What does a TRUMP presidency look like?

[Valmy]

Yes. Very courageous act by that Senator.

Hopefully we get an update on Mr. Garcia's status soon.

Request denied.

They only do photo op with Republican barbies.

What? Our Senator is not allowed to see his constituent? 

And it looks like Trump raised the Tariff on China to fourteen quadrillion percent.

[Grey Fox]

Yes, it's a fascist state now.

[viper37]

Yes. Very courageous act by that Senator.

Hopefully we get an update on Mr. Garcia's status soon.

Request denied.

They only do photo op with Republican barbies.

What? Our Senator is not allowed to see his constituent? 

El Salvador vp replied that they were paid by the US to hold Mr. Garcia in prison.

It's a great argument for the court to hold the administration in contempt, but what will happen...

[viper37]

US IRS planning to rescind Harvard's tax-exempt status amid Trump feud, CNN reports

Minsky will like that one.

[viper37]

Bill aimed to restrict 'activist judges' awaits Senate vote; Critics call HR 1526 a threat to constitution


I missed that one.

[HVC]

Yes. Very courageous act by that Senator.

Hopefully we get an update on Mr. Garcia's status soon.

Request denied.

They only do photo op with Republican barbies.

What? Our Senator is not allowed to see his constituent? 

And it looks like Trump raised the Tariff on China to fourteen quadrillion percent.

Does a foreign country need to allow an American senator anything?

[Valmy]

We paid them to hold him, we can't visit him?

Anyway glad my tax dollars are being used for this while all the cancer research was considered fraud and waste.

[Razgovory]

Starmer told UK must repeal hate speech laws to protect LGBT+ people or lose Trump trade deal

Sir Keir Starmer must embrace Donald Trump's agenda by repealing hate speech laws in order to get a trade deal over the line, a Washington source has told The Independent.

The warning came after the US vice-president suggested a UK-US agreement may be close, with the White House "working very hard" on it.

He told UnHerd: "I think there's a good chance that, yes, we'll come to a great agreement that's in the best interest of both countries."

But a senior Washington figure, who has provided advice for the administration, claimed he is "obsessed by the fall of Western civilisation" – including his view that free speech is being eroded in Britain – and that he will demand the Labour government rolls back laws against hateful comments, including abuse targeting LGBT+ groups or other minorities, as a condition of any deal.

The Independent was told: "The vice-president expressing optimism [on a trade deal] is a way of putting further pressure on the UK over free speech. If a deal does not go through, it makes Labour look bad."

Mr Vance's recent speech to the right-wing Heritage Foundation think tank was cited as an example of his views on Western culture and free speech being linked to securing an agreement.

"No free speech, no deal. It is as simple as that," the Washington source said.

It is understood that Britain has already offered to drop its proposed digital services tax as a means of getting a trade deal through. But the US wants to see laws on hate speech repealed as well as plans for a new online safety law dropped.

Labour has made it clear it is not prepared to go that far. A Downing Street source said the subject "is not a feature of the talks".

However, the issue seems to be one of the main sticking points from the White House's perspective.

Talks began last month after Sir Keir visited Mr Trump in the White House and intensified earlier this month with the tariffs announcement. While tariffs have been suspended for 90 days, the hope is that a deal can be done before they are brought into force.

Downing Street is aiming not for a traditional trade deal, but one focused on growth industries of the future, such as biotech and artificial intelligence.

Ministers insist this will not mean Britain has to accept imports of chlorinated chicken or beef with hormones, which have long been cited as concerns. However, they hope it will see most, if not all, tariffs removed between the two countries.

While Mr Trump's trade secretary Howard Lutnick has taken a leading role in the talks with UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds, the president announced at the start that Mr Vance would take the overall lead in the negotiations. UK sources have said he has been at the forefront of the tech side of the talks.

This has put the issue of free speech front and centre for Mr Vance and his allies in getting a deal with the UK.

The issue has become a central problem in UK-US relations since the summer riots when Mr Trump ally and X (Twitter) owner Elon Musk launched a vitriolic social media campaign against Sir Keir and his government, with people arrested over tweets.

It continued when Sir Keir visited the White House for the first time since Mr Trump took power and clashed with Mr Vance in front of the TV cameras in the Oval Office. The vice-president claimed that free speech was being undermined and also claimed that laws being brought in for online safety were an attack on US tech giants.

Most recently, the trial of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce for silently praying outside an abortion clinic has become a major issue in the US, with Mr Vance criticising the UK legal system over the case.

In his interview with UnHerd, the vice-president expressed optimism about the talks.

He said: "We're certainly working very hard with Keir Starmer's government.

"The president really loves the United Kingdom. He loved the Queen. He admires and loves the King. It is a very important relationship. And he's a businessman and has a number of important business relationships in [Britain]. But I think it's much deeper than that.

"There's a real cultural affinity. And, of course, fundamentally, America is an Anglo country."

Meanwhile, Mr Reynolds on Tuesday said he had been clear with US counterparts that he did not support Mr Trump's approach on tariffs.

But he said there is a need in some instances to look at how to rebalance world trade to ensure greater fairness.

