Heather Cox Richardson: Letters from an American – April 25, 2025
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These actions to seize power and to hammer into place extremist MAGA immigration policies are dramatic demonstrations of the Trump administration’s attempt to destroy democracy. Indeed, the attempt to attack the judges could well be a reaction to the major losses the administration took from the courts this week.
As Jacob Knutson of Democracy Docket wrote, Trump suffered at least 11 legal setbacks this week as judges blocked Trump from gutting the Voice of America media outlet, blocked the administration from removing people in Colorado and New York under the Alien Enemies Act, ordered the administration to comply with discovery requests from Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawyers, told the Department of Education not to implement anti-DEI measures, blocked Trump’s executive order about elections, stopped the administration from impounding money from cities that don’t comply with its mass deportation orders, and blocked the administration from ending collective bargaining rights for federal workers.
The dramatic actions against ActBlue and immigrants are also signs of weakness as administration officials attempt to distract supporters not only from the disastrous tariffs, but also from the growing evidence that Trump is not functioning as a president should.
(Heather Cox Richardson more…)
LAW dork: The Trump administration deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen on Friday
Hours later, a conservative judge warned of his “strong suspicion” that the administration “just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.”
Politico: Judge says 2-year-old US citizen appears to have been deported with ‘no meaningful process’
The girl was deported Friday with her mother to Honduras, despite her father’s efforts to keep her in the United States.
HandBasket: ICE abducts Montana resident with legal humanitarian status
Beker Rengifo is a 33-year-old living in Whitefish, Montana, a small city about one hour south of the Canadian border. Originally from Venezuela, he obtained legal status in the US via the CHNV humanitarian parole program which allows migrants from select countries to live here temporarily. Rengifo has become part of his community and is described by those who know him as hard-working and honest. But after a routine traffic stop on Thursday, Rengifo is now a prisoner of the federal government.
(HandBasket more…)
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Steven Beschloss: How Much Injustice Will Americans Take?
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I could write more about this, but last night the story broke of three children ages 2, 4 and 7—all U.S. citizens—being taken out of the country without due process. While details are still emerging, the American Civil Liberties Union noted that the “rapid early-morning deportation” involved two mothers (one who is pregnant) and their children, including a two-year-old who suffers from a rare form of metastatic cancer and was removed without needed medication. Reportedly, she and her mother were taken to Honduras and against the father’s wishes and his emergency appeal.
(Steven Beschloss more…)
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Wired: Apple May Shift to Making US iPhones in India. It Won’t Be Easy
Manufacturers in India would need to double production to meet US iPhone demand—and the shift still wouldn’t solve Apple’s China problem.
(Wired more…)
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FreePress: Trump’s D.C. Prosecutor Threatens Wikipedia’s Tax-Exempt Status
In a letter obtained by The Free Press, Trump appointee Ed Martin accuses the Wikimedia Foundation of violating the law. Critics say his tactics are ‘grandstanding.’
(FreePress more…)
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Texas Tribune: Texas universities say Trump administration restored immigration status of some international students
More than 250 students in Texas had their status revoked in recent weeks. Despite the reversal, federal attorneys say they’re developing policies to resume terminations.
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Texas Tribune: Experts cast doubt on state’s report that undocumented immigrants cost Texas hospitals $122M in a month
Policy experts say undocumented immigrants’ cost to hospitals is a small fraction of the total cost from uninsured Texans.
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