All articles tagged with #trump administration
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration overstepped its authority by ordering cuts to FEMA’s temporary reservists, blocking moves to shrink the agency’s workforce and its control over disaster response; the decision upholds FEMA’s independence post-Katrina, with a separate ruling on potential remedies expected next month.
A federal court ruled against the Energy Department’s nationwide order to keep Michigan’s Campbell coal plant open, saying the plan would cost hundreds of millions and was misaligned with retirement timelines. The plant will continue operating under a DOE extension through mid‑November while litigation proceeds; Consumers Energy is reviewing the ruling. Environmental groups hailed the decision as a victory against propping up aging, costly coal power.
POLITICO recounts how the 2001 attacks devastated Cantor Fitzgerald and forced Howard Lutnick to rebuild quickly, prioritizing time and outcomes and ensuring support for the families of the deceased. The experience made him a more aggressive dealmaker, a mindset he says guides his work in President Trump’s administration as he pursues rapid execution of major U.S. initiatives—bringing semiconductor manufacturing home, expanding energy and infrastructure, and rebuilding supply chains—while continuing the firm’s charitable Day contributions.
At the 25th anniversary ceremony in New York, Terry Strada, a 9/11 widow, used the reading of the victims’ names to urge the Trump administration to press Saudi officials about alleged ties to the attacks, call for declassification of related files, and push Riyadh to acknowledge the pain caused by the attacks; Vice President Vance attended the event.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration will sanction a large, unnamed bank next week to pressure Iran, with the action set for Monday after a Friday postponement for 9/11 ceremonies. The move is part of a broad sanctions push called Operation Economic Outcast targeting Iran’s oil, shipping, finance and other sectors as Washington presses Tehran amid a six-month conflict, with officials signaling that efforts will continue until Tehran is isolated financially—even as Trump suggests the war may run through the US midterm elections.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told NBC News that the Trump era has hampered U.S. counterterrorism by shrinking intelligence capacities and pulling resources from key agencies, leaving the United States with fewer eyes and ears in critical regions and risking renewed terrorist threats 25 years after 9/11. She warned that threats persist from both state and nonstate actors, urged bipartisan unity to address those threats, criticized the administration’s focus on a White House ballroom, and emphasized the need for sustained funding and attention to 9/11 health issues and air-quality concerns at Ground Zero.
Seven Republican chief election officials urged the Supreme Court to block the Trump administration’s mail-ballot order for the 2026 midterms, saying it’s too late to implement without causing mistakes or disruption and advocating that the election proceed under 2024 rules, citing the Purcell principle. The rule is currently blocked by a federal injunction, and officials note ballots have already been sent in some states.
A federal prosecutor who had been assigned to the now-defunct case against Indian billionaire Gautam Adani was fired by the Trump administration after the government moved to drop the indictment. Adani faced charges in 2024 alleging a scheme to defraud U.S. investors to win a bid to develop India’s largest solar power plant; U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis later tossed the case, criticizing the government’s conduct, while the DOJ defended the dismissal. The firing adds to reports of the administration replacing personnel after high-profile investigations, sometimes via what insiders call Article II letters.
Twenty Democratic attorneys general and Washington, D.C., filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration, alleging new rules weaken the Endangered Species Act by narrowing what counts as 'harm' and by loosening protections for newly threatened species and critical habitats, potentially allowing mining and drilling in sensitive areas.
Former U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told ABC's This Week that he couldn’t serve under the current administration and criticized Pete Hegseth for politicizing the Pentagon, warning it harms the military and urging officers to tell the truth; he has argued this in his New York Times op-ed and in interviews with CNN.
The Supreme Court previously halted an ongoing effort to restrict mail-in voting but left the plan’s ultimate legality undecided. Federal Judge Indira Talwani has since issued longer-term injunctions blocking the final rule, while the Trump administration has sought, then withdrawn, an emergency appeal to lift those orders. Opponents argue the rollout could disenfranchise voters and encroach on states’ election duties, as Democratic-led states and voting-rights groups press challenges. With North Carolina starting to mail ballots and Alabama set to begin, the path to full implementation remains murky as litigation continues and emergency responses vary.
A federal judge, Tanya S. Chutkan, ruled that the Trump administration must give the court 48 hours’ notice before any excavation or construction on the proposed 250‑foot Memorial Circle arch, supplementing the prior 14‑day NHPA-related notice. The order exempts on-site information gathering and cautions that construction cannot begin without final authorization or the 14‑day notice. Interior Secretary Burgum had signaled that groundbreaking would begin soon, but opponents say the arch would overwhelm D.C.'s skyline near Arlington Cemetery.
The SEC has sued Institutional Shareholder Services to compel compliance with an administrative subpoena seeking data on ISS's proxy recommendations and voting activity, as part of the Trump administration's broader push to tighten oversight of proxy advisers. ISS has not produced all requested materials, the SEC says, and the case—filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania—remains in fact-finding with no conclusion of securities-law violations.
A federal magistrate in Virginia ordered the government to disclose who created the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” intended to compensate victims of political lawfare, a project reportedly dropped by the DOJ. The fund, linked to an IRS settlement over Trump’s tax returns, drew bipartisan criticism. Democracy Forward, suing on behalf of plaintiffs including a fired prosecutor and an acquitted protester, seeks discovery to uncover who set up the scheme and whether it could still be revived, even as Trump and Attorney General Blanche say the fund is dead.
The Trump administration is reportedly considering tapping a Health and Human Services child-care subsidy fund to pay stay-at-home married couples, a policy pushed by Vice President JD Vance and aimed at promoting a traditional family model by redirecting funds intended for working parents.