• The ACLU has condemned President Trump's new executive orders targeting birthright citizenship, arguing the measures are unconstitutional and destined to fail in court.
• These orders follow a recent Supreme Court ruling that struck down a previous administration attempt to restrict citizenship rights enshrined in the US Constitution.
• In separate developments, leaked emails suggest Palmer Luckey engaged in political fundraising while his company secured sole-source government contracts.
Executive orders come after supreme court rejected president’s first bid to restrict guarantee enshrined in US constitutionDonald Trump on Thursday signed two executive orders that the White House said aims to restrict eligibility for birthright citizenship and ban “birth tourism”.The orders come just over a month after the United States supreme court rejected Trump’s first attempt to restrict the guarantee of birthright citizenship enshrined in the US constitution. Continue reading...
Judge issues temporary pause while he considers Trump’s request to revise his libel lawsuit against BBCA federal judge has temporarily halted an order requiring Donald Trump to turn over detailed financial information about his business empire to the BBC as part of an ongoing libel lawsuit.US district judge Roy Altman issued the temporary pause while he considers Trump’s request to revise and narrow parts of his lawsuit against the BBC over a 2024 documentary that aired in the UK. Continue reading...
President has sued the broadcaster for $10bn, claiming a documentary on 2021 Capitol attack led to financial harmDonald Trump’s legal team is making an 11th-hour attempt to block a court order that would grant the BBC access to the president’s financial records, as part of his multibillion-dollar lawsuit against the British broadcaster.Trump claims that the BBC’s 2024 documentary on the January 6 attacks have damaged the president’s business interests. In July, a Miami-based judge ruled that the president would have to start handing over detailed financial records to the BBC by 6 August. The records would reveal details into the hundreds of businesses owned by the US president’s family trust. Continue reading...
Residents and farmers say contractors have tapped border aquifers that threaten water supply for those nearbyConstruction crews building a border wall in New Mexico were ordered to stop drilling new wells after ranchers said that pumping groundwater to produce concrete could threaten their livestock amid a severe drought.The order comes as crews across the southern border race to complete one of Donald Trump’s highest domestic priorities – barriers that span four states and received over $46bn in federal funding. Controversies have sprouted up in Texas and California, and border-town residents and environmentalists have reported a wide variety of issues with construction. Continue reading...
Exclusive: court records reviewed by the Guardian show medical procedures included force-feeding, intravenous forced hydration and involuntary blood drawsHomeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in US immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found.In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and likely subjected two more to the forced treatment – widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as force-feeding procedures loomed.One Kurdish asylum seeker and hunger striker detained at the privately-run Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, was subjected to force-feeding for nearly eight months, according to a series of filings in the southern district of Texas federal court, beginning in May 2025 and ending only when he was deported.Another hunger striker at the same facility was subjected to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, for nearly six months between September 2025 and March 2026, filings in the same court show.Someone detained at the Krome service processing center in Miami, a privately-run ICE jail, was subjected to forced medical procedures for nearly three months, filings in the southern district of Florida federal court show. DHS seemingly began the forced practices three days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration for a second term, then continued.Two other hunger strikers, one at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state and another inside the Montgomery processing center on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, were likely subjected to forced medical procedures, according to filings in the western district of Washington and in the southern district of Texas federal courts.In at least five cases, hunger strikers detained in Texas, Arizona and Florida, ended their hunger strike right before officials began with the forced medical procedures, filings in the southern district of Texas, district of Arizona and southern district of Florida federal courts show.The forced procedures were performed inside the detention centers.In six cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings granting the involuntary medical procedures.DHS and ICE have conducted these procedures throughout the years, regardless of which presidential administration is in power. In 2024, under Joe Biden, the Guardian found that DHS attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in ICE detention to forced medical treatment. It definitely proceeded with at least two people, and likely subjected at least four more people to them. However, since the return of Trump to the White House and the dramatic increase in immigration arrests and detention , medical experts and advocates worry more hunger strikes will occur and strikers will be subjected to the practices.Look out for Force-fed by ICE parts two and three in the coming days Continue reading...
Americans are facing a deepening affordability crisis but at least Trump and co have ... 250 new Cadillac EscaladesThis was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayGas prices are up almost a dollar a gallon since the day Donald Trump took office; mortgage rates just hit their highest level in nearly a year, and over the weekend a prominent economist said the Iran war is costing the average US household more than $1,200.Americans are struggling through a deepening affordability crisis caused largely by Trump’s ill-fated war against Iran. They are in need of a boost, something to lift the spirits. Perhaps the president could give a speech, letting the people know that we are all in this together. Continue reading...
• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new policy on Tuesday banning federal funding for "dangerous" gain-of-function research.
• This type of research involves enhancing viruses to predict potential threats, a practice that has faced scrutiny following the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The move follows a 2020 order from the Trump administration and aligns with a bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden on March 20, 2023.
Emergency appeal comes after court upheld ruling blocking president’s order ahead of November midtermsThe Trump administration has asked the supreme court to clear the way for an executive order from Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting.The emergency appeal comes after an appeals court upheld a ruling blocking the president’s order in nearly half the country ahead of November’s midterm elections. Continue reading...
