Trump to sign order shutting down Education Department

President Trump will sign an executive order today calling for the shutdown of the Education Department. Closing the Education Department was a key campaign promise for the president, who has described the federal agency as wasteful and polluted by liberal ideology. He’s already taking steps to sharply reduce the size of the department’s staff. But a total dismantling requires an act of Congress, which created the department more than 40 years ago.

DOJ resists judge’s demand over deportation flights data

The Justice Department is playing hardball with a federal judge over the administration’s deportation policy. The DOJ is resisting a federal judge’s demand for more information about flights that took deportees to El Salvador over the weekend. It argues that the court is intruding into the executive branch’s authority. The administration has until noon today to either provide the requested information or to make a claim that it must be withheld because it would harm “state secrets.”

More talks scheduled soon on Russia-Ukraine ceasefire

More talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war will take place soon, following high-level phone calls this week. President Trump spoke separately with Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Zelensky — with the parties agreeing to a limited ceasefire. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says more talks are scheduled in the coming days with technical experts. She said Presidents Trump and Zelensky “agreed this could be the first step toward the full end of the war.”

White House condemns Tesla vandalism, violence

The White House condemns the spate of violent attacks against Tesla vehicles and property. Tesla is owned by Trump adviser Elon Musk and, recently, showrooms, vehicle lots, charging stations, and even privately owned cars have been vandalized. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt points out that many Tesla drivers are Democrats, who she says were big supporters of Tesla and of electric vehicles until Musk decided to vote for Donald Trump.

White House press secretary slams “activist” judges

The White House isn’t backing off its criticism of federal judges. Trump administration officials continue to verbally attack judges who have issued temporary injunctions against some of the president’s policies.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the president would comply with the court orders, but she called them “egregious” and the administration will continue to appeal.

Trump and Zelensky talk ceasefire, power plant ownership

Ukraine’s leader agreed to a partial ceasefire during a phone call with President Trump.  A day after speaking with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump had a call with Ukrainian President Zelensky. They agreed that all parties must continue to make a ceasefire work. Officials say President Trump also agreed to help Ukraine find additional military aid in Europe and suggested that the U-S take ownership of Ukrainian power plants.

Trump describes call with Ukraine’s Zelensky as “very good”

President Trump is describing his Wednesday phone call with Ukrainian President Zelensky as “very good.” The hour-long phone call came a day after the president spoke with Russia’s Vladimir Putin. Writing on social media, Donald Trump said the call was to “align both Russia and Ukraine in terms of their requests and needs.” He also said “we are very much on track.” However, both Russia and Ukraine are accusing each other of not abiding by an agreement to pause military strikes against energy infrastructure.

Chief Justice Roberts rejects Trump’s call to impeach judges

Chief Justice John Roberts is rejecting President Trump’s calls to impeach judges who disagree with his policies. In a rare statement of rebuke, the chief justice said “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” Roberts issued his statement just hours after a social media post from Donald Trump, who
described a federal judge as a “troublemaker,” “agitator,” and “radical left lunatic” who “should be impeached.” The judge had blocked deportation flights being carried out under an 18th century law.

Federal judge blocks Trump transgender military ban

A federal judge has blocked President Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service. The U.S. District judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the executive order to exclude transgender troops likely violates their constitutional rights. She delayed her order until Friday morning to give the administration time to appeal. Plaintiffs’ attorneys contend the order violates transgender people’s rights to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment, while government lawyers argue that military officials have broad discretion to decide how to assign and deploy servicemembers.

Trump, Putin agree to limited pause in Ukraine war

A phone call between Presidents Trump and Putin led to a limited pause in the Russia-Ukraine war, but not a ceasefire. During their lengthy phone call, the two leaders agreed to an immediate pause in strikes against energy infrastructure, but Putin stopped short of backing a broader 30-day stoppage. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelensky said he’s open to any proposals that lead to a sustainable and just peace, but stressed the need for full transparency in discussions.

Trump, Putin set to talk about Russia-Ukraine war

A phone call is set for today [TUE] between President Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The two leaders will talk about ending the Russia-Ukraine war, says White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. The president told reporters that he and Putin “have a very good chance” of bringing the war to an end. Meanwhile, European allies are worried about what concessions might be made.

