Author: Reporter

American citizens to be deported to El Salvador in controversial deal brokered by Secretary Rubio

El Salvador has offered to take in people deported from the U.S. for entering the country illegally and to house some of the country’s criminals, even if they are American citizens. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, after a meeting on February 2 with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, proclaimed it the most “unprecedented, extraordinary” offer the country has yet received during the ongoing wave of global migration. Details on the deal are scant, and immigration and constitutional experts question its legality. WHAT IS EL SALVADOR OFFERING? Bukele, who took office in 2019, says he’s offering a release valve...

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Mexico defends sovereignty after Trump moves to designate drug cartels as foreign terrorist groups

Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum said on January 21 that President Donald Trump’s executive order moving toward designating drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations would only impact Mexico if there is close coordination between the two governments. She said that Mexico would defend its sovereignty and independence while seeking coordination with the U.S. in the wake of the order signed on January 20. “We all want to fight the drug cartels,” Sheinbaum said at her daily press briefing. The U.S. “in their territory, us in our territory.” Trump’s order highlighted Mexican drug cartels and other Latin American criminal groups like...

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A clear and present danger: How Elon Musk masterminded a coup to seize the U.S. government

Elon Musk is rapidly and illegally consolidating personal control over large swaths of the federal government with President Donald Trump’s blessing, sidelining career officials, gaining access to sensitive databases, and dismantling a leading source of humanitarian assistance. The speed and scope of his work has been nothing short of stunning. In a little more than two weeks since Trump took office, the world’s richest man has created an alternative power structure inside the federal government for the purpose of seizing funds, diverting spending, and pushing out any career civil servant he dislikes. None of this is happening with congressional...

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Trump endorses ethnic cleansing of Palestinians with possible deployment of U.S. troops to seize Gaza

“Donald Trump has vowed that the U.S. would ‘take over’ war-ravaged Gaza and ‘own it,’ effectively endorsing the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, in an announcement shocking even by the standards of his norm-shattering presidency.” – David Smith, “The Guardian” According to Trump’s proposal, the U.S. would take “ownership” of the area encompassing Gazan and redevelop it into “the Riviera of the Middle East.” He is also not ruling out deploying U.S. combat troops to Gaza. Trump’s brazen proposal appears certain to roil the next stage of talks meant to extend the tenuous ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and secure...

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Madison is already feeling the toxic influence from Trump that is spreading through other state capitols

A new year of lawmaking and politicking is underway in U.S. statehouses. Governors are acting quickly to outline their agendas. And in many cases, the influence of President Donald Trump already is rippling through states in both symbolic and substantive ways. Some state officials are trying to tackle concerns that propelled Trump to office such as the economy, affordable living, and immigration. Some are mimicking Trump’s government efficiency panel, though they lack a headlining billionaire like Elon Musk to lead it. And many waded into the debate about whether U.S. flags would fly high on Inauguration Day to honor...

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Democratic states weigh how to offer vulnerable populations more protection against ethnic targeting

As President Donald Trump tightens the nation’s immigration policies, lawmakers in Democratic-led states are proposing new measures that could erect legal obstacles for federal immigration officials and help immigrants lacking legal status avoid deportation. The resistance efforts in California, New York, and other states are a counterpoint to the many Republican-led states advancing measures to aid Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, highlighting a national divide. In just his first week in office, Trump’s administration has halted refugee arrivals; fast-tracked deportations; sent military troops to the southern border; lifted longtime rules restricting immigration enforcement near schools, churches and hospitals; attempted...

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