‘Shocked' and ‘sickened' Democrats react with fury to video of Padilla's removal
WASHINGTON (AP) — When videos first rocketed around the Internet Thursday afternoon showing security officers forcibly removing Democratic Sen. Alex Padilla from a press conference with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in California, senators in both parties were already gathered together for a long series of votes.
There are strict rules against using cellphones on the Senate floor. But senators immediately shared the video with each other anyway.
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Winnipeg Free Press
43 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Federal judge blocks Trump's firing of Consumer Product Safety Commission members
BALTIMORE (AP) — A federal judge has blocked the terminations of three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission after they were fired by President Donald Trump in his effort to assert more power over independent federal agencies. The commission helps protect consumers from dangerous products by issuing recalls, suing errant companies and more. Trump announced last month his decision to fire the three Democrats on the five-member commission. They were serving seven-year terms after being nominated by President Joe Biden. After suing the Trump administration last month, the fired commissioners received a ruling in their favor Friday; it will likely be appealed. Attorneys for the plaintiffs argued the case was clearcut. Federal statute states that the president can fire commissioners 'for neglect of duty or malfeasance in office but for no other cause' — allegations that have not been made against the commissioners in question. But attorneys for the Trump administration assert that the statute is unconstitutional because the president's authority extends to dismissing federal employees who 'exercise significant executive power,' according to court filings. U.S. District Judge Matthew Maddox agreed with the plaintiffs, declaring their dismissals unlawful. He had previously denied their request for a temporary restraining order, which would have reinstated them on an interim basis. That decision came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative majority declined to reinstate board members of two other independent agencies, endorsing a robust view of presidential power. The court said that the Constitution appears to give the president the authority to fire the board members 'without cause.' Its three liberal justices dissented. In his written opinion filed Friday, Maddox presented a more limited view of the president's authority, finding 'no constitutional defect' in the statute that prohibits such terminations. He ordered that the plaintiffs be allowed to resume their duties as product safety commissioners. The ruling adds to a larger ongoing legal battle over a 90-year-old Supreme Court decision known as Humphrey's Executor. In that case from 1935, the court unanimously held that presidents cannot fire independent board members without cause. The decision ushered in an era of powerful independent federal agencies charged with regulating labor relations, employment discrimination, the airwaves and much else. But it has long rankled conservative legal theorists who argue the modern administrative state gets the Constitution all wrong because such agencies should answer to the president. During a hearing before Maddox last week, arguments focused largely on the nature of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and its powers, specifically whether it exercises 'substantial executive authority.' Maddox, a Biden nominee, noted the difficulty of cleanly characterizing such functions. He also noted that Trump was breaking from precedent by firing the three commissioners, rather than following the usual process of making his own nominations when the opportunity arose. Abigail Stout, an attorney representing the Trump administration, argued that any restrictions on the president's removal power would violate his constitutional authority. After Trump announced the Democrats' firings, four Democratic U.S. senators sent a letter to the president urging him to reverse course. 'This move compromises the ability of the federal government to apply data-driven product safety rules to protect Americans nationwide, away from political influence,' they wrote. The Consumer Product Safety Commission was created in 1972. Its five members must maintain a partisan split, with no more than three representing the president's party. They serve staggered terms. That structure ensures that each president has 'the opportunity to influence, but not control,' the commission, attorneys for the plaintiffs wrote in court filings. They argued the recent terminations could jeopardize the commission's independence. Attorney Nick Sansone, who represents the three commissioners, praised the ruling Friday. 'Today's opinion reaffirms that the President is not above the law,' he said in a statement.
CTV News
an hour ago
- CTV News
Washington, D.C.'s pizza delivery monitor alerts to secret Israel attack
The Pentagon is viewed from the window of an airplane Aug. 27, 2023, in Washington. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File) WASHINGTON, D.C. — The timing of Israel's plan to attack Iran was top secret. But Washington pizza delivery trackers guessed something was up before the first bombs fell. About an hour before Iranian state TV first reported loud explosions in Tehran, pizza orders around the Pentagon went through the roof, according to a viral X account claiming to offer 'hot intel' on 'late-night activity spikes' at the U.S. military headquarters. 'As of 6:59 pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity,' the account 'Pentagon Pizza Report' posted on Thursday. As of 6:59pm ET nearly all pizza establishments nearby the Pentagon have experienced a HUGE surge in activity. — Pentagon Pizza Report (@PenPizzaReport) June 12, 2025 Not confining its analysis to pizza, the account noted three hours later that a gay bar near the Pentagon had 'abnormally low traffic for a Thursday night,' and said this probably pointed to 'a busy night at the Pentagon.' While far from scientific, the Pentagon pizza theory 'is not something the internet just made up,' The Takeout, an online site covering restaurants and food trends, noted earlier this year. Pentagon-adjacent pizza joints also got much busier than usual during Israel's 2024 missile strike on Iran, it said, as there are 'a multitude of fast food restaurants in the Pentagon complex, but no pizza places.' Pizza deliveries to the Pentagon reportedly doubled right before the U.S. invasion of Panama in December 1989, and surged again before Operation Desert Storm in 1991. U.S. President Donald Trump told The Wall Street Journal he was fully aware in advance of the bombing campaign, which Israel says is needed to end Iran's nuclear program. 'We know what's going on.' For the rest of Americans, pepperoni pie activity was not the only way to tell something was about to happen. Washington had already announced it was moving some diplomats and their families out of the Middle East on Wednesday. And close to an hour before Israel unleashed its firepower on Iran, the U.S. ambassador in Jerusalem, Mike Huckabee, sent out a rather revealing X post: 'At our embassy in Jerusalem and closely monitoring the situation. We will remain here all night. 'Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!''
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
US appeals court refuses to overturn Biden approval of Alaska's Willow oil project
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal appeals court panel on Friday refused to overturn the approval of the massive Willow oil project on Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope. The decision from a panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals comes in a long-running dispute over the project, which was greenlit in March 2023 by then-President Joe Biden's administration and is being developed in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska by ConocoPhillips Alaska. The court's majority opinion found what it called a procedural but not substantive error by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management as part of the analysis in approving Willow. The majority determined that overturning the project's approval would be unwarranted and its consequences severe. During the cold-weather seasons, ConocoPhillips Alaska has worked to build infrastructure such as new gravel roads, bridges and pipelines at the project site. The ruling comes more than a year after the appeals court panel heard arguments in the case. Environmentalists and a grassroots Iñupiat group had appealed a lower-court ruling that upheld Willow's approval. Alaska's Republican governor and members of its congressional delegation and state Legislature have backed Willow. The project also has broad support among Alaska Native leaders on the North Slope and groups with ties to the region who see Willow as economically vital for their communities. J. Elizabeth Peace, a spokesperson with the U.S. Department of the Interior, said the agency doesn't comment on litigation. The Bureau of Land Management falls under the Interior. Messages seeking comment were left with ConocoPhillips Alaska and environmental groups.
