Trump Must Halt Mass Layoffs of Federal Workers, Judge Rules
The Trump administration must temporarily cease from engaging in widespread layoffs and firings for government workers, a California federal court ruled Friday.
President Donald Trump's February executive order calling for a radical reorganization of the federal workforce likely violates the Constitution, Judge Susan Illston of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said.
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Yahoo
10 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump booed and cheered at the Kennedy Center while attending 'Les Misérables'
WASHINGTON (AP) — The drama in the audience rivaled the spectacle on stage on Wednesday at the Kennedy Center, where President Donald Trump went to the opening night of 'Les Misérables' as he tightens his grip on the venerable performing arts institution. It was his first time attending a show there since his election, and he was booed and cheered as he took his seat alongside first lady Melania Trump. Near the end of the intermission, someone loudly cursed his name, drawing applause. Several drag queens were in the crowd, their presence a protest against Trump's complaints that the Kennedy Center had hosted too many drag shows in the past. Despite the condemnation, the event had a MAGA-does-Broadway feel. Ric Grenell, the Trump-appointed interim leader of the Kennedy Center, was there, as were Vice President JD Vance and his wife, Usha. Before the show began, Attorney General Pam Bondi chatted with guests and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took selfies. Laura Loomer, the conspiracy theorist who has advised Trump on personnel decisions, posted a video from a seat near the stage. Trump walked the red carpet with the first lady when they arrived at the Kennedy Center, which he's been remaking in his image while excising what he describes as liberal ideology. 'We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,' Trump said. The Republican president has a particular affection for 'Les Misérables,' the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?,' is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king. The three-hour production featured singing and dancing, with the sounds of explosions and gunfire filling the theater as protesters and soldiers clashed on stage. For Trump's critics, it was an unnerving echo of what's unfolding in Los Angeles, where Trump has deployed National Guard troops in response to protests over his deportation policies. 'Someone explain the plot to him," California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, wrote on social media. Terry Gee, a bartender, bought his ticket for the show in November and didn't mind Trump's presence. It's his sixth time seeing 'Les Misérables,' and he said, 'I'm going to enjoy the show regardless." Hannah Watkins, a nurse, only learned that Trump would be there when the Kennedy Center distributed information about extra security and she searched online to see what was happening. 'I've seen a lot of famous people so far, which is exciting,' said Watkins, who had claimed a spot near the VIP entrance with her mother. 'Honestly, we just like 'Les Mis' and are excited to be here.' Before Trump, presidential involvement in the Kennedy Center's affairs had been limited to naming members to the board of trustees and attending the taping of its annual honors program in the fall. But after returning to office in January, Trump stunned the arts world by firing the Kennedy Center's longtime director and board and replacing them with loyalists, who then named him as chairman. Trump promised to overhaul its programming, management and even appearance as part of an effort to put his stamp on the national arts scene. His latest moves have upset some of the center's patrons and performers. In March, the audience booed the Vances after they slipped into upper-level seats to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including 'Hamilton,' have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by 'Les Misérables' cast members, but Trump said he wasn't bothered by anyone skipping the performance. 'I couldn't care less,' he said. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also targeted Smithsonian museums by signing executive orders to restrict their funding and by attempting to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. The president characterized previous programming at the Kennedy Center as 'out of control with rampant political propaganda' and said it featured 'some very inappropriate shows,' including a 'Marxist anti-police performance' and 'lesbian-only Shakespeare.' The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. It was first conceived in the late 1950s during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democratic President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before. ___ Associated Press writer Mark Kennedy in New York contributed to this report. Darlene Superville And Chris Megerian, The Associated Press
Forbes
23 minutes ago
- Forbes
Trump Launches Signup Website For $5M ‘Trump Card' Visas