Tom Homan comments on officer’s eligibility to serve after reports that agent’s two ex-wives had accused him of abuseTom Homan, the Trump administration “border czar”, on Sunday said he did not believe the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer at the center of a recent fatal shooting in Maine “should have ever cleared vetting”.Speaking to CNN’s State of the Union, Homan was asked by host Dana Bash about the officer’s eligibility to serve following reports that two of his ex-wives had accused him of abuse.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
President directs interior department to display signs outside museum that accuse institution of inaccuracyDonald Trump on Friday ordered the interior department to display signs in front of the Smithsonian National Museum of American History that accuse the institution of inaccuracy.The order escalates the Trump’s attacks against the Smithsonian, which he and his allies accuse of politicizing the institution by focusing too much on injustices in American history, instead of more triumphant moments such as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Continue reading...
In today’s newsletter: A White House operating without expertise, strategy or restraint is stuck in a conflict with no easy way out, which is sending economic shockwaves far beyond its own bordersGood morning. Within two hours of entering No 10 on Monday afternoon, Andy Burnham had his first call with Donald Trump. After chit-chatting about the football (both agreed England had an “excellent tournament”) and Manchester (our new prime minister invited the president to visit the city Trump once described as a “town”), they got on to far trickier territory: the strait of Hormuz.The US has attacked Iran for the eleventh consecutive night, hitting aircraft hangars and drone storage sites across the country. It came after Iran launched retaliatory strikes on US air bases and neighbouring Gulf states, which have accused it of deliberately targeting desalination plants that are essential to life in the region. Each side now claims it is preventing the other from gaining control over the strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world’s oil was shipped before the war began. Vessels carrying crucial shipments of oil, gas and fertiliser remain at a standstill.UK politics | Andy Burnham is under mounting pressure to explain how he will pay for his policy pledges as he implored his new cabinet to examine “all possible ways” to tackle the cost of living crisis.UK news | A man has appeared in court charged with the murder of the former MP and Reform UK spokesperson Ann Widdecombe. Joshua Kerry, 28, is accused of killing the former Conservative minister at her home in Haytor, Devon, by hitting her on the head with a hammer 21 times.Middle East | The US defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, told the Senate the US-Israel war on Iran had cost $37.5bn so far, as he faced lawmakers furious over the conflict’s soaring price tag and the deaths last week of three American service members.Climate crisis | About 23 million people will be banned from using hosepipes by this weekend, as England and Wales moves closer to drought status.Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and offered a “prominent position” to the defence minister he sacked last week in a move that sparked nationwide protests. Continue reading...
PM Mark Carney says Canada has made proposals to resolve dispute as tariffs are due to be imposed on wide range of goodsSign up for US Breaking News emailHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Canadian prime minister Mark Carney has said that Ottawa is ready to deepen trade talks with the United States, after US president Donald Trump ordered fresh tariffs targeting Canada.Canadians across the political spectrum united in anger at Trump. “If these tariffs proceed, Canada should respond tariff for tariff, dollar for dollar,” Ontario premier Doug Ford said. Canada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, called the tariffs a “direct violation” of the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement Trump negotiated. Canada’s Conservatives called the tariffs “another unacceptable and unjustified attack on Canadian workers and our businesses,” adding: “Canadians are not a punching bag.” The leader of Canada’s New Democrats called them “the latest economic grenade thrown over the border by an out of control President who has lost touch with reality.”Ilya Somin, a professor of law at George Mason University who helped file the successful challenge to Donald Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, points out, the president’s new 50% tariffs on Canadian imports “are based on Section 338 of the notorious 1930 Smoot-Hawley tariff legislation, which severely exacerbated the Great Depression.”Nancy Mace, a Republican congresswoman from South Carolina, announced on Monday that she is not entering the race to replace the late senator Lindsey Graham in the snap Republican primary next month. Continue reading...
Tom Homan’s comments come amid scrutiny over federal immigration agents’ fatal shooting of two men in six daysUS Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will require its officers to record vehicle stops with at least one body camera, said Tom Homan, the Trump administration “border czar”, on Sunday. The action comes as the agency is under renewed scrutiny after ICE officers fatally shot two men earlier this month.“They exonerate more law enforcement than they convict, and I want officers to wear body cameras because I want the American people to see what the officers saw when they took that action,” Homan said on the Fox & Friends Weekend program. Continue reading...
• Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden are urging the Treasury Department and IRS to stop implementing a presidential immunity order after a federal judge ruled the order illegal.
• The move follows a separate December 2025 push by Senator Warren and Representative Chris Deluzio for the Trump administration to limit defense company stock buybacks.
• These actions aim to ensure government agencies adhere to judicial rulings and prioritize research and development spending over corporate stock manipulation.
• House Republicans have failed to pass significant border security or illegal immigration reform legislation since the Laken Riley Act was passed in the spring of 2025.
• Members of the Freedom Caucus were reportedly misled by GOP leadership tactics while attempting to push for Donald Trump's specific border directives.