Trump puts Iran on notice over support for Houthi rebels

President Trump is putting the Iranian government on notice. After authorizing deadly airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the weekend, the president is warning Iran that it would “suffer the consequences” for further attacks by the group. He has explicitly linked the Houthi actions to Iran. The president described the Houthis as “sinister mobsters and thugs” and warned any attack by the group would be met with “great force.”

Trump to speak with Putin on Tuesday about Ukraine

Trump, federal judge at odds over Venezuelan deportations

Trump admin tries to calm nerves after Wall Street losses pile up

Trump silences Voice of America, other pro-democracy media

After Wall Street sell-off, White House focused on long-term gains

The Trump administration is preaching patience when it comes to consumer confidence and Wall Street.
The financial markets bounced back on Friday, but the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq notched their fourth straight weekly losses. In response to the market sell-off, Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC the administration is more focused on “long-term gains” and that he’s “not concerned” about, what he called “a little bit of volatility over three weeks.” President Trump has said his tariffs and trade policies will cause a “disturbance” in the U-S economy.

Trump administration appeals orders to rehire federal workers

The Trump administration is appealing judicial orders to immediately rehire thousands of fired government workers. Two federal judges found legal problems with the way the Trump administration carried out mass terminations and ordered the employees at least temporarily brought back on the job. But press secretary Karoline Leavitt says the White House is fighting back, calling it “absurd” that lower level judges can “usurp” the president’s executive authority. But one of the judges described the administration’s mass firings as a “sham.”

Rubio defends Trump’s tariffs in meeting with G7 allies

Secretary of State Rubio is defending President Trump’s tariff policies. After attending a meeting of G7 allies that was overshadowed by tariffs and other Donald Trump trade policies, Rubio insisted that tariffs are not a “hostile move” against American allies. He said they’re about making trade fair. The secretary of state met with his G7 counterparts in Canada, a country that has been targeted by the president. The allies used their meeting to voice disapproval of the escalating trade war. GC, Wash.

Trump trade war leads to bipartisan alliance in Kentucky

President Trump’s tariffs have led to a rare bipartisan alliance among Kentucky’s political leaders. The president’s escalating trade war prompted the European Union to announce a 50 percent tariff on American whiskey starting next month. As a result, Kentucky Democratic Governor Andy Beshear and Republican Senators Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul have bonded together to voice their disapproval of the White House tariffs policy. They point to potential job losses in their state’s bourbon industry, as well as higher costs for the American people.

Greenlanders oppose Trump’s desire to take over their country

President Trump wants the U-S to take over Greenland, but Greenlanders don’t like the idea. Greenland’s likely new prime minister is rejecting the president’s effort to take control of the island, saying Greenlanders don’t want to be part of the United States. In parliamentary elections this past week, Jens-Frederik Nielsen and his pro-business party were victorious. He said Greenland wants independence from Denmark and doesn’t want to be taken over by America.. Donald Trump recently said he expects the U-S to get Greenland “one way or the other.”

Trump vows to reverse DOJ “corruption and weaponization”

President Trump says his administration is reversing the Justice Department’s four-year history of “corruption and weaponization.” In what amounted to a victory lap, the president addressed top officials at the Justice Department — the agency that prosecuted two criminal cases against him. Cases that were eventually dropped. Donald Trump accused his predecessor of turning it into the “Department of Injustice,” but declared “those days are over.” The president injected profanity into his speech to denounce the criminal investigations against him and directed his allies and loyalists in the department to carry out a “far-reaching” investigation into DOJ “corruption.”

U.S. has “productive” talks with Russia’s Putin about ending Ukraine war

President Trump says the U-S had “productive” discussions with Russian President Putin about ending the war in Ukraine. After the latest talks, the president said there is a “very good chance” the war between Russia and Ukraine can end. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “we have never been this close to peace.” On his social media account, the president also said that he “strongly requested” that Putin spare the lives of Ukrainian troops who are “completely surrounded” by the Russian military.

Trump: it’s up to Democrats to avert a government shutdown

President Trump says it’s up to Senate Democrats to avert a government shutdown. Ahead of tonight’s midnight deadline to pass a funding bill, the president began casting blame on Democrats for any potential disruptions in federal services. Republicans need several Democrats to pass House legislation that would keep the government funded through the end of September. Yesterday, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said he was unwilling to risk a shutdown and said he would support the bill.