A federal judge on Friday extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots. The preliminary injunction replaces a temporary order the judge previously granted blocking the Postal Service’s plan until Sept. 10.
Also Friday the
U.S. Treasury announced that it imposed sanctions on the Turkish bank Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi as part of the Trump administration’s latest effort to sever “critical financial lifelines” for the Iranian government.
The global economy, meanwhile, continues to roil. Diesel hit a record price in the U.S., soaring to an average of $5.85 a gallon for the first time as the war disrupts the world’s flow of fuel.
Here's the latest:
The administration quietly released an update to the survey on civil rights in schools that was scrubbed of all data related to nonbinary students or bullying based on gender identity.
The numbers come from the Education Department’s Civil Rights Data Collection, a survey of nearly every public school in the nation. The release this week covers the 2023-2024 school year, when the survey included “nonbinary” as a gender category alongside male and female.
However an AP analysis shows that in every column for information related to gender identity, the numbers were replaced with a code indicating “Suppressed in Compliance with Executive Order.” That refers to an order Trump signed on Inauguration Day calling for the government to define sex as only male or female.
The Education Department said in a statement that the Office for Civil Rights would release more data in coming weeks. It also said the administration is “realigning the functions of OCR to align with its statutory mandate.”
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Democracy Defenders Fund attorney Taryn Wilgus Null said the judge’s decision Friday not to block the dismissals emphasizes the “high burden” that plaintiffs have in seeking preliminary injunction, as the plaintiffs did in this case.
She noted in a statement that the ruling is not the final word in the litigation.
“While we are disappointed in the decision, we fully expect to prevail after we have an opportunity to take discovery and all the facts are revealed,” Null said.
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The judge declined Friday to block the firings of the staffers, who claim they were illegally disciplined for speaking out about the military news outlet’s need to maintain editorial independence.
U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, who was nominated to the bench by Trump, ruled that the journalists are unlikely to successfully prove that the Pentagon violated their First Amendment free speech rights. He said Stars and Stripes’ editorial independence “is not at stake here” and plaintiffs “failed to demonstrate a chill.”
Publisher Max Lederer, editor-in-chief Erik Slavin and Middle East reporter Lara Korte sued last Thursday in Washington to challenge their firings by the Pentagon, which partially funds the news outlet.
Slavin says he was dismissed for insubordination after giving an interview in which he objected to potential censorship by the military. Korte participated in the same interview. Their lawsuit says they were punished for publishing a report on deteriorating conditions aboard the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
David Steiner released a statement in the wake of an anonymous whistleblower’s report advising Congress that the agency was rushing a new system to regulate mail ballots this fall that could disenfranchise millions. It is creating the system at Trump’s direction as part of his order to limit mail voting.
“We stand behind both the rigor of our process and the resulting system,” Steiner said, adding: “We welcome thoughtful questions and appropriate oversight, and we are committed to transparency, accountability, and working constructively with election officials, Congress, the courts, and all stakeholders.”
His statement was issued an hour before a federal judge extended her ban on the Postal Service requiring use of the system before November’s midterm election. Election officials warned that they cannot comply with its requirements in time.
In his first public statement since Trump appointed him, Acting Army Sec. Adam Telle said he’s grateful to the president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for understanding “exactly how high the stakes are.”
Telle did not mention the ongoing war with Iran. But he said it’s his job to equip American soldiers with “every cutting-edge advantage needed to completely dominate our enemies and return home safely.”
Telle was the top civilian leader in the Army Corps of Engineers, overseeing the nation’s dams, harbors and flood protection projects. He spent 20 years working for Republican senators and in the White House during Trump’s first term.
He replaces Dan Driscoll, who resigned without a public explanation. However tensions between Driscoll and Hegseth were widely reported.
The judge extended her prohibition against the U.S. Postal Service implementing Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots.
The decision from U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani in Boston to issue a preliminary injunction replaces a temporary order she had granted blocking the Postal Service’s plan until Sept. 10. The Trump administration already appealed Talwani’s restraining order, and it’s likely the latest order will now be included in that appeal.
The administration is running out of time to make big changes in voting procedures. North Carolina began sending out its first mail ballots Friday and more states will swiftly follow.
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The officer was ordered released Friday after pleading not guilty to lying to investigators about the circumstances that led to the shooting of a Venezuelan man during the Minnesota immigration crackdown last winter.
The federal indictment accuses Christian Castro of falsely telling investigators that he was attacked with a broom and shovel before he opened fire, injuring Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis in January.
Castro was shackled during a brief court hearing in Texas after he turned himself in Thursday evening. The judge ordered him released on a $75,000 unsecured bond and with a GPS ankle monitor.
It’s the first DOJ prosecution of a federal officer for actions during this year’s massive Operation Metro Surge, which brought thousands of agents to the Twin Cities and led to protests, arrests and the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens.
Castro’s attorney urged people not to rush to judgment without learning all the facts and let him “have his day in court.”
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The president continued his full-throated recent defense of data centers in the face of polls showing bipartisan opposition to them around the country.
“I look at data centers very, very carefully,” Trump said, arguing that they can “lower taxes” and “create tremendous wealth.”
