US President Donald Trump’s plan to outlaw birthright citizenship has been stalled after a judge ruled it unconstitutional.
The ban was signed by Mr Trump on Monday, one of a slew of executive orders he has issued since his inauguration on Tuesday local time.
These are the key moments from the latest day in the Trump administration.
Judge rules birthright citizenship order ‘blatantly unconstitutional’
The court decision temporarily blocking the ban on birthright citizenship follows a challenge launched by multiple Democratic-led states.
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Birthright citizenship, long considered a constitutional right, means that anyone born in the United States is automatically considered a citizen.
Mr Trump’s executive order would largely impact children born to undocumented or temporary migrants in the US.
Federal District Court Judge John C Coughenour sided with the four states suing the Trump administration — Washington, Arizona, Illinois and Oregon.
Signing a restraining order to block the executive order for 14 days, Mr Coughenour called it “blatantly unconstitutional”.
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“Frankly I have difficulty understanding how a member of the bar would state unequivocally that this is a constitutional order,” he told Trump administration lawyers during the hearing.
“It just boggles my mind.”
Mr Trump has already said he would appeal the ruling.
In total 22 states have filed six lawsuits in an attempt to stop the executive order.
Pro-life protesters pardoned ahead of March for Life event
At least 23 anti-abortion activists have been pardoned by Mr Trump, who said they “should not have been prosecuted”.
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Anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy. (Reuters: Sarah Silbiger)
Among them were the protesters involved in blockading a Washington, DC abortion clinic in October 2020.
They were charged with conspiring against civil rights and violating laws which protect access to abortion clinics.
One of those pardoned, Lauren Handy, was sentenced to almost five years in prison and garnered international attention after police announced they had found multiple fetuses in her home following her arrest.
Mr Trump’s announcement was made just a day before the annual anti-abortion March for Life event in Washington, where he is expected to address the crowd via video.
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Trump orders files on JFK, Martin Luther King Jr assassinations to be declassified
John F Kennedy’s grandson took aim at Donald Trump over an executive order to declassify files relating to the former president’s assassination.
Mr Trump ordered the release of thousands of classified government documents about the 1963 assassination, as well as the assassination of senator Robert F Kennedy and Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.
Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of JFK and son of former US ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy, said there was “nothing heroic” about releasing the files.
“[The assassination was] a tragedy that didn’t need to happen,” he wrote on X.
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During his first term, Mr Trump bended to appeals by the CIA and FBI that some documents be withheld.
He promised during the election campaign to make the last batches of still-classified documents surrounding the Kennedy assassination public.
The unreleased documents have fuelled conspiracy theories for decades.
It’s unclear when the records will be released, but the order directs the director of national intelligence and the attorney general to develop a plan within 15 days to declassify the remaining JFK records.
A plan to release the documents relating to the other two cases must be developed within 45 days.
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China could help with Russia-Ukraine peace deal, Trump tells World Economic Forum
Speaking at the World Economic Forum, Donald Trump said he hoped China’s President Xi Jinping could help make a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine.
He added later that he would meet Russian President Vladimir Putin “immediately” if possible.
“They [China] have a lot of power over Russia,” he said in the Oval Office.
“They supply energy to Russia, and Russia supplies energy to them … it’s really a very big trade.
“So I think Russia should want to make a deal. Maybe they want to make a deal. I think from what I hear, Putin would like to see me as soon as we can.”
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Mr Trump also told media Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would “like to stop” and was “ready to negotiate a deal”.
In a televised interview with Fox host Sean Hannity, Mr Trump said he would impose “massive tariffs” on Russia if Mr Putin did not end the war.
Pete Hegseth waiting on confirmation vote amid ongoing controversies
Mr Trump’s pick to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, reportedly admitted to paying $US50,000 ($79,135) as part of a confidentiality agreement with a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her in 2017.
Mr Hegseth said he had made the payment in written answers provided to Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren in response to her additional questions as part of the vetting process, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press and CNN.
His attorney declined to comment on the dollar figure, which was previously unknown.
Mr Hegseth testified during his confirmation hearings he had been “falsely accused” and completely cleared.
The controversy comes after a confirmation hearing where Democrats raised concerns about his alleged excessive drinking and past opposition to women in combat.
