update - USSC restores gerrymandered Texas electoral maps
- Thread starter mandrill
- Start date
Johnson criticized for quickly swearing in Republican while making Democrat wait 50 days
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is coming under fire after a report revealed he expects to swear in this week the newest Republican elected to Congress, Matt Van Epps, for whom Johnson campaigned. Van Epps won a narrow victory Tuesday night in a deep red Tennessee district. The move comes after Johnson most recently delayed seating Democratic U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona for 50 days.
Johnson offered an array of explanations for why he would not swear in Congresswoman Grijalva, who won her September election for a seat vacant since March but was not seated until November.
Among his reasons were that the House was not in session, there was a federal government shutdown, and her election had to be officially certified. Critics noted that other members-elect had been sworn in under similar circumstances.
In October, The Guardian reported that Grijalva “thinks she knows the reason why Johnson is in no rush to administer the oath: in addition to co-sponsoring bills on the environment, public education and other issues she campaigned on addressing, Grijalva plans to provide the final signature on a petition that would force a vote on legislation to release files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – which the speaker and Donald Trump oppose.”
Now, critics are blasting Johnson, after Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman reported on the Speaker’s expected timeline.
“I was led to believe that waiting almost two months was customary and totally normal,” snarked Robbie Sherwood, communications director of the Arizona House Democratic Caucus.
“Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, the last member had to wait 50 days,” observed political commentator Molly Jong-Fast.
“Oh so he can just swear anyone in immediately if he feels like it,” noted Hemant Mehta, who writes the Friendly Atheist on Substack.
“Guess the speed of democracy depends on who you voted for and what they look like,” charged Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson is coming under fire after a report revealed he expects to swear in this week the newest Republican elected to Congress, Matt Van Epps, for whom Johnson campaigned. Van Epps won a narrow victory Tuesday night in a deep red Tennessee district. The move comes after Johnson most recently delayed seating Democratic U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva of Arizona for 50 days.
Johnson offered an array of explanations for why he would not swear in Congresswoman Grijalva, who won her September election for a seat vacant since March but was not seated until November.
Among his reasons were that the House was not in session, there was a federal government shutdown, and her election had to be officially certified. Critics noted that other members-elect had been sworn in under similar circumstances.
In October, The Guardian reported that Grijalva “thinks she knows the reason why Johnson is in no rush to administer the oath: in addition to co-sponsoring bills on the environment, public education and other issues she campaigned on addressing, Grijalva plans to provide the final signature on a petition that would force a vote on legislation to release files related to accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein – which the speaker and Donald Trump oppose.”
Now, critics are blasting Johnson, after Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman reported on the Speaker’s expected timeline.
“I was led to believe that waiting almost two months was customary and totally normal,” snarked Robbie Sherwood, communications director of the Arizona House Democratic Caucus.
“Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, the last member had to wait 50 days,” observed political commentator Molly Jong-Fast.
“Oh so he can just swear anyone in immediately if he feels like it,” noted Hemant Mehta, who writes the Friendly Atheist on Substack.
“Guess the speed of democracy depends on who you voted for and what they look like,” charged Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko.
Arkansas attorney general says pardoned nursing home operator should serve state sentence
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' attorney general is seeking to have a former nursing home operator who was pardoned by President Donald Trump serve time in state prison for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion.
Tim Griffin asked a Pulaski County judge in a court motion Tuesday to order Joseph Schwartz to report to prison to serve 31 days before he is eligible for parole under his state conviction. Griffin asked the judge to give Schwartz seven days to report.
Schwartz pleaded guilty in federal court last year for his role in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme involving nursing homes he owned across the country. Trump pardoned him last month.
As part of a plea agreement with the state, Schwartz was sentenced to one year to run concurrently with his federal prison time. Griffin, a Republican, said in court filings that Schwartz still has a debt to the state.
“In addition to his prison time, he still owes more than $1 million to the state in restitution and fees,” Jeff LeMaster, a spokesperson for Griffin's office, said in a statement. “We will ensure he fulfills all of his obligations to the state.”
Griffin also said Schwartz should be considered a flight risk.
Kevin Marino, an attorney for Schwartz, said the state should not succeed in its request.
“We do not believe that motion is well-made, and we’re confident Mr. Schwartz will prevail,” Marino said.
Under Arkansas law, Schwartz is required to serve a third of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. He previously served 90 days in state custody.
Federal prosecutors said Schwartz, who operated New Jersey-based Skyline Management Group, willfully failed to pay employment taxes relating to numerous health care and rehabilitation facilities that Skyline ran in 11 states.
Between October 2017 and May 2018, Schwartz caused taxes to be withheld from employees’ pay but then failed to pay over more than $38 million in employment taxes to the IRS, according to the Justice Department.
Andrew Demillo, The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas' attorney general is seeking to have a former nursing home operator who was pardoned by President Donald Trump serve time in state prison for Medicaid fraud and tax evasion.
Tim Griffin asked a Pulaski County judge in a court motion Tuesday to order Joseph Schwartz to report to prison to serve 31 days before he is eligible for parole under his state conviction. Griffin asked the judge to give Schwartz seven days to report.
Schwartz pleaded guilty in federal court last year for his role in a $38 million employment tax fraud scheme involving nursing homes he owned across the country. Trump pardoned him last month.
As part of a plea agreement with the state, Schwartz was sentenced to one year to run concurrently with his federal prison time. Griffin, a Republican, said in court filings that Schwartz still has a debt to the state.
“In addition to his prison time, he still owes more than $1 million to the state in restitution and fees,” Jeff LeMaster, a spokesperson for Griffin's office, said in a statement. “We will ensure he fulfills all of his obligations to the state.”
Griffin also said Schwartz should be considered a flight risk.
Kevin Marino, an attorney for Schwartz, said the state should not succeed in its request.
“We do not believe that motion is well-made, and we’re confident Mr. Schwartz will prevail,” Marino said.
Under Arkansas law, Schwartz is required to serve a third of his sentence before he becomes eligible for parole. He previously served 90 days in state custody.
Federal prosecutors said Schwartz, who operated New Jersey-based Skyline Management Group, willfully failed to pay employment taxes relating to numerous health care and rehabilitation facilities that Skyline ran in 11 states.
Between October 2017 and May 2018, Schwartz caused taxes to be withheld from employees’ pay but then failed to pay over more than $38 million in employment taxes to the IRS, according to the Justice Department.
Andrew Demillo, The Associated Press
Trump loses DC legal battle
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority by deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
In her decision, she found the deployment unlawful and noted that he cannot send troops “for the deterrence of crime.”
The lawsuit
In August, Trump declared an emergency in the capital, placing the local police under federal control while deploying National Guard units.
Even after the order expired a month later, the troops remained.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration over the deployment.
The lawsuit was one of several legal challenges the president faced regarding his use of federal forces, including similar actions in Los Angeles and Chicago.
“Armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil. The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and basic freedoms. It must end,” Schwalb wrote at the time.
Trump justified sending the National Guard, claiming it was necessary to stop “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.”
