Administration

• Trump administration 宣布启动 'Operation Economic Fury'，作为扩大制裁行动的一部分，对 Iran 实施全面封锁。 • 该倡议标志着对 Iran 经济压力的重大升级，反映了 US 外交政策转向更具侵略性的措施。 • 此举发生在 Middle East 地区更广泛的地缘政治紧张局势之中，是在 US 且与 Iran 经历了数月的外交紧张之后采取的。

• Trump政府于周三晚间就马萨诸塞州一名联邦法官3月16日的裁决提起上诉，该裁决阻止了卫生部长Robert F. Kennedy Jr.对国家儿童疫苗接种计划的全面改革。 • Brian Murphy法官曾裁定，Kennedy“非法”替换了CDC的疫苗顾问委员会，并搁置了该委员会做出的任何决定。 • 此次上诉表明，尽管其权力面临法律挑战，该政府仍打算继续进行疫苗咨询流程的重组。

• 专家表示，上周的命令仅是部分的 rescheduling，使得“本已复杂的过程更加混乱” • Trump administration 正在履行其 reschedule cannabis 的承诺，但仅是部分履行——这给 cannabis 行业的从业者带来了诸多疑问。 • 代理司法部长 Todd Blanche 上周签署了一项命令，将根据州医疗 cannabis 许可证销售的产品以及 FDA 批准的 cannabis 产品从 schedule I（定义为无公认医疗用途的物质）移至 schedule III（其中包括合法但受监管的物质，如含有 codeine 的特定剂量的 Tylenol 和 ketamine）。继续阅读...

Syrian 官员表示，由于 Albanese 政府拒绝遣返，一组 Australians 正“等待解决方案” Trump 政府表示目前正与各国进行“积极沟通”，敦促其遣返滞留在 Syria 的公民，而 Australian 政府对自 Islamic State 覆灭以来被拘留的 Australian 妇女和儿童仍维持强硬立场。 一组由四名妇女及其九名子女和孙辈组成的人员于上周五离开 Syria 东北部的 al-Roj 营地，试图返回 Australia。周四早间有报道称，Albanese 政府拒绝提供帮助导致他们被困在 Damascus。 继续阅读...

• 由于美以对伊战争期间霍尔木兹海峡封锁影响能源市场，汽油价格已飙升至每加仑 4 美元以上，机票价格飞涨，削弱了特朗普的关键政治优势。 • 超过四分之三的登记选民——包括超过半数的共和党人和 82% 的无党派人士——目前将影响燃料、食品杂货、住房和医疗保健的生活成本危机归咎于特朗普。 • 在政府停摆、关税以及美以联合对伊朗发动袭击后，特朗普第二任期的支持率下降速度远快于历任总统，美联储主席 Jerome Powell 警告称战争正在推高通胀。

• 一名联邦法官驳回了司法部寻求访问亚利桑那州选民注册数据的诉讼，裁定该州获胜。 • 该案涉及选民名录不准确的指控，但法院认为没有足够的证据来支持特朗普政府的要求。 • 这一裁决保护了州选民数据的隐私，并可能影响 2026 年中期选举前关于选举诚信的持续争论。

Albanese defends plan forcing Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers through a levy The Trump administration has described Australia’s moves to make big tech companies pay for news online as “extortion” but Anthony Albanese defended the plan by saying it was about protecting and rewarding media outlets for the work they produce.Labor’s plan to encourage Meta, Google and TikTok to make deals with Australian news publishers, or face a 2.25% levy, is likely to be supported by the Coalition and Greens in parliament. But a bigger problem may be the ire of Donald Trump, who has strongly opposed extra regulation being imposed on US-based tech companies. A major tech industry lobby group on Wednesday urged the White House to consider retaliatory trade measures. Continue reading...

US representatives Jared Huffman and Jamie Raskin earlier this month called agreements outrageous and unlawfulSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration blocked two permitted US wind energy projects from development this week, with an agreement to pay millions of dollars in refunds to the companies behind them if those funds are reinvested in oil and gas.US Department of the Interior officials framed the canceled agreements as a way to “promote US energy security and affordability” by funneling funds “away from intermittent, higher-cost energy sources toward proven conventional solutions”, in an announcement issued Monday. Continue reading...

• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard intensified accusations that former President Barack Obama and top administration officials—including former FBI Director James Comey, DNI James Clapper, and CIA Director John Brennan—conspired to subvert Trump's 2016 election victory. • Gabbard claimed to have unveiled new evidence of a plot to undermine the democratic will of the American people through intelligence community actions. • The allegations signal continued politicization of intelligence agencies and ongoing disputes over 2016 election interference investigations.

• The Trump administration pledges a crackdown on Chinese companies exploiting American-made AI models, focusing on national security risks. • Officials singled out China for foreign tech firms' unauthorized use of US AI technologies, vowing stricter enforcement measures. • The initiative aims to protect US intellectual property and prevent adversarial nations from leveraging American innovations in AI development.

Justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born people whose US citizenship it wants to revokeThe Trump administration is reportedly pushing the justice department to pursue hundreds of denaturalization cases, in which Americans born outside of the US are stripped of their citizenship.The justice department has already identified 384 foreign-born US citizens, whose citizenship it wants to revoke and will begin the process in the coming weeks, according to the New York Times. Continue reading...

Marijuana had same classification as heroin, LSD and others before Trump signed an order to move it to schedule IIISign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration has moved to reclassify marijuana, more than four months after Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the attorney general to move it from schedule I to schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act.The schedule I classification meant marijuana was alongside heroin, LSD, MDMA and synthetic opioids, whereas a schedule III classification put it in the same category as ketamine, anabolic steroids and testosterone. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration will require all 50 states to explain their plans to revalidate Medicaid providers as part of a national escalation of anti-fraud efforts, announced by Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday. • This marks a significant expansion from previous anti-fraud initiatives that have largely focused on specific states rather than a nationwide mandate. • The move aims to strengthen program integrity and reduce fraudulent claims across the Medicaid system.