“If you want to go through poverty, crime, and squalor, I would say don’t approve data centers,” Trump added of communities opposing them. “You know, you have your choice.”
That followed the president posting on his social media site earlier in the week that “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor.”
The widow of an airman killed on a combat mission in the Middle East said it took a viral social media post to get resolution from the Pentagon on issues related to her husband’s benefits and basic pay months after his death.
Maj. Alex Klinner, 33, was one of six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft that crashed in western Iraq in March while supporting operations against Iran.
The Air Force reached out to his widow, Libby Klinner, this week to clarify that his final paycheck would include hazard pay and combat-related tax breaks. She had voiced frustration on social media at being told by a military officer that her husband was ineligible for those benefits because “we were not at war.”
“My husband lost his life because we’re in a war, and then I was told that because it’s not technically a war, we lose out on something,” Klinner told The Associated Press. “It all comes down to principle.”
During a hearing on Friday, David Hearn’s attorneys urged D.C. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman to dismiss the Maryland resident’s case with “prejudice,” which would block U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro’s office from refiling the felony charge against the former Olympic canoeist. The judge didn’t rule from the bench after hearing attorneys’ arguments.
Hearn’s lawyers say Trump administration officials have continued to falsely accuse the Maryland resident of vandalizing the reflecting pool despite Pirro’s decision to drop the case on July 31. Hearn was charged with one count of property destruction.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Spence told Edelman that Pirro’s office has no plans to seek another grand jury indictment of Hearn. But the prosecutor said that plan could change if any new evidence emerges.
Hearn, 67, of Bethesda, Maryland, competed in three Summer Olympics.
The Supreme Court sided with Republicans in a dispute over campaign ad prices on Friday, clearing a legal roadblock to political parties getting cheaper TV ad time ahead of the midterm elections.
The justices halted, for now, a lower-court ruling in favor of Democratic candidates who argued that cheaper broadcast ads should be limited to candidates. It’s the latest election-related appeals to come before the high court ahead of the pivotal November contests.
Asked about the vice president suggesting on Thursday that the fighting in Iran isn’t a war, Trump said the conflict is “not a big thing.”
“I can understand what he’s saying. It’s a military conflict, but it’s very intimate,” Trump said of Vance’s assessment. “And I could see somebody not calling it a war.”
The U.S. continues to bomb Iran with the war now in its sixth month. Yet Trump said, “I would say that it’s intermittent” in terms of fighting, adding, “We’re not fighting right now. There’s no fighting.”
The president once suggested he’d wrap up the war in Iran in a matter of weeks. Asked when fighting might actually conclude now, he offered, “I want to leave so that the next president doesn’t have to worry about it.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to visit the White House later this month, and Trump confirmed there will be a state dinner in his honor.
“We look forward to it. He’s a great gentleman. We get along great,” Trump said of Xi. “We have a very good trading relationship. And, you know, they’re a competitor and all of that. But we have a very good relationship with President Xi.”
Trump noted that the new White House helipad he has been building on the White House lawn would be ready in time for Xi’s visit.
“We’ve done very well with China,” Trump added. “And China and I have a very good relationship.”
The president said he was signing two orders, one of which is designed to allow farmers and ranchers “the right to process their own food.”
Trump said the order would break up what he suggested was a near-monopoly held by four major meat processing firms.
He didn’t name those companies, but said two were based in Brazil. The president said the move would ultimately help lower food prices.
Trump also announced that he’d sign an action meant to allow for culling populations of grey wolves from Mexico, Canada and other places.
Surrounded by farmers and ranchers from Arizona and other western states, who described wolves attacking their livestock and dogs, Trump said the action means, “You’ll be able to protect your herd.”
Asked about MAGA, Inc., which has at least $400 million in campaign funds, Trump said, “I’m going to be making contributions to various campaigns” that “I think are good people.”
Pressed on how he’d decided which candidates to support, Trump said, “I sit down, and I say, ‘Let’s do this.’”
“I’m going to spend whatever amount of money necessary to try and help us,” Trump said of Republicans running in November’s midterm elections.
He added, “This is my money,” however, and said it was “separate” from funds controlled by the Republican National Committee.
The president also said he could hold some of the funds until the elections in 2028 “if that’s what I want.”
The president said he followed television news coverage of the trial in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
“It’s a terrible situation. Look, she did a horrible, horrible thing,” Trump said of Lindsay Clancy. “Can’t be worse. But you’ll find out what the price to pay is. There’ll be a price — a mental institution or jail or something.”
A judge earlier Friday declared a mistrial after jurors said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on whether she was criminally responsible when she strangled her three young children.
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The president expressed his anger that U.S. interest rates climbed in response to the solid August jobs report.
The addition of 162,000 jobs last month indicated that demand for workers might be exceeding their availability, which could contribute to higher prices. Interest on the 10-year U.S. Treasury climbed to nearly 4.8%.
Trump said that the financial markets were wrong.
“Success does not cause inflation. Stupidity causes inflation,” Trump said to reporters in the Oval Office.