The ruling
In her ruling, Judge Cobb explained that Trump’s role as commander in chief of the Guard does not override federal laws.
These laws restrict how troops can be federalized and deployed, particularly in Washington, D.C., which falls under Congress.
In her 61-page ruling, Cobb noted, “The Court rejects Defendants’ fly-by assertion of constitutional power, finding that such a broad reading of the President’s Article II authority would erase Congress’s role in governing the District and its National Guard.”
Effective date
Judge Cobb, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, determined that the Pentagon could not legally send 1,000 out-of-state National Guard troops to support law enforcement in the capital.
The ruling’s effective date was set for December 11, allowing the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal.
‘Dangerous precedent’
Following the ruling, Schwalb doubled down on his criticism of the federal government’s deployment.
“From the beginning, we made clear that the U.S. military should not be policing American citizens on American soil,” he said in a statement.
“Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the president can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power. This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal,” he continued. “It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”
Despite losing in court, the White House isn’t backing down.
“President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. “This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents — to undermine the president’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.”
U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb ruled that President Donald Trump overstepped his authority by deploying 2,000 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C.
In her decision, she found the deployment unlawful and noted that he cannot send troops “for the deterrence of crime.”
The lawsuit
In August, Trump declared an emergency in the capital, placing the local police under federal control while deploying National Guard units.
Even after the order expired a month later, the troops remained.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the administration over the deployment.
The lawsuit was one of several legal challenges the president faced regarding his use of federal forces, including similar actions in Los Angeles and Chicago.
“Armed soldiers should not be policing American citizens on American soil. The forced military occupation of the District of Columbia violates our local autonomy and basic freedoms. It must end,” Schwalb wrote at the time.
Trump justified sending the National Guard, claiming it was necessary to stop “crime, bloodshed, bedlam and squalor and worse.”
The ruling
In her ruling, Judge Cobb explained that Trump’s role as commander in chief of the Guard does not override federal laws.
These laws restrict how troops can be federalized and deployed, particularly in Washington, D.C., which falls under Congress.
In her 61-page ruling, Cobb noted, “The Court rejects Defendants’ fly-by assertion of constitutional power, finding that such a broad reading of the President’s Article II authority would erase Congress’s role in governing the District and its National Guard.”
Effective date
Judge Cobb, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, determined that the Pentagon could not legally send 1,000 out-of-state National Guard troops to support law enforcement in the capital.
The ruling’s effective date was set for December 11, allowing the Trump administration an opportunity to appeal.
‘Dangerous precedent’
Following the ruling, Schwalb doubled down on his criticism of the federal government’s deployment.
“From the beginning, we made clear that the U.S. military should not be policing American citizens on American soil,” he said in a statement.
“Normalizing the use of military troops for domestic law enforcement sets a dangerous precedent, where the president can disregard states’ independence and deploy troops wherever and whenever he wants – with no check on his military power. This unprecedented federal overreach is not normal, or legal,” he continued. “It is long past time to let the National Guard go home – to their everyday lives, their regular jobs, their families, and their children.”
Despite losing in court, the White House isn’t backing down.
“President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C., to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said. “This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents — to undermine the president’s highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C.”
NY attorney general challenges authority of acting US attorney investigating her Trump lawsuits
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump's effort to install political loyalists as top federal prosecutors has run into a legal buzz saw lately, with judges ruling that his handpicked U.S. attorneys for New Jersey, eastern Virginia, Nevada and Los Angeles were all serving unlawfully.
FILE - New York Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court Oct. 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/John Clark, File)© The Associated Press
Now, another federal judge is poised to consider an argument by New York Attorney General Letitia James that the administration also twisted the law in order to make John Sarcone the acting U.S. attorney for northern New York.
A court hearing is scheduled to be held Thursday as James challenges Sarcone's authority to oversee a Justice Department investigation into regulatory lawsuits she filed against Trump and the National Rifle Association.
James, a Democrat is disputing the legitimacy of subpoenas issued as part of Sarcone's probe, which her lawyers say is part of a campaign of baseless investigations and prosecutions of Trump's perceived enemies.
They argued in court papers that since Sarcone “has no legitimate authority” to act as U.S. attorney, any legal steps taken by him in that capacity are unlawful.
“The subpoenas must be quashed, and Sarcone must be disqualified from this investigation,” they wrote.
Justice Department lawyers say Sarcone was appointed properly and the motion to block the subpoenas should be denied.
The fight in New York, and in the other states, is largely over the legality of unorthodox strategies the Trump administration has adopted to appoint prosecutors seen as unlikely to get confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The New York hearing before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield comes a week after a federal judge in Virginia dismissed indictments brought there against James and former FBI Director James Comey. That judge concluded that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed. The Justice Department is expected to appeal.
On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled that Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer, is disqualified from serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor.
Under federal law, the president's nominees for U.S. attorney need to be confirmed by the Senate. If a position is vacant, the U.S. attorney general can appoint someone to serve temporarily, but that appointment then expires after 120 days. If that time period elapses, judges in the district can either keep the interim U.S. attorney in the post or appoint someone of their own choosing.
Sarcone's appointment didn't follow that path.
Trump hasn't nominated anyone to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Sarcone to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in March. When his 120-day term elapsed, judges in the district declined to keep him in the post.
Bondi then took the unusual step of appointing Sarcone as a special attorney, then designated him first assistant U.S. attorney for the district, a maneuver federal officials say allows him to serve as an acting U.S. attorney.
James lawyers have called the move an end-run around the federal law for filling vacant executive branch positions.
The New York subpoenas seek records related to a civil case James filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings. and records from a lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association and two senior executives.
Justice Department lawyers argued in court papers that the U.S. attorney general has “unquestioned authority” to appoint attorneys within her department and to delegate her functions to those attorneys. And they argue that even if Sarcone is not properly holding the office of acting U.S. attorney, he can still conduct grand jury investigations as a special attorney.
Sarcone was part of Trump’s legal team during the 2016 presidential campaign and worked for the U.S. General Services Administration as the regional administrator for the Northeast and Caribbean during Trump’s first term.
Habba had also served as an interim U.S. attorney. When her appointment expired, New Jersey judges replaced her with a career prosecutor who had served as her second-in-command. Bondi then fired the prosecutor installed by the judges and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.
A similar dynamic is playing out in Nevada, where a federal judge disqualified the Trump administration’s pick to be U.S. attorney there. And a federal judge in Los Angeles disqualified the acting U.S. attorney in Southern California from several cases after concluding he had stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
Michael Hill, The Associated Press
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — President Donald Trump's effort to install political loyalists as top federal prosecutors has run into a legal buzz saw lately, with judges ruling that his handpicked U.S. attorneys for New Jersey, eastern Virginia, Nevada and Los Angeles were all serving unlawfully.
FILE - New York Attorney General, Letitia James, speaks after pleading not guilty outside the United States District Court Oct. 24, 2025, in Norfolk, Va. (AP Photo/John Clark, File)© The Associated Press
Now, another federal judge is poised to consider an argument by New York Attorney General Letitia James that the administration also twisted the law in order to make John Sarcone the acting U.S. attorney for northern New York.