He said: "I don't support the kind of approach to unilateral tariffs that the US has pursued. We've made that very clear to our US friends and colleagues, but there are issues as to how parts of trading works around the word, and there is a need to look at how we can do that fairly: how we can consider where in some cases countries are not operating to the same rules that we might expect here in the UK?"

The Independent is the world's most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/starmer-told-uk-must-repeal-hate-speech-laws-to-protect-lgbt-people-or-lose-trump-trade-deal/ar-AA1CYEhO?ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=4b67bbfff8ac40be88a62ee0ef2496cf&ei=42

Why is the Vice-President dictating trade talks?  This seems weird.

[Valmy]

If you agree to that UK they will just demand more. Do nothing for them and tell them to fuck off.

You are an idiot if you do otherwise.

[Razgovory]

Yeah, I don't see a benefit of agreeing with this.  None of this makes any goddamn sense. 

"We won't trade with you until you legalize racial slurs!"

"Wait, what?"

[Bauer]

I was listening to a shipping co on the radio today talking about potential charges on Chinese built vessels at US ports... I did not know about that one.  Might be even more insane than tariffs.  Around 40% of the Canadian commercial fleet is Chinese built.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/27/if-china-freight-ship-fines-hit-were-out-of-business-in-us-carrier-warns.html#:~:text=For%20Chinese%2Downed%20operators%20(such,each%20U.S.%20port%20of%20call.

For Chinese-owned operators (such as Cosco), a service fee of up to $1 million could be charged on each vessel. For non-Chinese-owned ocean carriers with fleets containing Chinese-built vessels, the service fee would be up to $1.5 million for each U.S. port of call.

[Syt]

Bill aimed to restrict 'activist judges' awaits Senate vote; Critics call HR 1526 a threat to constitution


I missed that one.

Looks like the kind of law you want to pass when you expect to never be the opposition party again.

[Syt]

https://apnews.com/article/trump-deportees-el-salvador-contempt-boasberg-da282511ac6f5c8dd19af620995ca440

Judge finds cause to hold Trump administration in criminal contempt for violating deportation order

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday said he has found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt of court and warned he could seek officials' prosecution for violating his orders last month to turn around planes carrying deportees to an El Salvador prison.

The ruling from U.S District Judge James E. Boasberg, whom President Donald Trump has said should be impeached, marks a dramatic battle between the judicial and executive branches of government over the president's powers to carry out key White House priorities.

Boasberg accused administration officials of rushing deportees out of the country under the Alien Enemies Act last month before they could challenge their removal in court, and then willfully disregarding his order that planes already in the air should return to the United States.

The judge said he could hold hearings and potentially refer the matter for prosecution if the administration does not act to remedy the violation. If Trump's Justice Department leadership declines to prosecute the matter, Boasberg said he will appoint another attorney to do so.

"The Constitution does not tolerate willful disobedience of judicial orders — especially by officials of a coordinate branch who have sworn an oath to uphold it," wrote Boasberg, the chief judge of Washington's federal court.

The administration said it would appeal.

"The President is 100% committed to ensuring that terrorists and criminal illegal migrants are no longer a threat to Americans and their communities across the country," White House communications director Steven Cheung wrote in a post on X.

The case has become one of the most contentious amid a slew of legal battles being waged against the Republican administration that has put the White House on a collision course with the federal courts.

Administration officials have repeatedly criticized judges for reigning in the president's actions, accusing the courts of improperly impinging on his executive powers. Trump and his allies have called for impeaching Boasberg, prompting a rare statement from Chief Justice John Roberts, who said "impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision."

Boasberg wrote that the government's "conduct betrayed a desire to outrun the equitable reach of the Judiciary."

Boasberg said the government could avoid contempt proceedings if it takes custody of the deportees, who were sent to the El Salvador prison in violation of his order, so they have a chance to challenge their removal. It was not clear how that would work because the judge said the government "would not need to release any of those individuals, nor would it need to transport them back to the homeland."

The judge did not say which official or officials could be held in contempt. He is giving the government until April 23 to explain the steps it has taken to remedy the violation, or instead identify the individual or people who made the decision not to turn the planes around.

In a separate case, the administration has acknowledged mistakenly deporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia to the El Salvador prison, but does not intend to return him to the U.S. despite a Supreme Court ruling that the administration must "facilitate" his release. The judge in that case has said she is determining whether to undertake contempt proceedings, saying officials "appear to have done nothing to aid in Abrego Garcia's release from custody and return to the United States."

Boasberg, who was nominated for the federal bench by Democratic President Barack Obama, had ordered the administration last month not to deport anyone in its custody under the Alien Enemies Act after Trump invoked the 1798 wartime law over what he claimed was an invasion by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.

When Boasberg was told there were already planes in the air headed to El Salvador, which has agreed to house deported migrants in a notorious prison, the judge said the aircraft needed to be returned to the United States. But hours later, El Salvador's president, Nayib Bukele, announced that the deportees had arrived in his country. In a social media post, he said, "Oopsie...too late" above an article referencing Boasberg's order.

