Politics

Federal court to weigh Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago area

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President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard in Illinois faces legal scrutiny Thursday at a pivotal court hearing, a day after a small number of troops began protecting federal property in the Chicago area. U.S. District Judge April Perry will hear arguments over a request to block the deployment of Illinois and Texas Guard members. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and local officials strongly oppose the use of the Guard. READ MORE: National Guard troops are now outside Chicago and could be in Memphis soon An “element” of the 200 Texas Guard troops sent to Illinois started working in the…

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WATCH: ‘Come and get me,’ Pritzker responds to Trump’s call to put Illinois governor in jail

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President Donald Trump on Wednesday said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, should be jailed as they oppose his deployment of National Guard troops to Chicago. The officials said they would not be deterred. Watch Pritzker’s remarks in the video player above. “What kind of a country are we living in where the president of the United States is targeting his political opponents?” Pritzker told the press on the sidelines of a union protest in Chicago. READ MORE: Trump calls for jailing Illinois governor and Chicago mayor Trump wrote on Truth Social that Johnson and…

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‘My husband is not a threat’: ICE detains man married to U.S. citizen

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Even as the Trump administration continues to insist that its immigration policies are just targeting the worst of the worst, many other immigrants in America are being detained as well. William Brangham spoke with Leslie Gonzales, whose husband was arrested by agents near Boston. Amna Nawaz: Even as the Trump administration continues to insist that its immigration policies are only targeting the worst of the worst, many other immigrants in America are being detained as well.William Brangham speaks with the wife of one. William Brangham: Several weeks ago, Hernan Escobar on his way to his construction job outside of Boston…

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Airports face delays as shutdown deepens air traffic control staffing woes

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Amna Nawaz: Thousands of flights have been delayed across the country this week, as the government shutdown enters its eighth day. In fact, more than 2,500 flights were delayed just today.In an interview with FOX News, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said controllers calling out sick were a significant reason for the huge spike in delays. Sean Duffy, U.S. Transportation Secretary: Historically, there's about 5 percent of delays that is attributed to staffing issues in our towers. In the last couple of days, it's been 53 percent. And so my message to the air traffic controllers who work for DOT is…

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Rubio passes Trump urgent note on Middle East peace deal during antifa roundtable

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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was holding a roundtable event with conservative influencers about antifa Wednesday when Secretary of State Marco Rubio, standing in the back corner of the White House’s Blue Room, caught his eye. He had news for Trump, he said, but it would have to wait until after the media left. Then Rubio passed the president a note. WATCH: Trump hosts roundtable on antifa after EO designating it a ‘domestic terrorist organization’ News photographers covering the event zoomed in on the handwriting on White House stationery that read, “You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so…

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Comey pleads not guilty in case his lawyers say is politically motivated

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Former FBI Director James Comey was arraigned on Wednesday after federal prosecutors charged him with lying to Congress five years ago. The charges were brought against Comey by U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Lindsay Halligan. Halligan’s predecessor was ousted for refusing to charge Comey. Amna Nawaz discussed more with NPR's Carrie Johnson. Amna Nawaz: Former FBI Director James Comey has pled not guilty after federal prosecutors charged him with lying to Congress five years ago. The charges were brought against Comey by President Trump's handpicked U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, Lindsey Halligan, his former…

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‘Tennessee Three’ Democrat announces bid for Congress against longtime Memphis representative

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — One of three Tennessee lawmakers who drew national attention in 2023 when Republicans in the Tennessee Legislature moved to expel them following a gun control protest is running for Congress, he announced Wednesday. Democratic state Rep. Justin Pearson went to a Memphis park near the neighborhood where he grew up to announce that he will challenge longtime Democratic congressman Steve Cohen to represent the majority-Black city in 2026. The winner likely would have a clear path to represent the state’s 9th Congressional District, the state’s only jurisdiction that leans Democratic under congressional lines drawn by Republicans. Pearson is…

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National Guard troops are now outside Chicago and could be in Memphis soon

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ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) — National Guard troops are positioned outside Chicago and could also be in Memphis by Friday, as President Donald Trump’s administration pushes ahead with an aggressive policy toward big-city crime — whether local leaders support it or not. Troops’ presence at an Illinois Army Reserve center came despite a lawsuit and vigorous opposition from Democratic elected leaders. Their exact mission was not clear, but the Trump administration launched an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the nation’s third-largest city last month and protestors have frequently rallied at an immigration building in nearby Broadview. READ MORE: Trump calls for…

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WATCH: ‘Do your damn job,’ federal worker union leaders tell Congress mired in shutdown

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Top union leaders representing federal employees, along with allied labor groups, on Wednesday pressured both parties to reach a solution to end the shutdown. Watch the news conference in the video player above. “No American should ever have to choose between serving their country and feeding their family,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees. WATCH LIVE: Senate meets as lawmakers remain in shutdown deadlock Union leaders criticized both parties in Congress but also targeted Trump, accusing him of using federal workers as “political pawns” after warnings Tuesday that back pay is not guaranteed. “He intends…

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WATCH: Federal workers ‘should’ get back pay after shutdown, Johnson affirms

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House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday that furloughed federal workers “should be” paid back once the U.S. government reopens. Watch the clip in the video player above. “It has always been the case, that is tradition and I think it is statutory law, that federal employees be paid. And that’s my position. I think they should be,” Johnson told PBS News Hour’s Lisa Desjardins in a news conference. “They should not be subjected to harm and financial dire straits because Chuck Schumer wants to play political games.” WATCH: ‘Do your damn job,’ federal worker union leaders tell Congress mired in…

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