The injunction pauses policy giving senior Trump official direct sign-off on federal clean energy projectsA federal judge in Massachusetts on Tuesday struck down several Trump administration actions slowing down development of clean energy, including a requirement that all solar and wind energy projects on federal lands and waters be personally approved by the interior secretary, Doug Burgum.Denise J Casper, chief judge of the US district court for Massachusetts, ruled that a coalition of plaintiffs representing wind and solar developers were likely to succeed on the merits of their claims that the administration’s actions violate federal statute and will cause irreparable harm if the court did not intervene. Continue reading...

Claims system launches months after supreme court ruled Trump had no legal authority to impose tariffsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe Trump administration began on Monday accepting applications from businesses seeking refunds for more than $166bn in tariffs, months after the supreme court ruled that the president had no legal authority to impose them.The administration launched on Monday the digital claims system, named Cape, which they said in court filings could handle about 63% of affected import filings, with the remainder to follow. Continue reading...

• President Trump has moved to fast-track psychedelic research as part of his administration's policy agenda, marking a significant shift in federal drug policy priorities. • Former Arizona Senator Kyrsten Sinema has publicly applauded the initiative as a "bold step forward" in medical research on Fox & Friends Weekend. • The accelerated psychedelic research program represents an innovative approach to mental health treatment and scientific advancement under the Trump administration.

Rümeysa Öztürk, who faced deportation over pro-Palestinian op-ed, travels back to Turkey to begin careerSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxRümeysa Öztürk, the Tufts University student who was targeted by the Trump administration last year in response to co-writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed, completed her doctorate in the US and traveled back to her native Turkey this week.Öztürk was detained last year by immigration agents in Massachusetts, with video of the Tufts University student’s arrest going viral. She was one of many international students targeted by the Trump administration for pro-Palestinian speech and activism during widespread protests, which were especially active on US college campuses, against Israel’s war in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 deadly attack on southern Israel. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the United Nations Human Rights Council and ended all support for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which the administration characterized as funding Hamas. • The decision represents a significant shift in US policy toward international human rights organizations and Palestinian humanitarian assistance programs. • The move reflects the Trump administration's hardline stance on Middle East policy and international organizations it views as hostile to US and Israeli interests.

• A Mexican migrant died in ICE custody on April 14, 2026, marking the 47th death during the Trump administration. • Incident occurred within the past 21 hours, prompting investigations into detention conditions. • Highlights ongoing debates over immigration enforcement and detainee welfare policies.

• Peace talks between the US, Israel, and Iran held in Islamabad have broken down, prompting the Trump administration to announce a US Navy blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. • The breakdown in diplomatic negotiations marks an escalation in US-Iran tensions and threatens to further disrupt global energy supplies already stressed by Middle East instability. • The blockade decision signals a shift from diplomatic engagement to military enforcement, with potential consequences for international shipping and energy markets worldwide.

• The Trump administration fired six immigration judges on Friday, including Judge Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, for dismissing high-profile deportation cases against international students involved in pro-Palestinian protests. • Patel ruled in January that there were no grounds to deport Turkish student Rümeysa Öztürk, targeted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio after her critical op-ed on Tufts University's Palestine stance; Froes ended proceedings against Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi in February. • The judges reported pressure from the administration to approve more deportations, as revealed in interviews with The New York Times.

US government reverses course on removing LGBTQ+ Pride flag from New York monument after efforts from advocatesThe Trump administration agreed Monday to keep flying a rainbow Pride flag at the Stonewall national monument, reversing course after removing the banner in February.The government revealed the decision as it seeks to settle a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ+ and historic preservation groups who had sought to block the removal. A judge must still approve the agreement. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration is dismantling civil rights protections in housing that have been used to challenge discriminatory practices, marking a significant shift in federal enforcement of fair housing laws. • The policy reversal affects regulatory mechanisms historically used to combat housing discrimination and bias, with implications for fair lending and rental practices across the United States. • Civil rights advocates and housing advocates are expected to challenge the rollback, with potential legal battles anticipated over the constitutionality and necessity of the protections.

Triumphal arch would be 250ft tall, featuring a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, at the foot of Arlington Memorial BridgeThe Trump administration on Friday released new renderings of the triumphal arch the president wants to install in Memorial Circle at the foot of the Arlington Memorial Bridge.As part of Donald Trump’s legacy-building quest during his second term in office, the so-called “Arc de Trump” would stand 250ft tall, feature a 60ft golden Lady Liberty, and include a viewing deck. The phrase “One Nation Under God” would stretch across the top of the structure, according to the latest plans from Harrison Design. Continue reading...

Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter were detained in Texas facilities deemed ‘unsafe and degrading’When Tania Warner and her seven-year-old daughter, Ayla, were released after nearly three weeks of detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the Canadian mother’s joy at regaining her freedom was tempered by the knowledge of the many families who remained incarcerated.“They were wonderful people. I just loved them and I cried so hard when I left, I just wanted to take them all with me,” she said. Continue reading...

• President Trump is reexamining the United States' relationship with NATO, as his irritation with American allies who refused to join the war against Iran reaches a climax. • Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated on March 31 that 'after this conflict has concluded, we should reevaluate' America's role in the alliance, while NATO Ambassador Matt Whitaker said on April 1 that 'everything's on the table.' • The reconsideration reflects Trump's frustration with NATO members' reluctance to support U.S. military operations in Iran, signaling potential fundamental shifts in transatlantic security arrangements.