A court hearing is scheduled to be held Thursday as James challenges Sarcone's authority to oversee a Justice Department investigation into regulatory lawsuits she filed against Trump and the National Rifle Association.
James, a Democrat is disputing the legitimacy of subpoenas issued as part of Sarcone's probe, which her lawyers say is part of a campaign of baseless investigations and prosecutions of Trump's perceived enemies.
They argued in court papers that since Sarcone “has no legitimate authority” to act as U.S. attorney, any legal steps taken by him in that capacity are unlawful.
“The subpoenas must be quashed, and Sarcone must be disqualified from this investigation,” they wrote.
Justice Department lawyers say Sarcone was appointed properly and the motion to block the subpoenas should be denied.
The fight in New York, and in the other states, is largely over the legality of unorthodox strategies the Trump administration has adopted to appoint prosecutors seen as unlikely to get confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
The New York hearing before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield comes a week after a federal judge in Virginia dismissed indictments brought there against James and former FBI Director James Comey. That judge concluded that the interim U.S. attorney who brought the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed. The Justice Department is expected to appeal.
On Monday, a federal appeals court ruled that Alina Habba, Trump’s former personal lawyer, is disqualified from serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor.
Under federal law, the president's nominees for U.S. attorney need to be confirmed by the Senate. If a position is vacant, the U.S. attorney general can appoint someone to serve temporarily, but that appointment then expires after 120 days. If that time period elapses, judges in the district can either keep the interim U.S. attorney in the post or appoint someone of their own choosing.
Sarcone's appointment didn't follow that path.
Trump hasn't nominated anyone to serve as U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Sarcone to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in March. When his 120-day term elapsed, judges in the district declined to keep him in the post.
Bondi then took the unusual step of appointing Sarcone as a special attorney, then designated him first assistant U.S. attorney for the district, a maneuver federal officials say allows him to serve as an acting U.S. attorney.
James lawyers have called the move an end-run around the federal law for filling vacant executive branch positions.
The New York subpoenas seek records related to a civil case James filed against Trump over alleged fraud in his personal business dealings. and records from a lawsuit involving the National Rifle Association and two senior executives.
Justice Department lawyers argued in court papers that the U.S. attorney general has “unquestioned authority” to appoint attorneys within her department and to delegate her functions to those attorneys. And they argue that even if Sarcone is not properly holding the office of acting U.S. attorney, he can still conduct grand jury investigations as a special attorney.
Sarcone was part of Trump’s legal team during the 2016 presidential campaign and worked for the U.S. General Services Administration as the regional administrator for the Northeast and Caribbean during Trump’s first term.
Habba had also served as an interim U.S. attorney. When her appointment expired, New Jersey judges replaced her with a career prosecutor who had served as her second-in-command. Bondi then fired the prosecutor installed by the judges and renamed Habba as acting U.S. attorney.
A similar dynamic is playing out in Nevada, where a federal judge disqualified the Trump administration’s pick to be U.S. attorney there. And a federal judge in Los Angeles disqualified the acting U.S. attorney in Southern California from several cases after concluding he had stayed in the temporary job longer than allowed by law.
Michael Hill, The Associated Press
Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández freed after Trump pardon
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Hernández was released Monday from U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press. The bureau’s online inmate records also reflected his release.
The release of Hernández — a former U.S. ally whose conviction prosecutors said exposed the depth of cartel influence in Honduras — comes just days after the country’s presidential election. Trump defended the decision aboard Air Force One on Sunday, saying Hondurans believed Hernández had been “set up,” even as prosecutors argued he protected drug traffickers who moved hundreds of tons of cocaine through the country.
Ana Garcia, wife of former Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez, arrives to speak to journalists in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)© The Associated Press
The pardon also unfolds against the backdrop of Trump’s aggressive counter-narcotics push that has triggered intense controversy across Latin America. In recent months, U.S. forces have repeatedly struck vessels they say were ferrying drugs north, a series of lethal maritime attacks that the administration argues are lawful acts of war against drug cartels — and that critics say test the limits of international law and amount to a pressure campaign on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has carried out 21 known strikes on vessels accused of carrying drugs, killing at least 83 people. The administration has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, similar to the war against al-Qaida following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ana García thanked Trump for pardoning her husband via the social platform X early Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday outside her home in Tegucigalpa, she thanked Trump for pardoning her husband and drew a parallel between the two men.
“Today the whole world realizes that, like they did with President Donald Trump, the same Southern District, the same prosecutor created a political case,” García said.
She said Hernández called her Monday evening to say he was in the office of the prison head and had been told he will be released. García said Hernández is in an undisclosed location for his safety, but that he plans to address the Honduran people on Wednesday.
Hernández’s attorney Renato Stabile said in an emailed statement he also would not share the former president’s current location.
García said the process to seek a pardon began several months ago with a petition to the office of pardons. Then on Oct. 28, Hernández’s birthday, he wrote a letter to Trump. He announced he was pardoning Hernández last Friday.
“My husband is the president who has done the most for Honduras in the fight against organized crime,” Garcia said.
Trump's rationale for the pardon
Trump was asked Sunday why he pardoned Hernández.
“I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras,” Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One.
“The people of Honduras really thought he was set up, and it was a terrible thing,” he said.
“They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden administration set-up," Trump said. "And I looked at the facts and I agreed with them.”
Stabile, the attorney, said Hernández is glad the “ordeal” is over.
“On behalf of President Hernández and his family I would like to thank President Trump for correcting this injustice,” Stabile said.
Democratic lawmakers expressed condemnation and disbelief that Trump issued the pardon.
“They prosecute him, find him guilty of selling narcotics through these cartels into the United States. Can you think of anyone more reprehensible than that? Selling drugs to this country, finding more victims by the day,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois in a speech on the Senate floor.
“This is not an action by a President trying to keep America safe from narcotics,” Durbin added.
The Trump administration has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and has carried out strikes in the Caribbean against boats the White House says were carrying drugs.
The case against the former president
Hernández was arrested at the request of the United States in February 2022, weeks after current President Xiomara Castro took office.
Two years later, Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison in a New York federal courtroom for taking bribes from drug traffickers so they could safely move some 400 tons (360 metric tons) of cocaine north through Honduras to the United States.
Hernández maintained throughout that he was innocent and the victim of revenge by drug traffickers he had helped extradite to the United States.
During his sentencing, federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said the punishment should serve as a warning to “well educated, well dressed” individuals who gain power and think their status insulates them from justice when they do wrong.
Hernández portrayed himself as a hero of the anti-drug trafficking movement who teamed up with American authorities under three U.S. presidential administrations to reduce drug imports.
But the judge said trial evidence proved the opposite and that Hernández employed “considerable acting skills” to make it seem that he strongly opposed drug trafficking while he deployed his nation’s police and military to protect the drug trade.
Hernández is not guaranteed a quick return to Honduras.
