendance who objected loudly.

The U.S. Postal Service said Thursday it has informed federal budget officials it will temporarily suspend its employer contributions to Federal Employees Retirement System annuities, allowing it to keep making payroll, paying suppliers and delivering the mail.

The Postal Service also wants to increase postage rates, including raising the price of a First-Class Mail Forever stamp from 78 cents to 82 cents. USPS filed notice Friday with regulators, who still need to approve the changes.

Last week, the Department of Labor filed a rule that would allow 401(k) plans to invest in high-risk assets, including cryptocurrency, private equity, hedge-fund-style products, private credit and other alternative investments once reserved for the wealthy.

The White House has framed it as “choice” and “liberation” for workers, but the move could turn ordinary Americans’ retirement savings into a high-stakes gamble, exposing millions to volatility and potential losses they may not be prepared to handle.

The state’s new income tax on millionaires won’t go into effect until 2029, but preparing for its implementation will require the state to hire hundreds of employees in the coming years.

According to Mikhail Carpenter, spokesperson for the state Department of Revenue, funding the new positions at the agency will start July 1, when the new fiscal year begins. By 2030, the agency plans to hire more than 300 new employees to do the work required under the tax changes approved this year, such as administering the new tax, supporting the expansion of the Working Families Tax Credit, and repealing parts of a tax on services enacted in 2025.

Most of the revenue from the income tax will be directed to the state’s operating fund for schools and state services. Additionally, revenues would be used for eliminating sales tax on hygiene products, diapers and over-the-counter medicine. The new law also exempts hospitals, prescription drug resellers, and health care providers from a surcharge on high-grossing businesses, and increases the business and occupation tax filing threshold to $300,000 in annual gross revenue, which could offer relief for small businesses.