The administration has argued it did not violate any orders, noted the judge did not include the turnaround directive in his written order and said the planes had already left the U.S. by the time that order came down.

The Supreme Court earlier this month vacated Boasberg's temporary order blocking the deportations under the Alien Enemies Act, but said the immigrants must be given a chance to fight their removals before they are deported. The conservative majority said the legal challenges must take place in Texas, instead of a Washington courtroom.

Boasberg wrote that even though the Supreme Court found his order "suffered from a legal defect," that "does not excuse the Government's violation." The judge added that the government appeared to have "defied the Court's order deliberately and gleefully," noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio retweeted the post from Bukele after the planes landed in El Salvador despite the judge's order.

"The Court does not reach such conclusion lightly or hastily; indeed, it has given Defendants ample opportunity to rectify or explain their actions. None of their responses has been satisfactory," Boasberg wrote.

[Syt]

https://apnews.com/article/ice-detention-francisco-mendez-new-bedford-5c5eb62788e58159f3a27915b4416062

Family says ICE agents smashed car window in seizing Guatemalan man who's seeking asylum

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts family is demanding answers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, complaining its agents smashed a car window with a hammer and detained a man who they claim had applied for asylum.

A lawyer for the family also claims agents were not looking for Juan Francisco Mendez when they grabbed him Monday in New Bedford, Massachusetts, as he drove to a dental appointment. The lawyer, Ondine Galvez-Sniffin, told The Associated Press during an interview that the agents claimed they were looking for another man with a different name before they dragged him and his wife out of the car.

The incident, recorded on video by Mendez's wife Marilu Domingo Ortiz, shows ICE agents using a hammer to smash the car window and then seize Ortiz. The family believes Mendez is being held at a facility in Dover, New Hampshire.

"When I arrived on the scene, my client's wife was sobbing. She was crying. She was shaking," Galvez-Sniffin said, adding that Mendez yelled "Help Me" in Spanish as he was driven away in handcuffs.

"I walked over to the car and I see the busted window, the glass all over the back seat, and I was shocked," the lawyer added. "I've been doing immigration work for 27 years and this was the first time that I saw such violent drastic measures being taken."

A spokesperson for ICE did not return repeated messages seeking comment.

Another lawyer for Mendez, Ryan Sullivan, said a federal judge in New Hampshire ruled Wednesday that the government must give his attorneys 72 hours notice before moving him anywhere. Sullivan believes that is enough time to determine next steps in his case.

Ortiz and her 9-year-old son have already been given protection under an asylum status over fears of facing persecution if they returned home to Guatemala. Mendez was in the process of applying for what is called derivative asylum, where you can get asylum if a family member already has it.

The woman said she felt "scared" when ICE broke into their car and never expected someone from her family would be detained like this.

"We came here to do honest work. To fight for our family," Ortiz said through a translator. "What they did, or what they're doing right now, no, it's not fair. We don't deserve that treatment."

Ortiz said she was worried about the toll the detention was taking, especially on her son.

"He has already stopped eating because of what we're going through," she said. "I just hope that they release my husband so he can come back with us and that my son can be with him as well."

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell, in a post on X, said the incident "raises questions that require clear answers," including why local police weren't alerted beforehand. He also questioned whether ICE agents are targeting criminals as the Trump administration promised or, rather, "engaging in an indiscriminate round-up of individuals with uncertain immigration status."

Galvez-Sniffin said Mendez had been in the country for four years and worked in the seafood industry in New Bedford. He had no criminal record, she said, and was in the process of applying for asylum. He had been fingerprinted in December, she said, adding nothing turned up in terms of a criminal record.

"There really was no reason to treat him the way that he and his wife were treated." Galvez-Sniffin said, adding that agents refused to look at the paperwork showing he had applied for asylum.

"My biggest concern, his family's biggest concern is getting him back," she said. "He has no criminal background and everything to stay for in this country."

The incident comes as the governor and law enforcement officials in New England have raised concerns about the tactics ICE is using to detain people.

Last month, ICE agent Brian Sullivan took Wilson Martell-Lebron, 49, into custody as he was leaving court. Boston Municipal Court Judge Mark Summerville found Sullivan in contempt, arguing that he deprived Martell-Lebron of his rights to due process and fair trial.

That case has since been dropped but the detention outside court while Martell-Lebron was on trial prompted Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden to call the actions of ICE "troubling and extraordinarily reckless."

Tufts University student Rumeysa Ozturk of Turkey, 30, is also challenging her detention by ICE. A video account shows her walking on a street in a Boston suburb as she is surrounded by immigration officials. Ozturk is heard screaming as they take her cellphone and is seen getting handcuffed. Her lawyers have called for her immediate release.

Video of the incident:

https://apnews.com/video/ice-agents-smashed-car-window-in-seizing-guatemalan-man-whos-seeking-asylum-family-says-3ef3d7edb6a247778cff67f41cb0aa8b

[Syt]

Meanwhile Pam Bondi on Fox "News": Abrego Garcia's wife and child are "safer" tonight now that he is held in El Salvador "where he belongs"