Immediately after Trump announced his intention to pardon Hernández, Honduras Attorney General Johel Zelaya said via X that his office was obligated to seek justice and put an end to impunity.
He did not specify what charges Hernández could face in Honduras. There were various corruption-related investigations of his administration across two terms in office that did not lead to charges against him. Castro, who oversaw Hernández's arrest and extradition to the U.S., will remain in office until January.
The pardon promised by Trump days before Honduras’ presidential election injected a new element into the contest that some said helped the candidate from his National Party Nasry Asfura as the vote count proceeded Tuesday.
___
Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey. Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed.
Christopher Sherman And Mike Catalini, The Associated Press
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras (AP) — Former Honduras President Juan Orlando Hernández, sentenced last year to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking operation that moved hundreds of tons of cocaine to the United States, was released from prison following a pardon from President Donald Trump, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Hernández was released Monday from U.S. Penitentiary Hazelton in West Virginia, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons told The Associated Press. The bureau’s online inmate records also reflected his release.
The release of Hernández — a former U.S. ally whose conviction prosecutors said exposed the depth of cartel influence in Honduras — comes just days after the country’s presidential election. Trump defended the decision aboard Air Force One on Sunday, saying Hondurans believed Hernández had been “set up,” even as prosecutors argued he protected drug traffickers who moved hundreds of tons of cocaine through the country.
Ana Garcia, wife of former Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez, arrives to speak to journalists in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)© The Associated Press
The pardon also unfolds against the backdrop of Trump’s aggressive counter-narcotics push that has triggered intense controversy across Latin America. In recent months, U.S. forces have repeatedly struck vessels they say were ferrying drugs north, a series of lethal maritime attacks that the administration argues are lawful acts of war against drug cartels — and that critics say test the limits of international law and amount to a pressure campaign on Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro.
The Trump administration has carried out 21 known strikes on vessels accused of carrying drugs, killing at least 83 people. The administration has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and asserted the U.S. is engaged in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels, similar to the war against al-Qaida following the Sept. 11 attacks.
Ana García thanked Trump for pardoning her husband via the social platform X early Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters Tuesday outside her home in Tegucigalpa, she thanked Trump for pardoning her husband and drew a parallel between the two men.
“Today the whole world realizes that, like they did with President Donald Trump, the same Southern District, the same prosecutor created a political case,” García said.
She said Hernández called her Monday evening to say he was in the office of the prison head and had been told he will be released. García said Hernández is in an undisclosed location for his safety, but that he plans to address the Honduran people on Wednesday.
Hernández’s attorney Renato Stabile said in an emailed statement he also would not share the former president’s current location.
García said the process to seek a pardon began several months ago with a petition to the office of pardons. Then on Oct. 28, Hernández’s birthday, he wrote a letter to Trump. He announced he was pardoning Hernández last Friday.
“My husband is the president who has done the most for Honduras in the fight against organized crime,” Garcia said.
Trump's rationale for the pardon
Trump was asked Sunday why he pardoned Hernández.
“I was asked by Honduras, many of the people of Honduras,” Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One.
“The people of Honduras really thought he was set up, and it was a terrible thing,” he said.
“They basically said he was a drug dealer because he was the president of the country. And they said it was a Biden administration set-up," Trump said. "And I looked at the facts and I agreed with them.”
Stabile, the attorney, said Hernández is glad the “ordeal” is over.
“On behalf of President Hernández and his family I would like to thank President Trump for correcting this injustice,” Stabile said.
Democratic lawmakers expressed condemnation and disbelief that Trump issued the pardon.
“They prosecute him, find him guilty of selling narcotics through these cartels into the United States. Can you think of anyone more reprehensible than that? Selling drugs to this country, finding more victims by the day,” said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois in a speech on the Senate floor.
“This is not an action by a President trying to keep America safe from narcotics,” Durbin added.
The Trump administration has declared drug cartels to be unlawful combatants and has carried out strikes in the Caribbean against boats the White House says were carrying drugs.
The case against the former president
Hernández was arrested at the request of the United States in February 2022, weeks after current President Xiomara Castro took office.
Two years later, Hernández was sentenced to 45 years in prison in a New York federal courtroom for taking bribes from drug traffickers so they could safely move some 400 tons (360 metric tons) of cocaine north through Honduras to the United States.
Hernández maintained throughout that he was innocent and the victim of revenge by drug traffickers he had helped extradite to the United States.
During his sentencing, federal Judge P. Kevin Castel said the punishment should serve as a warning to “well educated, well dressed” individuals who gain power and think their status insulates them from justice when they do wrong.
Hernández portrayed himself as a hero of the anti-drug trafficking movement who teamed up with American authorities under three U.S. presidential administrations to reduce drug imports.
But the judge said trial evidence proved the opposite and that Hernández employed “considerable acting skills” to make it seem that he strongly opposed drug trafficking while he deployed his nation’s police and military to protect the drug trade.
Hernández is not guaranteed a quick return to Honduras.
Immediately after Trump announced his intention to pardon Hernández, Honduras Attorney General Johel Zelaya said via X that his office was obligated to seek justice and put an end to impunity.
He did not specify what charges Hernández could face in Honduras. There were various corruption-related investigations of his administration across two terms in office that did not lead to charges against him. Castro, who oversaw Hernández's arrest and extradition to the U.S., will remain in office until January.
The pardon promised by Trump days before Honduras’ presidential election injected a new element into the contest that some said helped the candidate from his National Party Nasry Asfura as the vote count proceeded Tuesday.
___
Catalini reported from Trenton, New Jersey. Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington, D.C., contributed.
Christopher Sherman And Mike Catalini, The Associated Press
Grand jury rejects new mortgage fraud indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia after a judge’s ruling halting the prosecution of James and another longtime Trump foe, former FBI Director James Comey, on the grounds that the U.S. attorney who presented the cases was illegally appointed.
The Justice Department could go back to the grand jury to try again. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
James was initially charged in October by the U.S. attorney installed by the Trump administration to replace the prosecutor who resigned under pressure to bring criminal cases against Comey and James.
James denied any wrongdoing and accused the administration of using the justice system to seek revenge against Trump’s political opponents.
The allegations related to James’ purchase of a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family. During the sale, she signed a standard document called a “second home rider” in which she agreed to keep the property primarily for her “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year,” unless the lender agreed otherwise.
Rather than using the home as a second residence, James rented it out to a family of three, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, prosecutors alleged.
Even if the charges are resurrected, the Justice Department could face obstacles in securing a conviction against James.
James’ lawyers separately argued the case was a vindictive prosecution brought to punish the Trump critic who spent years investigating and suing the Republican president and won a staggering judgment in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. The fine was later tossed out by a higher court, but both sides are appealing.
The defense had also alleged “outrageous government conduct” preceding her indictment, which the defense argued warrants the case’s dismissal. The judge hadn’t ruled on the defense’s arguments on those matters before dismissing the case last month over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie took issue with the mechanism the Trump administration employed to appoint Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, to lead one of the Justice Department’s most elite and important offices.
