5 things to know for April 8: Deportations, Gaza mass grave, Gun control, Military official fired, Measles outbreak
The DC Circuit Court of Appeals has reinstated two former top federal labor protection officials who were fired by the Trump administration — even though they worked for independent government agencies. With the return of Cathy Harris, chairwoman of the Merit Systems Protection Board, and Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board, a quorum has been restored and their offices may once again process cases involving federal employment disputes.
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The Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a significant victory yesterday when it ruled that he may invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and give immigration officials the wartime authority to rapidly deport alleged gang members. The unsigned decision also noted that going forward, people who are deported should be told they are subject to the act so they have 'reasonable time' to bring habeas complaints. By granting Trump's request, the high court tossed out a district judge's order, which temporarily blocked the president from enforcing the act against five Venezuelans who sued. Chief Justice John Roberts also temporarily paused a court-imposed midnight deadline to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the US. ICE mistakenly deported the Maryland man to El Salvador where he was placed in a notorious mega-prison. The Trump administration has conceded in court filings that Abrego Garcia was deported 'because of an administrative error' but claims it cannot get him back because he's in Salvadoran custody.
Newly released audio and video contradicts the Israeli military's account of the March 23 attack on first responders in southern Gaza. On that day, an ambulance crew in Rafah disappeared, prompting the dispatch of a convoy of emergency vehicles. The fate of those emergency workers would also remain a mystery for over a week until rescue teams were allowed into the area. That's when they discovered a mass grave containing the bodies of 15 first responders and their crushed emergency vehicles. The Israel Defense Forces claimed the convoy was moving suspiciously, without headlights or flashing lights, toward Israeli troops and that members of the emergency teams were militants. But a video found on one of the bodies showed the convoy's lights were on, their vehicles were clearly marked and the rescuers were wearing reflective emergency responder uniforms when the Israeli troops opened fire. The IDF said it has begun re-investigating the incident.
The Supreme Court declined to rule on the constitutionality of a New York law that requires residents to have 'good moral character' to carry handguns. The law defined that term as 'having the essential character, temperament and judgment necessary to be entrusted with a weapon and to use it only in a manner that does not endanger oneself or others.' The court's decision, which was a victory for New York officials and gun control groups, also left in place most of the state's ban on carrying weapons in 'sensitive' public locations, such as government buildings, schools, hospitals, stadiums and Times Square. Gun rights groups had challenged the law, claiming it was too broad.
President Trump has fired Vice Adm. Shoshana Chatfield, the US military representative to the NATO Military Committee, according to Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was not immediately clear why Chatfield was fired. The Senate unanimously confirmed her to the post in December 2023. A Navy pilot, Chatfield earned her 'wings of gold' in 1989 and was deployed in helicopter detachments to the western Pacific and the Arabian Gulf. According to her official bio, Chatfield was the recipient of numerous honors, including the Distinguished Service Medal, the Bronze Star and commendation medals from the Navy, Army and Air Force. She also taught political science at the US Air Force Academy and was the first female president of the US Naval War College. Her firing was just the latest in an ongoing purge of senior military brass.
As the ongoing measles outbreak continues to spread, the public health response has been hindered by cuts to federal funding and staffing. Since the start of the year, at least 631 measles cases have been reported in the US and two children have died. Yet, only three members of the CDC are currently meeting with state and local officials to determine how to respond to the multi-state outbreak. Last week, the Trump administration announced sweeping layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services, including an estimated 2,400 at the CDC. Additionally, over $11 billion in grants to state and local health departments were pulled back. As a result, New Mexico terminated contracts for 20 workers who were helping with vaccine orders and more than 50 immunization clinics in Dallas were canceled.
Florida wins NCAA men's basketball championshipThe Gators came from behind last night to defeat the Houston Cougars 65-63. This is Florida's third national title; it would've been Houston's first.
Celebrity feud endsMadonna says she and Elton John 'finally buried the hatchet' over the weekend after trading barbs for decades. When she went backstage following his performance on 'Saturday Night Live,' John reportedly asked for her forgiveness — and she gave it.
Saturday … what a day'Happy Days' stars Ron Howard, Henry Winkler, Anson Williams and Don Most reunited last Saturday at Steel City Con outside of Pittsburgh. The cast joined a panel discussion about their hit TV series and were honored by the Allegheny County Council, which declared April 5 as Happy Days Day.
Tracy Chapman is backAnd she's belatedly celebrating the 35th anniversary of her self-titled debut album by re-releasing it in vinyl. The usually reclusive singer last returned to the limelight at the 2024 Grammys to perform her hit song 'Fast Car' with country star Luke Combs, who also released a cover of it.
Archaeologists uncover ancient king's tombThe massive limestone burial chamber was discovered in January in Abydos, Egypt. Although it did not contain skeletal remains, researchers say it's likely the resting place of a mystery king who ruled between 1640 and 1540 BC.
