“A federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the most sweeping of President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Thursday, a day after a U.S. trade court ruled [correctly] that Trump had exceeded his authority in imposing the duties and ordered an immediate block on them. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington said it was pausing the lower court’s ruling to consider the government’s appeal, and ordered the plaintiffs in the cases to respond by June 5 and the administration by June 9. … The trade court’s three-judge panel [noticed] that the Constitution gave Congress, not the president, the power to levy taxes and tariffs, and that the president had exceeded his authority by invoking the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, a law intended to address threats during national emergencies.” (05/30/25)
“Why are ordinary people, living ordinary lives, some even seeking to become American citizens, finding themselves in cages and facing deportation? Let’s not kid ourselves: It was going to come to this eventually. Authoritarian police states never stop looking for victims and scapegoats. They eventually collapse, thankfully, but until they do it’s open season on enemies, real and imagined. But why so soon? Because Donald Trump’s promise to deport millions of immigrants has, so far, proven itself an epic fail. At the moment, the US government is deporting people at half the pace of the Obama regime. … It’s easier to reach an artificial ‘quota’ by kidnapping immigrants who show up to appointments on demand than it is to track down a handful of real criminals in their lairs, or nab foreign-born workers quietly making their livings (and making our lives better) while avoiding contact with “law enforcement.” (05/29/25)
“Israel has agreed to a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza, the White House has said, and Hamas said it was reviewing the plan although its terms did not meet the group’s demands. As a US-backed system for distributing food in the shattered territory expanded, Israeli media reported that its prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had told the families of hostages held in Gaza that Israel had accepted a deal presented by US president Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff. … a draft seen by Reuters on Friday proposed a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages – alive and dead – in the first week and the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians. … The plan stipulates that Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place, and does not contain an Israeli promise to end the war.” (05/30/25)
“During the past three months, the Trump administration has sought to withhold the delivery of governmental benefits in order to punish or reform its perceived political opponents. These opponents – in the understanding of the White House – are colleges and universities that permit speech the White House claims is hateful, law firms that represent clients or employ lawyers who have been vocally critical of the administration, and even one of the 50 states because of language used in a statute and words articulated by its governor. Can the federal government condition the acceptance of benefits upon the non-assertion of a fundamental liberty? Asked differently, can the feds withhold privileges to those lawfully entitled to them because it disapproves of the speech of the recipients of the privileges? In a word: No.” (05/29/25)
“The number of Americans who filed for unemployment insurance for the first time last week, known as initial jobless claims, has seen a significant increase. The actual number of initial jobless claims came in at 240K, marking a substantial rise from the previous week and surpassing the forecasted figure. The forecasted figure for initial jobless claims was set at 229K, indicating that the actual figure exceeded the forecast by 11K. This unexpected rise in jobless claims is a bearish sign for the U.S. dollar, as it suggests that the labor market may be experiencing some turbulence. When compared to the previous week’s figure, the actual number of initial jobless claims has also increased. The previous number was 226K, meaning that there has been an increase of 14K in the number of individuals filing for unemployment insurance for the first time.” (05/29/25)
“The debate over President Donald Trump’s tariffs often focuses on whether they are prudent. Defenders insist that Trump’s tariffs will help make America great again and boost national security. Critics counter that they’ll wreck the economy. But the strongest argument against the tariffs is actually that they are unlawful. Neither the Constitution nor any statute authorizes Trump to impose what he ordered. Now, months after sticklers for the rule of law began making that argument, it has finally been vindicated: Yesterday, the United States Court of International Trade, the federal court with jurisdiction over civil actions related to tariffs, struck down almost all of Trump’s tariffs in a 49-page ruling. … the Constitution is clear: Article I delegates the tariff power to Congress, and Article II fails to vest that power in the presidency.” (05/29/25)
“An explosive device killed six soldiers and wounded two others in a western Mexican region wracked by drug cartel violence, an official military report seen by AFP on Wednesday said. The blast late Tuesday near a town in Michoacan state destroyed the armored vehicle in which the troops were traveling, according to the internal document. Military planes and helicopters were deployed to help the casualties, it said. … Michoacan, where the deadly bombing took place, has been plagued by violence as a turf war rages between the influential Jalisco New Generation drug cartel and local criminal groups.” (05/29/25)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Sarah McLaughlin
“American universities have long feared that the Chinese government will restrict its country’s students from attending institutions that cross Beijing’s sensitive political lines. Universities still fear that consequence today, but the most immediate threat is no longer posed by the Chinese government. Now, as the latest punishment meted out to the Trump administration’s preeminent academic scapegoat shows, it’s our own government posing the threat.” (05/29/25)
“Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department will end the American Bar Association’s role in vetting federal judges, escalating Republican efforts to sideline the legal group over claims of political bias. In a letter sent Thursday to ABA President William R. Bay, Bondi said the DOJ under President Donald Trump would no longer grant the group first access to judicial nominees or require candidates to cooperate with the ABA’s longstanding vetting process. … the DOJ’s Office of Legal Policy will no longer serve as a conduit for ABA access, ending internal policies that gave the association a unique foothold in the selection process. Nominees will also no longer be directed to provide waivers for the ABA to access confidential information, such as bar records, and will not respond to questionnaires or sit for interviews with the group’s judicial review committee, Bondi said.” (05/29/25)