Halligan was named as a replacement for Erik Siebert, a veteran prosecutor in the office and interim U.S. attorney who resigned in September amid Trump administration pressure to file charges against both Comey and James. He stepped aside after Trump told reporters he wanted Siebert “out.”
The following night, Trump said he would be nominating Halligan to the role of interim U.S. attorney and publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against his political opponents, saying in a Truth Social post that, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility” and “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Comey was indicted three days after Halligan was sworn in by Bondi, and James was charged two weeks after that.
The Justice Department had defended Halligan’s appointment but has also revealed that Bondi had given Halligan a separate position of “Special Attorney,” presumably as a way to protect the indictments from the possibility of collapse. But Currie said such a retroactive designation could not save the cases.
Though the defendants had asked for the cases to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the Justice Department would be barred from bringing them again, Currie instead dismissed them without prejudice — leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could try to file the charges again.
______
Richer reported from Washington.
Alanna Durkin Richer And Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — The Justice Department failed Thursday to secure a new indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James after a judge dismissed the previous mortgage fraud prosecution encouraged by President Donald Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Prosecutors went back to a grand jury in Virginia after a judge’s ruling halting the prosecution of James and another longtime Trump foe, former FBI Director James Comey, on the grounds that the U.S. attorney who presented the cases was illegally appointed.
The Justice Department could go back to the grand jury to try again. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.
James was initially charged in October by the U.S. attorney installed by the Trump administration to replace the prosecutor who resigned under pressure to bring criminal cases against Comey and James.
James denied any wrongdoing and accused the administration of using the justice system to seek revenge against Trump’s political opponents.
The allegations related to James’ purchase of a modest house in Norfolk, where she has family. During the sale, she signed a standard document called a “second home rider” in which she agreed to keep the property primarily for her “personal use and enjoyment for at least one year,” unless the lender agreed otherwise.
Rather than using the home as a second residence, James rented it out to a family of three, allowing her to obtain favorable loan terms not available for investment properties, prosecutors alleged.
Even if the charges are resurrected, the Justice Department could face obstacles in securing a conviction against James.
James’ lawyers separately argued the case was a vindictive prosecution brought to punish the Trump critic who spent years investigating and suing the Republican president and won a staggering judgment in a lawsuit alleging he defrauded banks by overstating the value of his real estate holdings on financial statements. The fine was later tossed out by a higher court, but both sides are appealing.
The defense had also alleged “outrageous government conduct” preceding her indictment, which the defense argued warrants the case’s dismissal. The judge hadn’t ruled on the defense’s arguments on those matters before dismissing the case last month over the appointment of Lindsey Halligan as U.S. attorney.
U.S. District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie took issue with the mechanism the Trump administration employed to appoint Halligan, a former White House aide with no prior prosecutorial experience, to lead one of the Justice Department’s most elite and important offices.
Halligan was named as a replacement for Erik Siebert, a veteran prosecutor in the office and interim U.S. attorney who resigned in September amid Trump administration pressure to file charges against both Comey and James. He stepped aside after Trump told reporters he wanted Siebert “out.”
The following night, Trump said he would be nominating Halligan to the role of interim U.S. attorney and publicly implored Attorney General Pam Bondi to take action against his political opponents, saying in a Truth Social post that, “We can’t delay any longer, it’s killing our reputation and credibility” and “JUSTICE MUST BE SERVED, NOW!!!”
Comey was indicted three days after Halligan was sworn in by Bondi, and James was charged two weeks after that.
The Justice Department had defended Halligan’s appointment but has also revealed that Bondi had given Halligan a separate position of “Special Attorney,” presumably as a way to protect the indictments from the possibility of collapse. But Currie said such a retroactive designation could not save the cases.
Though the defendants had asked for the cases to be dismissed with prejudice, meaning the Justice Department would be barred from bringing them again, Currie instead dismissed them without prejudice — leaving open the possibility that prosecutors could try to file the charges again.
______
Richer reported from Washington.
Alanna Durkin Richer And Olivia Diaz, The Associated Press
Supreme Court allows Texas to use Trump-backed election map in 2026 midterm
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Texas can use the election map favored by President Donald Trump in the 2026 midterm election, according to a new report from CNN.
The ruling paves the way for Texas Republicans to use a map that will give them a significant advantage over Democrats in the election. It also blocked a lower court's ruling that the map was illegal because it was likely drawn on the basis of race, according to the report.
"The decision could have significant consequences for next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency," CNN's report reads in part. "Had Texas been blocked from using its new map, it would have upended Trump’s nationwide push to avoid a Democratic House majority."
Mid-cycle redistricting has become a central part of Trump's efforts to maintain the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Several Trump-aligned state legislatures, such as Texas, Missouri, and North Carolin, have all proposed new maps.
California passed a new map that gave Democrats five new Congressional seats, effectively nullifying the gains Republicans made with the Texas map. Other Democrat-controlled states like Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois are considering new maps as well.
Read the entire report by clicking here.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Texas can use the election map favored by President Donald Trump in the 2026 midterm election, according to a new report from CNN.
The ruling paves the way for Texas Republicans to use a map that will give them a significant advantage over Democrats in the election. It also blocked a lower court's ruling that the map was illegal because it was likely drawn on the basis of race, according to the report.
"The decision could have significant consequences for next year’s midterm elections, which will determine control of the House for the final two years of Trump’s presidency," CNN's report reads in part. "Had Texas been blocked from using its new map, it would have upended Trump’s nationwide push to avoid a Democratic House majority."
Mid-cycle redistricting has become a central part of Trump's efforts to maintain the Republican majority in the House of Representatives. Several Trump-aligned state legislatures, such as Texas, Missouri, and North Carolin, have all proposed new maps.
California passed a new map that gave Democrats five new Congressional seats, effectively nullifying the gains Republicans made with the Texas map. Other Democrat-controlled states like Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois are considering new maps as well.
Read the entire report by clicking here.
Black men who were fired from key transportation boards accuse Trump of a pattern of discrimination
Two Black men who were fired by President Donald Trump from the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Surface Transportation Board accused the administration on Thursday of discriminating against them as part of a pattern of dismissing Black leaders across the government.
Robert Primus on the STB and Alvin Brown on the NTSB were the only Black board members overseeing their officially independent agencies when they were fired this year, in August and in May. Both had already filed lawsuits challenging their dismissals, saying the White House didn't have good cause, as the law requires. Democracy Forward filed the new discrimination claims on behalf both men.
“When you look at who has been removed without cause, and who has been left in place, the pattern is impossible to ignore: Black commissioners across the federal government have been summarily fired,” said Brown, who was Vice Chairman of the NTSB. “My abrupt removal was unlawful, and it was discriminatory.
The White House didn't immediately respond to the new legal filing, but has said Trump was well within his legal rights to fire Primus and Brown. The administration hasn't filed a formal response to Primus' lawsuit yet, but the Trump administration asked a judge to dismiss Brown's lawsuit, arguing that the statutory protection saying board members can only be fired for cause is unconstitutional, and that the president should be able to pick his team at every executive agency.