$75,000That's how much the NBA fined Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant for making a gun gesture with his fingers during a game. This was the second time he'd made the gesture despite being warned not to do so.
'We're just getting screwed.'
— Matthew Schodorf, the owner of Café de Leche, a coffee shop in Los Angeles, on how businesses that sell coffee in the US will be affected by President Trump's tariffs.
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Missing 2-year-old found in MichiganWatch the moment police located the toddler in a ditch near an interstate.
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Boston Globe
17 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump officials to give first classified briefing to Congress on Iran strikes
Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are expected to brief the senators on Thursday. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was scheduled to be at the Tuesday briefing, but will not be attending, according to a person familiar with the schedule. Advertisement The briefing could be contentious as questions have swirled around Trump's decision to strike Iran and whether the attacks were successful. A preliminary U.S. intelligence report found this week that Iran's nuclear program had been set back only a few months, contradicting statements from Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the status of Iran's nuclear facilities, according to two people familiar with the report. The people were not authorized to address the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. Advertisement On Wednesday, Gabbard and Ratcliffe sent out statements backing Trump's claims that the facilities were 'completely and fully obliterated.' Gabbard posted on social media that 'new intelligence confirms what @POTUS has stated numerous times: Iran's nuclear facilities have been destroyed.' She said that if the Iranians choose to rebuild the three facilities, it would 'likely take years to do.' Ratcliffe said in a statement from the CIA that Iran's nuclear program has been 'severely damaged' and cited new intelligence 'from a historically reliable and accurate source/method that several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years.' Most Republicans have staunchly defended Trump and hailed the tentative ceasefire he brokered in the Israel-Iran war. House Speaker Mike Johnson even went as far as to question the constitutionality of the War Powers Act, which is intended to give Congress a say in military action. 'The bottom line is the commander in chief is the president, the military reports to the president, and the person empowered to act on the nation's behalf is the president,' Johnson told reporters. But some Republicans — including some of Trump's staunchest supporters — are uncomfortable with the strikes and the potential for U.S. involvement in an extended Middle East conflict. 'I think the speaker needs to review the Constitution,' said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. 'And I think there's a lot of evidence that our Founding Fathers did not want presidents to unilaterally go to war.' Advertisement Paul would not say if he is voting for the resolution by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., that would require congressional approval for specific military action in Iran. The resolution is likely to fail as 60 votes would be needed to pass it and Republicans have a 53-47 majority. But Kaine says it's important to put the Senate on the record. 'You have a debate like this so that the entire American public, whose sons and daughters are in the military and whose lives will be at risk in war, get to see the debate and reach their own conclusion together with the elected officials about whether the mission is worth it or not,' Kaine said. While he did not seek approval, Trump sent congressional leaders a short letter Monday serving as his official notice of the strikes, two days after the bombs fell. The letter said that the strike was taken 'to advance vital United States national interests, and in collective self-defense of our ally, Israel, by eliminating Iran's nuclear program.'
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
White House plans to limit classified info it shares with Congress on Iran attack
The Trump administration is planning to limit classified information shared with Congress, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News. The move comes after a classified initial intelligence assessment showed that U.S. military strikes President Donald Trump ordered on Iran's nuclear facilities last weekend did not completely destroy the country's nuclear program but likely set it back a few months, according to sources familiar with the early findings. The administration is planning to limit classified information it shares on CAPNET, the classified information sharing system used by both the House and Senate, the sources said. MORE: Some senators see initial Iran strike assessment, but won't share details It was not immediately clear how much information the administration plans to limit moving forward. The administration has not publicly alleged that CAPNET was the source of the information about the initial assessment. The administration has said that the FBI is investigating the leak. The news of the White House's plans was first reported by Axios. The House and Senate were originally scheduled to receive classified briefings on the strikes in Iran on Tuesday before those briefings were delayed. The Senate will now receive a briefing Thursday and the House is expected to be briefed on Friday.