• This legislative stalemate persists despite Republicans holding the majority of the chamber and prioritizing strong border enforcement policies.
• Donald Trump has ordered the United States to cease all trade with Spain, citing the country's role as a "terrible partner" within NATO.
• The move creates a significant economic challenge for Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who is currently phasing out Spain's nuclear reactors.
• This trade cut is particularly critical because Spain's electricity grid and storage capacity are currently insufficient to rely solely on solar and wind energy.
Trump’s request stems from the supreme court’s 29 June decision not to review his appeal Donald Trump has asked a judge not to order the release of more than $5m in court-held funds that he owes E Jean Carroll in her successful 2023 sexual abuse and defamation civil trial against him.Trump had deposited this multimillion jury award, plus 11% interest, into a court-controlled account about six weeks after Carroll’s win. For this money, which now totals about $5.8m, to be released, a judge has to order directing the court-controlled fund to do so. Trump has denied all wrongdoing. Continue reading...
• A group of Democratic governors has formally requested that the U.S. Postal Service withdraw a proposed rule designed to implement an executive order from President Donald Trump.
• The contested rule seeks to establish a federal list of eligible voters, which could potentially restrict the number of individuals permitted to receive mail-in ballots.
• This action matters as it represents a legal and political clash over voting access and the federal government's role in managing voter eligibility lists.
• The Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict birthright citizenship via executive order, ruling that such a change cannot be made through a presidential directive.
• Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, provided a potential legal roadmap for Republicans to achieve similar goals by pursuing legislative action through Congress rather than executive action.
• This guidance mirrors Kavanaugh's approach in a separate case regarding the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), where the Court ruled Trump lacked the authority to impose sweeping tariffs.
• The US Supreme Court issued a 6–3 ruling striking down an executive order by President Donald Trump that sought to restrict birthright citizenship.
• The decision reaffirms the constitutional guarantee that nearly everyone born on US soil is automatically granted citizenship.
• This ruling represents a significant legal setback for one of the Trump administration's primary immigration initiatives.
• Republicans in Congress are drafting legislation to end automatic birthright citizenship for children born in the U.S. following a Supreme Court ruling.
• The Supreme Court struck down a previous executive order from Donald Trump, with five of the six justices stating the order violated the 14th Amendment.
• This shift from executive action to legislative efforts highlights a strategic move by Republicans to codify citizenship changes through law rather than decree.
• The US Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling against a directive from Donald Trump that sought to end birthright citizenship.
• The decision affirms that nearly all infants born on US soil automatically acquire citizenship, upholding long-standing legal interpretations.
• This ruling represents a significant legal defeat for Trump, as it prevents the administration from unilaterally altering citizenship eligibility.
Move follows supreme court refusal to hear Trump’s appeal of civil case verdict in sexual abuse and defamation caseThe New York journalist E Jean Carroll asked a judge on Tuesday to mandate that Donald Trump pay her the $5m she is owed from a jury verdict that found the US president liable for sexually abusing her in the 1990s and defaming her after she publicly described in 2019 being attacked by him in a city department store.Lawyers for Carroll filed papers in a federal court in Manhattan one day after the US supreme court refused to hear Trump’s appeal of the civil case verdict in 2023. Continue reading...
• The US Supreme Court issued a 6-3 ruling rejecting a directive from Donald Trump aimed at ending birthright citizenship.
• The decision affirms that nearly all infants born on US soil automatically acquire citizenship, upholding long-standing legal interpretations.
• This ruling represents a significant legal blow to Trump's efforts to restrict citizenship eligibility for children of non-citizens.
• The Supreme Court struck down an executive order issued by President Trump that sought to end birthright citizenship in the United States.
• The ruling reaffirms a legal understanding spanning over 100 years that nearly all individuals born on U.S. soil are granted citizenship.
• This decision is significant as it prevents the administration from unilaterally altering citizenship eligibility through executive action.
• Donald Trump has nominated Keith Sonderling to serve as the U.S. Labor Secretary.
• In a separate tragedy, three firefighters were killed while battling a wildfire near the Utah border.
• Other global updates include the arrival of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in Australia, raising concerns regarding risks to pets.
• A federal judge has halted an executive order signed by President Trump that aimed to create a centralized federal voter list.
• Judge Talwani rejected the administration's motions to dismiss, ruling that postponing judicial review would be impracticable given the upcoming election cycle.
• The decision marks the second ruling in two days against Trump's executive orders seeking increased federal oversight of national elections.
• The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the Trump administration, allowing the government to block asylum seekers from entering the U.S. at the border.
• The decision centers on the legal interpretation of what constitutes "arriving" in the United States, specifically regarding migrants in areas like Ciudad Juárez.
• This ruling enables the administration to reinstate a restrictive border control policy that had been previously rescinded in 2021.
• An Obama-appointed judge has blocked an executive order issued by Donald Trump intended to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote in federal elections.
• The court ruled that the president exceeded his legal authority by attempting to create a federal voter registration list, as election rules typically fall under different jurisdictions.
• This decision marks a significant legal setback for the administration's efforts to implement the SAVE America Act's goals through executive action.