FILE - A Union Pacific freight train travels along the tracks April 17, 2025, in Eloy, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)© The Associated Press
When Brown was fired, experts said they couldn't remember anyone ever being fired from the NTSB, which is tasked with investigating disasters across all modes of transportation to determine what caused them and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again. The NTSB is currently investigating nearly 1,250 cases including the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people in January.
Primus was pushed off the STB shortly after Union Pacific proposed its $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern railroad, a massive deal the five-member board will consider approving over the next year or two. He was the only member of the STB to oppose Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad in 2023 because he was concerned about the impact on competition. Trump has said he thinks the Union Pacific deal sounds good.
By law, no more than three of the five members of each board can be from one party. Primus and Brown are Democrats. Primus was nominated for his position by Trump during his first term, named board chairman by President Joe Biden and led the board until Trump began his second term and elevated Board member Patrick Fuchs to chairman. Primus' lawyers pointed out that the other Democratic member of the STB was allowed to continue serving.
On the NTSB, another of the Democratic members, who is white, has continued serving beyond the expiration of his term the end of 2023, as is customary to do until a replacement is confirmed. But Brown was the one dismissed, even though he was scheduled to serve through the end of 2026. Trump nominated a white man to replace him.
The lawsuits argue that these firings reflect Trump’s broadening antipathy to seeing people of color in government positions: “This trend fits with President Trump’s consistent messaging criticizing diversity and inclusion and his clear and demonstrable emphasis on hiring white people.”
Trump has fired a string of board members at various agencies that are supposed to be independent including the Federal Reserve, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Senate Commerce Committee will consider advancing the nominations of both men's replacements to a vote next week.
Josh Funk, The Associated Press
Two Black men who were fired by President Donald Trump from the National Transportation Safety Board and U.S. Surface Transportation Board accused the administration on Thursday of discriminating against them as part of a pattern of dismissing Black leaders across the government.
Robert Primus on the STB and Alvin Brown on the NTSB were the only Black board members overseeing their officially independent agencies when they were fired this year, in August and in May. Both had already filed lawsuits challenging their dismissals, saying the White House didn't have good cause, as the law requires. Democracy Forward filed the new discrimination claims on behalf both men.
“When you look at who has been removed without cause, and who has been left in place, the pattern is impossible to ignore: Black commissioners across the federal government have been summarily fired,” said Brown, who was Vice Chairman of the NTSB. “My abrupt removal was unlawful, and it was discriminatory.
The White House didn't immediately respond to the new legal filing, but has said Trump was well within his legal rights to fire Primus and Brown. The administration hasn't filed a formal response to Primus' lawsuit yet, but the Trump administration asked a judge to dismiss Brown's lawsuit, arguing that the statutory protection saying board members can only be fired for cause is unconstitutional, and that the president should be able to pick his team at every executive agency.
FILE - A Union Pacific freight train travels along the tracks April 17, 2025, in Eloy, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)© The Associated Press
When Brown was fired, experts said they couldn't remember anyone ever being fired from the NTSB, which is tasked with investigating disasters across all modes of transportation to determine what caused them and make recommendations to prevent similar tragedies from ever happening again. The NTSB is currently investigating nearly 1,250 cases including the collision of a passenger jet and Army helicopter over Washington, D.C., that killed 67 people in January.
Primus was pushed off the STB shortly after Union Pacific proposed its $85 billion acquisition of Norfolk Southern railroad, a massive deal the five-member board will consider approving over the next year or two. He was the only member of the STB to oppose Canadian Pacific’s acquisition of Kansas City Southern railroad in 2023 because he was concerned about the impact on competition. Trump has said he thinks the Union Pacific deal sounds good.
By law, no more than three of the five members of each board can be from one party. Primus and Brown are Democrats. Primus was nominated for his position by Trump during his first term, named board chairman by President Joe Biden and led the board until Trump began his second term and elevated Board member Patrick Fuchs to chairman. Primus' lawyers pointed out that the other Democratic member of the STB was allowed to continue serving.
On the NTSB, another of the Democratic members, who is white, has continued serving beyond the expiration of his term the end of 2023, as is customary to do until a replacement is confirmed. But Brown was the one dismissed, even though he was scheduled to serve through the end of 2026. Trump nominated a white man to replace him.
The lawsuits argue that these firings reflect Trump’s broadening antipathy to seeing people of color in government positions: “This trend fits with President Trump’s consistent messaging criticizing diversity and inclusion and his clear and demonstrable emphasis on hiring white people.”
Trump has fired a string of board members at various agencies that are supposed to be independent including the Federal Reserve, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The Senate Commerce Committee will consider advancing the nominations of both men's replacements to a vote next week.
Josh Funk, The Associated Press
Trump pardons entertainment exec charged by his own Justice Department
Donald Trump has issued another controversial pardon, this time to entertainment company executive Tim Leiweke, who was charged by the president’s own Department of Justice in July.
Leiweke, co-founder of the Oak View Group, a live entertainment brand, received a federal grand jury indictment this summer for “orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas.”
“The defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater said in a statement at the time.
Leiweke had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which could have resulted in a 10-year jail sentence and a $1 million fine, but has now received a “full and unconditional pardon” from the president, according to a clemency certificate posted online.
The executive, who resigned from OVG after the charges were brought, was represented by former lawyer and South Carolina congressman turned current Fox News personality Trey Gowdy, who had lobbied the DOJ to drop the case, according to CNN.
“This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me,” Leiweke said in a statement Wednesday. “ The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards.”
The executive has not always been so positive about Trump and previously criticized him in a now-deleted tweet as the “single greatest Con man,” CNN reports.
The clemency order is just the latest to be issued by the president in a flurry of activity over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, he issued full pardons to Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda, absolving them of the bribery and conspiracy charges on which they had been indicted by his predecessor Joe Biden’s DOJ last year.
In announcing the move, Trump attacked Biden once again, accusing him of going after Cuellar because of his hawkish stance on immigration issues.
Donald Trump has issued a flurry of pardons and clemency orders over the last month (AFP/Getty)
“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe.’”
That followed his pardoning of Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, sentenced to 45 years behind bars for drug trafficking, an apparent contradiction given that Trump is currently threatening war against Venezuela over precisely that issue, which he likewise said had been a “Biden set-up” he wanted to address.
There have also been pardons for Arkansas nursing home operator Joseph Schwartz, accused of Medicaid fraud and tax evasion, and for David Gentile, a New York private equity executive who was accused of defrauding victims of $1.6 billion.
In November, Trump issued a second pardon to Capitol rioter and former Oath Keepers member Dan Edwin Wilson, one of the almost 1,600 people he granted clemency to in his first days in office for their conduct on January 6 2021, who was this time excused over two charges related to the possession of unregistered firearms.
The president also pardoned his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney “The Kraken” Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro over their involvement in a scheme to alter the slates of electors chosen by states that voted against the Republican nominee in the 2020 presidential election and ex-New York City cop Michael McMahon, who was convicted of assisting China in a bid to coerce an expat official into returning to Beijing.