Boston Globe
17 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Trump's latest rejection of intelligence assessments reflects a long distrust of spy agencies
Advertisement 'Intelligence people strive to live in a world as it is, describe the world as it is, where politicians are all about describing the world as they want it to be,' said Larry Pfeiffer, a 32-year intelligence veteran who held positions including CIA chief of staff and senior director of the White House Situation Room. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Though it's hardly unheard of for presidents to bristle at what they perceive as bad news from the intelligence community, it's rare for the conflict to spill into public view as it did this week. 'I don't think we've seen another president push back as strong as this guy has,' Pfeiffer said. Trump has a history of distrusting spy services Trump's suspicion of the intelligence community, particularly when its assessments do not align with his worldview, dates back to even before his first term. Advertisement His 2016 campaign was shadowed by an investigation into whether his team had coordinated with Russia to sway the outcome of the election. He was so infuriated by the scrutiny over a dossier of unverified and salacious claims connecting him to Russia that, one week before he was sworn in, he tweeted: 'Intelligence agencies should never have allowed this fake news to 'leak' into the public. One last shot at me. Are we living in Nazi Germany?' Trump disputed the assessment that Russia had interfered in the election on his behalf, decrying as a 'hoax' and a 'witch hunt' an investigation by special counsel Robert Mueller, which ultimately concluded the Trump campaign had welcomed Moscow's help but did not find sufficient evidence of a criminal conspiracy. Trump also openly challenged the judgment of his intelligence agencies alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a Helsinki summit in 2018. 'I have great confidence in my intelligence people, but I will tell you that President Putin was extremely strong and powerful in his denial today,' Trump said. 'He just said it's not Russia. I will say this: I don't see any reason why it would be.' Such public protestation takes its toll on an intelligence community that historically has endeavored to produce data-driven and apolitical judgments, said Frank Montoya Jr., a former FBI supervisor who served as director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center. 'It's really demoralizing because nobody is looking at this stuff from a political perspective. They're looking at the data and they're analyzing the data,' he said. 'When you get this kind of unfounded criticism, especially from the policymaker in chief, it just destroys morale.' Advertisement Tensions with the intelligence community persist Trump tapped loyalists to lead America's intelligence services in his second term — Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence and John Ratcliffe as CIA director. They promised to end what they said was the weaponization of intelligence and root out disloyal officers. But there have already been conflicts. Last month, the National Intelligence Council declassified a memo in response to an open records request that said American spy agencies found no coordination between the Venezuelan government and the Tren de Aragua gang, contradicting statements the Trump administration used to justify invoking the Alien Enemies Act and deporting Venezuelan immigrants. Gabbard later fired the two veteran intelligence officers who led the council because of their perceived opposition to Trump. More trouble came after the war between Israel and Iran began nearly two weeks ago. Trump dismissed Gabbard's testimony to Congress in March that U.S. spy agencies did not believe Iran was actively pursuing a nuclear weapon. Trump insisted Iran was very close. 'I don't care what she said,' he told reporters last week. Gabbard later accused the news media of mischaracterizing her testimony, noting that she had mentioned Iran's large stockpile of enriched uranium that goes beyond levels needed for civilian uses. Iran maintains that its nuclear program was peaceful, though the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly warned that Tehran has enough highly enriched uranium to make several nuclear bombs if it chooses. A preliminary report from the Defense Intelligence Agency that emerged this week said that while the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities did significant damage, the facilities were not totally destroyed and the program was only set back by a few months. Advertisement The White House called the assessment 'flat-out wrong.' The DIA said the initial findings will be refined as new information becomes available. Given Trump's skeptical view of intelligence officials, Pfeiffer said, 'his initial instinct is to assume that if the intelligence community is telling him something different than he would like it to be, that it's because they're trying to undermine him.' Trump team says there's no conflict Gabbard and Ratcliffe have sought to brush off any perceived conflict between their agencies and Trump. Ratcliffe said Wednesday that new intelligence from a 'historically reliable and accurate' source reveals that U.S. strikes 'destroyed' several of Iran's nuclear facilities that would require years to be rebuilt. 'CIA continues to collect additional reliably sourced information to keep appropriate decision-makers and oversight bodies fully informed,' Ratcliffe said in a statement. 'When possible, we will also provide updates and information to the American public, given the national importance of this matter and in every attempt to provide transparency.' Gabbard noted the DIA assessment was of 'low confidence,' an acknowledgment by its authors that their conclusions could be mistaken. 'The propaganda media has deployed their usual tactic: selectively release portions of illegally leaked classified intelligence assessments,' she wrote on X. Trump narrated his own intelligence assessment while attending the NATO summit in the Netherlands. He mentioned satellite images showing the area around nuclear facilities 'burned black' and said the underground tunnels had 'all collapsed.' He also suggested Israel had sources on the ground in Iran: 'They have guys that go in there after the hit' to evaluate the damage. The White House pointed to an Israel Atomic Energy Commission assessment that the U.S. and Israeli strikes have 'set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons by many years.' Advertisement Assessing the US strike will take time Intelligence officers routinely craft assessments about global threats and specific incidents — information vital to the decision-making of national security officials and lawmakers. Assessments are regularly updated as new intelligence is produced from sources including field agents, informants, open source material and secret surveillance. The work is secretive to protect the methods and sources of intelligence agencies and to avoid becoming a political football. Former intelligence officials said it's likely to take days, weeks, or even months to form a full picture of the impact of the U.S. strikes on Iran's nuclear capabilities. 'I would call for patience,' said John Negroponte, a former ambassador who served as the first director of national intelligence under President George W. Bush. 'Avoid the temptation to rush to judgment.' Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