The former Fox News host and Army National Guard veteran vowed to abstain from alcohol if confirmed
He later told Republican Senator Joni Ernst, herself a veteran, that he would support women in combat roles “given the standards remain high, and we will have a review to ensure the standards have not been eroded”.
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Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski announced she would oppose Mr Hegseth’s nomination to be Secretary of Defense, saying she could not “in good conscience” support him.
She said in a statement her opposition was driven by Mr Hegseth’s lack of experience, past comments about women in combat, and a “lack of judgement”.
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She added the allegations of sexual assault did “nothing to quiet” her concerns.
Mr Hegseth’s lawyer said last month his client had been “falsely accused”. Mr Hegseth also denied the allegations during his testimony.
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Another Republican senator, Susan Collins, said she did not believe Mr Hegseth had “the experience and perspective” necessary for the job.
The Senate voted 51-49 to advance Mr Hegseth’s nomination.
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
US private equity giant Apollo will provide £4.5bn in debt financing to support the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear project, in a deal that will help ease financial pressures on the flagship development.
The investment grade financing will be provided as unsecured debt at an interest rate just below 7 per cent, people familiar with the matter said.
The funding could be used for other UK projects by French state-owned electricity group EDF, but Hinkley Point is expected to be the primary target for the debt package.
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The financing meets a key funding gap for the nuclear project, which has suffered from consistent cost overruns. It was expected to cost £18bn and to be completed in 2025 but the estimated cost has swelled to almost £46bn and its start date pushed back to 2029.
A federal appeals court on Thursday night ruled that the California National Guard troops—deployed in Los Angeles last week amid protests against the federal government’s crackdown on immigrants—can remain under President Donald Trump’s control while the state’s legal challenge against the deployment moves forward.
California National Guard members guard the Santa Ana Federal Building in Santa Ana.
Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Key Facts
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that on matters such as federalizing the California National Guard, any decision must be “highly deferential” towards the president, and the court concluded that “it is likely that the President lawfully exercised his statutory authority.”
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However, the ruling disagreed with the White House’s primary argument that such a matter “is completely insulated from judicial review.”
The appellate court ruling blocks an already paused ruling issued by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer that ordered the president to “return control of the California National Guard to the Governor of the State of California forthwith.”
The ruling only focused on the issue of presidential authority and did not address the claim made in Trump’s order that the protests amounted to a “form of rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”
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How Have California Officials Reacted To The Ruling?
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a statement saying, “While it is disappointing that our temporary restraining order has been stayed pending the federal government’s appeal, this case is far from over…our state and local law enforcement officers responded effectively to isolated episodes of violence at otherwise peaceful protests and the President deliberately sought to create the very chaos and crises he claimed to be addressing.” Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote on X: “The court rightly rejected Trump’s claim that he can do whatever he wants with the National Guard and not have to explain himself to a court. The President is not a king and is not above the law. We will press forward with our challenge to President Trump’s authoritarian use of U.S. military soldiers against citizens.”
How Did Trump React To The Ruling?
In a post on his Truth Social platform, the president hailed the ruling as a “BIG WIN,” and attacked the California Governor, saying: “The Judges obviously realized that Gavin Newscum is incompetent and ill prepared.” Trump then signaled he could deploy forces to tackle protests in other states, saying: “this is much bigger than Gavin, because all over the United States, if our Cities, and our people, need protection, we are the ones to give it to them should State and Local Police be unable, for whatever reason, to get the job done.”
Crucial Quote
The appeals court ruling noted that precedent from earlier rulings cited by the Trump administration, “does not compel us to accept the federal government’s position that the President could federalize the National Guard based on no evidence whatsoever, and that courts would be unable to review a decision that was obviously absurd or made in bad faith.”
Further Reading
Trump Keeps Control Of National Guard In Los Angeles After Appeals Court Pauses Ruling (Forbes)
New York Times reporter Ana Swanson reports from the Los Angeles Port, the largest port in the Western Hemisphere as well as the place that first saw the signs of Trump’s tariff war. The Port of Los Angeles is significant because of our trade relationship with China in particular, which is why The Trump administration’s 145% tariffs on the country resulted in lower volume at the port. Ana Swanson explains what the port illustrates about U.S. trade and how what’s felt at the Port of Los Angeles will soon be felt by U.S. consumers.