Donald Trump has issued another controversial pardon, this time to entertainment company executive Tim Leiweke, who was charged by the president’s own Department of Justice in July.
Leiweke, co-founder of the Oak View Group, a live entertainment brand, received a federal grand jury indictment this summer for “orchestrating a conspiracy to rig the bidding process for an arena at a public university in Austin, Texas.”
“The defendant rigged a bidding process to benefit his own company and deprived a public university and taxpayers of the benefits of competitive bidding,” Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater said in a statement at the time.
Leiweke had pleaded not guilty to the charge, which could have resulted in a 10-year jail sentence and a $1 million fine, but has now received a “full and unconditional pardon” from the president, according to a clemency certificate posted online.
The executive, who resigned from OVG after the charges were brought, was represented by former lawyer and South Carolina congressman turned current Fox News personality Trey Gowdy, who had lobbied the DOJ to drop the case, according to CNN.
“This has been a long and difficult journey for my wife, my daughter, and me,” Leiweke said in a statement Wednesday. “ The president has given us a new lease on life with which we will be grateful and good stewards.”
The executive has not always been so positive about Trump and previously criticized him in a now-deleted tweet as the “single greatest Con man,” CNN reports.
The clemency order is just the latest to be issued by the president in a flurry of activity over the past few weeks. On Wednesday, he issued full pardons to Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda, absolving them of the bribery and conspiracy charges on which they had been indicted by his predecessor Joe Biden’s DOJ last year.
In announcing the move, Trump attacked Biden once again, accusing him of going after Cuellar because of his hawkish stance on immigration issues.
Donald Trump has issued a flurry of pardons and clemency orders over the last month (AFP/Getty)
“For years, the Biden Administration weaponized the Justice System against their Political Opponents, and anyone who disagreed with them,” the president wrote on Truth Social.
“One of the clearest examples of this was when Crooked Joe used the FBI and DOJ to ‘take out’ a member of his own Party after Highly Respected Congressman Henry Cuellar bravely spoke out against Open Borders, and the Biden Border ‘Catastrophe.’”
That followed his pardoning of Honduran ex-president Juan Orlando Hernandez, sentenced to 45 years behind bars for drug trafficking, an apparent contradiction given that Trump is currently threatening war against Venezuela over precisely that issue, which he likewise said had been a “Biden set-up” he wanted to address.
There have also been pardons for Arkansas nursing home operator Joseph Schwartz, accused of Medicaid fraud and tax evasion, and for David Gentile, a New York private equity executive who was accused of defrauding victims of $1.6 billion.
In November, Trump issued a second pardon to Capitol rioter and former Oath Keepers member Dan Edwin Wilson, one of the almost 1,600 people he granted clemency to in his first days in office for their conduct on January 6 2021, who was this time excused over two charges related to the possession of unregistered firearms.
The president also pardoned his former lawyers Rudy Giuliani, Sidney “The Kraken” Powell, and Kenneth Chesebro over their involvement in a scheme to alter the slates of electors chosen by states that voted against the Republican nominee in the 2020 presidential election and ex-New York City cop Michael McMahon, who was convicted of assisting China in a bid to coerce an expat official into returning to Beijing.
NYT sues Pentagon for kicking out press corps and replacing them with MAGA sycophants
The New York Times filed a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's Department of Defense violated the First Amendment by imposing new press access rules that drove out nearly the entire news corps — including conservative outlets — and replaced them with a group of MAGA bloggers and activists loyal to the regime.
"[T]he policy — which vests Department officials with unbridled discretion to immediately suspend and ultimately revoke a reporter’s [Pentagon Facility Alternate Credentials] for engaging in lawful newsgathering, both on and off Pentagon grounds, or for reporting any information Department officials have not approved — is neither reasonable nor viewpoint-neutral," stated the lawsuit filed in the District Court for D.C. "It is exactly the type of speech- and press-restrictive scheme that the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit have recognized violates the First Amendment."
Furthermore, the suit continues, the Pentagon has responded to the exodus of reporters by bringing in a new contingent of Trump loyalists willing to comply with the demands.
"While Plaintiffs and many other journalists and news organizations no longer possess PFACs because they refused to accede to a Policy that would restrict independent reporting, the Department has welcomed what it calls the 'next generation of the Pentagon press corps' — individuals and media outlets strongly supportive of the Trump administration and whose viewpoints the Department favors," said the suit.
This group, the filing continued, includes "Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, who has promised to 'make [the Administration] proud' with his Pentagon coverage; Laura Loomer, an influential pro-Trump activist; and Raheem Kassam, editor in chief of the National Pulse, who described his publication as 'basically an industry mag/site for MAGA world.'"
All of this is coming as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faces sharp bipartisan questions over an order to kill survivors of wrecked vessels the administration deemed to be running drugs for cartels — which experts have broadly deemed a war crime, and which Hegseth has repeatedly changed his story on.
The New York Times filed a lawsuit alleging that President Donald Trump's Department of Defense violated the First Amendment by imposing new press access rules that drove out nearly the entire news corps — including conservative outlets — and replaced them with a group of MAGA bloggers and activists loyal to the regime.
"[T]he policy — which vests Department officials with unbridled discretion to immediately suspend and ultimately revoke a reporter’s [Pentagon Facility Alternate Credentials] for engaging in lawful newsgathering, both on and off Pentagon grounds, or for reporting any information Department officials have not approved — is neither reasonable nor viewpoint-neutral," stated the lawsuit filed in the District Court for D.C. "It is exactly the type of speech- and press-restrictive scheme that the Supreme Court and D.C. Circuit have recognized violates the First Amendment."
Furthermore, the suit continues, the Pentagon has responded to the exodus of reporters by bringing in a new contingent of Trump loyalists willing to comply with the demands.
"While Plaintiffs and many other journalists and news organizations no longer possess PFACs because they refused to accede to a Policy that would restrict independent reporting, the Department has welcomed what it calls the 'next generation of the Pentagon press corps' — individuals and media outlets strongly supportive of the Trump administration and whose viewpoints the Department favors," said the suit.
This group, the filing continued, includes "Mike Lindell, the chief executive of MyPillow, who has promised to 'make [the Administration] proud' with his Pentagon coverage; Laura Loomer, an influential pro-Trump activist; and Raheem Kassam, editor in chief of the National Pulse, who described his publication as 'basically an industry mag/site for MAGA world.'"
All of this is coming as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth faces sharp bipartisan questions over an order to kill survivors of wrecked vessels the administration deemed to be running drugs for cartels — which experts have broadly deemed a war crime, and which Hegseth has repeatedly changed his story on.
Trump just renamed the US Institute of Peace after himself
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebranded the U.S. Institute of Peace to include his own name — after seizing control of the agency and slashing its funding.
On Wednesday, the State Department announced that the institute, a non-profit independent think tank, had been renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in order “to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history.”
Photos taken of the building, located a stone’s throw from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., show the president’s name placed prominently above the entrance.
“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. “It's time our State Department display that.”