The president claimed that overall economic growth could be in the double digits if the rates were lower, an opinion not shared by any credible outside economic forecaster.
U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are expected to travel to Moscow and then Kyiv over the weekend and into early next week.
“They are bringing with them a proposal to end the war,” Trump said.
Witkoff and Kushner’s visit comes as the air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified.
Earlier Friday, a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s security service in central Kyiv.
The president’s comments came a day after Vice President JD Vance said he wouldn’t call the conflict in Iran a “war.”
Asked during an Oval Office exchange about Vance’s comments, Trump defended the rhetoric.
“I can understand what he’s saying,” said Trump, who added that U.S. strikes against Iran in the six-month-old war are now “intermittent. “I call it a military conflict because it’s small potatoes for us.”
In a news release about sanctions on a Turkish bank, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said financial institutions with ties to Iran will “continue to find out the hard way that we are serious about Operation Economic Outcast.”
“While we hope no more banks will need to be sanctioned, that ultimately depends on how quickly the international community comes to its senses and ceases support of the murderous Iranian regime,” he continued.
“We know who you are, we know where you are, and we will continue to take action together with our allies and partners until we have buried the head of the Iranian snake.”
The U.S. Treasury Department announced Friday it has imposed sanctions on a Turkish financial institution as part of its latest effort to sever “critical financial lifelines” for the Iranian government.
The actions against Golden Global Yatirim Bankasi Anonim Sirketi come nearly a week after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced “Operation Economic Outcast” as the new effort by Washington to get Tehran to capitulate to its demands after more than six months of war.
Last week, the U.S. targeted an Egyptian bank’s operations in the United Arab Emirates.
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Among the allegations are accusations that senior staff berated employees in front of colleagues and made staffing decisions based on physical appearance rather than professional qualifications.
In one incident, during a personal trip to Oregon, Chavez-DeRemer allegedly stopped at a strip club featuring partially nude dancers and directed her limousine driver to give money to a performer, the report said.
The report says it was based on interviews with 53 current and former labor department staffers and one employee from another federal agency, as well as a review of more than 500 documents, images and videos.
The president posted on his social media site that the job tally broke “all estimates (except mine!).”
“Lower the interest rates because the U.S.A. is a much stronger credit than it was just a short time ago! A STRONG COUNTRY MEANS A LOWER INTEREST RATE” Trump wrote.
He added that, “We should have the LOWEST RATE of any country in the World, like ‘the old days’ and threatened: “LOWER THE RATE OR I’LL STOP TRADING WITH COUNTRIES WITH WHICH WE HAVE A DEFICIT.”
In August, employers added a surprising 162,000 jobs, according to the latest jobs report.
Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh has said inflation is still too high and suggested the central bank may have to raise interest rates in the coming months.
Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer oversaw a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” work environment and engaged in numerous violations of department policy, according to a new report from the department’s Office of Inspector General.
The report includes allegations that Chavez-DeRemer “engaged in an inappropriate relationship” with a member of her security detail and violated travel regulations by combining personal and official travel, as well as violating the department’s alcohol policies, directing staff to perform personal tasks on official timing, and failing to report gifts through appropriate channels.
Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned earlier this year, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent to an email listed on her Facebook page.
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Jordan, a staunch U.S. ally that hosts American forces in the Mideast, has paid a price for its relationship with Washington, which has made the kingdom’s military bases a target of repeat Iranian strikes.
Hundreds of drone and missile attacks have added to other strains on Jordan that include a slumping economy and volatility in the neighboring West Bank, where Israeli settlers have ramped up attacks on Palestinians.
Despite the risk of more strikes, Jordanian leaders say they’re committed to maintaining the relationship after decades of courting deeper security ties with American officials and offering to be a reliable partner with the West in a region rocked by conflict. Analysts say the alliance offers Jordan a way to guard against Iran’s attempts to destabilize its neighbors.
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The jump in hiring last month and low unemployment rate point to a mostly solid job market, a sign the Federal Reserve could lift rates at its meeting next month to combat inflation.
Steady hiring suggests overall interest rates aren’t high enough to cool borrowing, spending and inflation. A hike by the Fed at its Sept. 15-16 meeting could lift borrowing costs for mortgages, auto loans and credit cards.
Vice President JD Vance on Thursday became the latest Trump administration official to urge the Fed to cut rates, rather than raise them, which few economists or Wall Street investors expect.
A lot will ride on next Friday’s inflation report. On Thursday, top Fed official Christopher Waller said his decision on whether to hike rates would largely hinge on whether that report shows inflation cooling or not.
U.S. companies and other employers added 162,000 jobs last month, an improvement from recent months of sluggish hiring, while the unemployment rate stayed a low 4.1%.
The figures suggest businesses are optimistic enough about the economy to expand and gives the Trump administration and Republicans running for Congress a positive talking point heading into midterm elections.
Still, average hourly wages grew 3.1% from a year ago, usually a decent figure but below the August inflation rate of 3.4%. That means Americans are losing purchasing power even amid an otherwise healthy economy.
Big job gains were recorded in manufacturing, construction, and restaurants, bars, and hotels.