President Donald Trump on Wednesday night announced the $5 million Gold Card visa is now open for signups, allowing wealthy foreign nationals to register their interest in the program, which intends to offer them a fast track to U.S. citizenship—something the president has suggested may replace the existing investor visa program. US President Donald Trump holds the $5 million dollar Gold Card as he speaks to reporters while in ... More flight on board Air Force One, en route to Miami, Florida in April. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump shared a link to the website—which refers to the visa as 'The Trump Card.' In his post, Trump claimed, 'Thousands have been calling and asking how they can sign up,' for the program and noted, 'THE WAITING LIST IS NOW OPEN.' The website itself is thin on information, with no dates mentioned for when the so-called 'Trump Card' will be available other than a mention that it 'is coming.' The signup form on the website asks people to share their names, the region of the world they are from, if they are a business or an individual, and if they are signing up for themselves or someone else. According to the site, people who sign up will be 'notified the moment access opens' for the visa. The site also includes an image of the 'Trump Card,' featuring a photo and signature of the president—a version of which he showed reporters aboard Air Force One back in April. Trump first announced the gold card in February and he said it would grant recipients the same privileges as green card holders, who have permanent residency in the U.S. Trump argued the card was a way to get 'wealthy people' to invest in the U.S. by 'spending a lot of money, paying a lot of taxes and employing a lot of people.' Trump has claimed he does not need Congressional approval to launch the program, arguing that its beneficiaries are only offered a quicker path to citizenship rather than outright buying citizenship. At the time of the announcement, the president suggested that the gold card program could be rolled out within two weeks. But since then, details about a timeline have been scant. Last month, billionaire Elon Musk, who at the time was heading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, tweeted that the government was 'doing a quiet trial' of the program, 'to make sure the system works properly.' Musk added: 'Once it is fully tested, it will be rolled out to the public with an announcement by the President.' But it is unclear what this supposed trial entailed. The Wired also reported last month that some 'U.S. permanent residents and foreign visitors' signing up for the Customs and Border Patrol's 'Global Entry' trusted traveller program were being asked if they had applied for the 'Trump Card Visa.' The new Trump Card website makes no mention of a launch date.
CBS News
28 minutes ago
- CBS News
Marine Corps battalion finish L.A. protests training, ready for deployment by Friday
The Marine Corps battalion dispatched to Southern California has finished its training for the Los Angeles protests and could be deployed by Friday, according to the Department of Defense. The 700 Marines based out of Twentynine Palms, which is about 140 miles away from L.A., will join the roughly 4,100 California National Guard soldiers protecting federal buildings and personnel during the anti-ICE protests that started on June 6, the U.S. Northern Command wrote in a statement Wednesday night. "They can and have accompanied ICE on missions, but they are not a part of the operations. Title 10 forces do not do law enforcement functions. They protect; they don't participate," U.S. Northern Command wrote. Title 10 of the United States Code allows the president to federalize the National Guard. However, the Posse Comitatus Act, a 19th-century law, bars the military from participating in civil law enforcement, unless the president invokes the Insurrection Act. As a result, the National Guard soldiers and Marines will temporarily detain an individual until transferring custody to civilian law enforcement personnel, according to U.S. Northern Command. When asked if he would invoke the Insurrection Act on Tuesday Mr. Trump said: ""If there's an insurrection, I would certainly invoke it. We'll see." In an interview with CBS News, L.A. Police Chief Jim McDonnell stated the city did not need the National Guard's help. "We don't need the National Guard, and they are not here to help us right now," McDonnell said Wednesday on "CBS Mornings." They are here to facilitate what the federal agencies are doing on the immigration front." President Trump mobilized the approximately 5,800 troops, dubbed Task Force 51, a day after the protests began. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Monday that the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, is "being deployed to Los Angeles to restore order." A top Pentagon official testified to Congress that the estimated cost of deploying the National Guard and the Marines is roughly $134 million. Mr. Trump said while walking on the red carpet of a Les Misérables on Wednesday night that the task force prevented L.A. from burning to the ground. "If we weren't there and didn't bring in the National Guard and the Marines, you have a city that is burning to the ground," the president said. Gov. Gavin Newsom and other local officials strongly opposed the move to federalize the California National Guard and deploy Marines to L.A. County. In a 28-page federal court filing, California Attorney General Rob Bonta asked a judge for a temporary restraining order by 1 p.m. local time Tuesday to "prevent the use of federalized National Guard and active duty Marines for law enforcement purposes on the streets of a civilian city." Following the filing and after Mayor Karen Bass implemented a curfew for downtown L.A., Newsom delivered a statewide address to denounce the Trump administration, calling the deployment of troops a "brazen abuse of power" that escalated the protests. "By night, several dozen lawbreakers became violent and destructive, they vandalized property, they tried to assault police officers," Newsom said. "This situation was winding down and was concentrated in just a few square blocks downtown. But that, that's not what Donald Trump wanted." In a post on his Truth Social platform, Mr. Trump said Wednesday morning that, "The INCOMPETENT Governor of California was unable to provide protection in a timely manner when our Ice Officers, GREAT Patriots they are, were attacked by an out of control mob of agitators, troublemakers, and/or insurrectionists. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