The name change comes amid a protracted legal struggle to determine who controls the agency, which was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to promote conflict resolution. While financed by Congress, the institute operates independently and owns its headquarters, according to CNN.
Earlier this year, officials with the Department of Government Efficiency tried to forcibly enter the building and later returned with a police escort.
In March, over 200 employees were fired and most of the board was replaced, per NPR.
Since then, control of the institute has changed hands several times following lawsuits and court rulings. Former board members have argued the institute stands outside the president’s authority, while the Trump administration contends it is firmly within the purview of the executive branch.
A final ruling is expected from a federal appeals court, according to The Associated Press.
The institute faces an uncertain financial future. The president’s latest budget proposal for the coming fiscal year seeks to eliminate all of its funding.
“It’s pretty ironic that he put his name on an institution he destroyed,” a former official told CNN.
George Foote, an attorney representing the institute’s former leadership, said the rebranding “adds insult to injury.”
“A federal judge has already ruled that the government’s armed takeover was illegal,” he told The Associated Press. “That judgment is stayed while the government appeals, which is the only reason the government continues to control the building.”
The Trump administration is locked in a legal battle over control of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. (AFP via Getty Images)
First lady Melania Trump participated in a discussion about ending cyberbullying at the U.S. Institute of Peace in 2018 (Getty Images)
The Trump administration, though, has defended the steep cuts — and applauded the recent rebranding.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told CNN that the institute “was once a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace. Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”
Since returning to office in January, Trump has sought to cast himself as a peacemaker on the global stage, pointing to the ceasefire he helped broker in Gaza and his repeated attempts to end the Ukraine War.
He spent months actively campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, a coveted honor he did not win this year. In making his case, he claimed credit for ending eight foreign conflicts — a claim that is "exaggerated," according to the AP.
Trump has recently authorized numerous military strikes on boats near Venezuela, and earlier in the year, he openly discussed the possibility of annexing Canada, Greenland, and Panama.
President Donald Trump’s administration has rebranded the U.S. Institute of Peace to include his own name — after seizing control of the agency and slashing its funding.
On Wednesday, the State Department announced that the institute, a non-profit independent think tank, had been renamed the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in order “to reflect the greatest dealmaker in our nation's history.”
Photos taken of the building, located a stone’s throw from the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., show the president’s name placed prominently above the entrance.
“President Trump will be remembered by history as the President of Peace,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote in a post on X. “It's time our State Department display that.”
The name change comes amid a protracted legal struggle to determine who controls the agency, which was established by President Ronald Reagan in 1985 to promote conflict resolution. While financed by Congress, the institute operates independently and owns its headquarters, according to CNN.
Earlier this year, officials with the Department of Government Efficiency tried to forcibly enter the building and later returned with a police escort.
In March, over 200 employees were fired and most of the board was replaced, per NPR.
Since then, control of the institute has changed hands several times following lawsuits and court rulings. Former board members have argued the institute stands outside the president’s authority, while the Trump administration contends it is firmly within the purview of the executive branch.
A final ruling is expected from a federal appeals court, according to The Associated Press.
The institute faces an uncertain financial future. The president’s latest budget proposal for the coming fiscal year seeks to eliminate all of its funding.
“It’s pretty ironic that he put his name on an institution he destroyed,” a former official told CNN.
George Foote, an attorney representing the institute’s former leadership, said the rebranding “adds insult to injury.”
“A federal judge has already ruled that the government’s armed takeover was illegal,” he told The Associated Press. “That judgment is stayed while the government appeals, which is the only reason the government continues to control the building.”
The Trump administration is locked in a legal battle over control of the U.S. Institute of Peace, a nonprofit think tank in Washington, D.C. (AFP via Getty Images)
First lady Melania Trump participated in a discussion about ending cyberbullying at the U.S. Institute of Peace in 2018 (Getty Images)
The Trump administration, though, has defended the steep cuts — and applauded the recent rebranding.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly told CNN that the institute “was once a bloated, useless entity that blew $50 million per year while delivering no peace. Now, the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace, which is both beautifully and aptly named after a President who ended eight wars in less than a year, will stand as a powerful reminder of what strong leadership can accomplish for global stability.”
Since returning to office in January, Trump has sought to cast himself as a peacemaker on the global stage, pointing to the ceasefire he helped broker in Gaza and his repeated attempts to end the Ukraine War.
He spent months actively campaigning for the Nobel Peace Prize, a coveted honor he did not win this year. In making his case, he claimed credit for ending eight foreign conflicts — a claim that is "exaggerated," according to the AP.
Trump has recently authorized numerous military strikes on boats near Venezuela, and earlier in the year, he openly discussed the possibility of annexing Canada, Greenland, and Panama.
US military conducts strike on another suspected drug boat as probe into the first strike begins
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Southern Command announced that it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks.
It is the 22nd strike the U.S. military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs.
There were four casualties in Thursday’s strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people.
In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke.
The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on Sept. 2. The sessions came after a report that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demands.
FILE - Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)© The Associated Press
Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a stark video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions.
Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.
Bradley spoke to lawmakers alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in a classified session. His testimony provided fresh information at a crucial moment as Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny, but it did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers.
Lawmakers offered differing accounts of what they saw on the video.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”
Konstantin Toropin, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Southern Command announced that it had conducted another strike against a small boat in the eastern Pacific Ocean on Thursday, following a pause of almost three weeks.
It is the 22nd strike the U.S. military has carried out against boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that the Trump administration claimed were trafficking drugs.
There were four casualties in Thursday’s strike, according to the social media post, bringing the death toll of the campaign to at least 87 people.
In a video that accompanied the announcement, a small boat can be seen moving across the water before it is suddenly consumed by a large explosion. The video then zooms out to show the boat covered in flames and billowing smoke.
The strike was conducted the same day Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley appeared for a series of closed-door classified briefings at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers began an investigation into the very first strike carried out by the military on Sept. 2. The sessions came after a report that Bradley ordered a follow-on attack that killed the survivors to comply with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s demands.
FILE - Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon, June 26, 2025 in Washington. (AP Photo/Kevin Wolf, File)© The Associated Press
Bradley told lawmakers there was no “kill them all” order from Hegseth, but a stark video of the entire series of attacks left some lawmakers with serious questions.
Legal experts have said killing survivors of a strike at sea could be a violation of the laws of military warfare.
Bradley spoke to lawmakers alongside the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, in a classified session. His testimony provided fresh information at a crucial moment as Hegseth’s leadership comes under scrutiny, but it did little to resolve growing questions about the legal basis for President Donald Trump’s extraordinary campaign to use war powers against suspected drug smugglers.
Lawmakers offered differing accounts of what they saw on the video.
Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas said he saw the survivors “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said, “What I saw in that room was one of the most troubling things I’ve seen in my time in public service.”
“You have two individuals in clear distress, without any means of locomotion, with a destroyed vessel,” he said, adding they “were killed by the United States.”
Washington Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said the survivors were “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water — until the missiles come and kill them.”
Konstantin Toropin, The Associated Press
