US trade court rules Trump exceeded his authority with ‘Liberation Day' tariffs
The panel stated that Congress didn't delegate to the president the authority to set tariffs.
Twelve states urged the court to strike down Trump's taxes on imports, arguing that he exceeded his authority.
The attorney general of one of those states, Kris Mayes of Arizona, took to X on Wednesday night to celebrate the news.
'Big news! The US Court of International Trade just struck down Trump's illegal tariff scheme as invalid under [the International Emergency Economic Powers Act],' Mayes wrote. 'The president does not have the authority to implement tariffs unilaterally. Glad to have co-led this case with Oregon to protect Arizona families and small biz.'
The court order states that the Constitution hands Congress the exclusive power to 'lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.'
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The Independent
9 minutes ago
- The Independent
India signals it will keep buying Russian oil despite Trump tariff threat
India has suggested it will continue purchasing oil from Russia despite US president Donald Trump 's threats to hit Delhi with new tariffs over the imports. Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Friday that India 's energy decisions were based on market availability and global conditions, adding that ties with Moscow were 'steady and time-tested' and should not be seen through the prism of a third country. Mr Trump said earlier this week that he plans to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods along with an additional import tax in response to Delhi 's continued buying of Russian crude. The US president has stepped up warnings against nations doing business with Moscow as Washington seeks leverage over Russia 's war in Ukraine. India bought about 68,000 barrels of crude oil a day from Russia in January 2022, but this rose to 1.12 million barrels per day by June that year, peaking at 2.15 million barrels a day in May 2023, according to data from analytics firm Kpler cited by Press Trust of India. Russian supplies at one point made up nearly 40 per cent of India's total oil imports, making Moscow its biggest crude supplier. While the Indian government may not be deterred by Mr Trump's threats, Reuters news agency earlier reported that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil after July discounts narrowed to their lowest since 2022 - when sanctions were first imposed on Moscow - due to lower Russian exports and steady demand. Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources told Reuters. Reacting to the reports, Mr Trump told reporters: 'I understand that India is no longer going to be buying oil from Russia. That's what I have heard. I don't know if that's right or not. That is a good step. We will see what happens.' He added that despite his tariff announcement, trade deal talks with India were progressing. India consumes around 5.5 million barrels of oil a day, importing roughly 88 per cent of its needs. The world's third-largest crude buyer after China and the US shifted sharply towards Russian supplies after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, taking advantage of steep discounts as Western nations turned away from Moscow's energy exports.
The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
The US immigration system is being militarized. Now is the time to stand up
On the Fourth of July, President Trump signed his sweeping signature domestic policy bill into law. He called it 'beautiful'. I would call it a grave and existential threat to our already precarious democracy. Perhaps the biggest headline to emerge from this bill is that it tears giant holes into our social safety net to ensure our nation's wealthiest could benefit from additional tax breaks. But for those of us on the frontlines of the fight to protect immigrants' rights, it signaled the further entrenchment of an authoritarian regime being created on the backs of immigrants. Irrespective of our immigration status or views on immigration, we should all be concerned because we will all be affected: the sheer quantity of resources set aside for immigration enforcement will turbocharge the militarization of our country. History has taught us that social justice movements can play a significant role in protecting democracies when they are at risk from authoritarian regimes. This bill should be a wakeup call for us all to step up in defense of our democracy before it is too late. Here is what we should anticipate. The law hands over a staggering $170bn to the Department of Homeland Security to ramp up this administration's brutal immigration enforcement agenda. Among the direct beneficiaries of this largesse is Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice). Even without these resources, Ice has already been responsible for outrageous and unconstitutional acts that are hacking away at our democracy. It is Ice agents in masks who are kidnapping our neighbors, snatching them off the streets, at courthouses or their workplaces, shoving them into SUVs, and taking them to detention centers. Many have been deported without even being given the right to go before a judge. Ice agents are using unimaginably harsh tactics. They are violently smashing car windows, ripping parents away from their kids, and targeting children at school. The audacity of their lawlessness and cruelty – often on public display – is unprecedented. The Trump administration has shown a willingness to crack down violently on those who speak out against its immigration policies. Even public officials have been caught in this dragnet, including California senator Alex Padilla, New Jersey congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Newark mayor Ras Baraka, and New York City mayoral candidate Brad Lander. Every one of these violent encounters has been caught on film. With this new and massive infusion of resources now being handed over to the DHS and Ice, we will soon see many more abductions on our streets, more family separations, and more brutal crackdowns on dissenters. We are also likely to see the widespread militarization of our communities, consistent with what has already transpired in parts of California: heavily armed military officers in battle fatigues carrying out violent raids with the use of tear gas and rubber bullets; the storming of public venues such as MacArthur Park in Los Angeles for no reason other than to instill fear and intimidation; and government-sanctioned attempts to silence and intimidate public officials and activists through arrests, violence, criminal sanctions and prosecutions. As scenes previewed by militarized Los Angeles become commonplace in cities across the country – in blue states, to make an example, and in red states eager to collude – many more Americans will perhaps come to realize the full impact of this bill and recognize that the same system that cages immigrants closes rural hospitals. The same ideology that justifies family separation does not flinch when taking away food from the hungry. A government that disappears immigrants to foreign torture prisons without a day in court cannot be trusted to uphold your rights either. The machine of state violence, once built, expands. So, what are we to do? How do we move forward? It is incumbent on all of us to double down and meet the moment with the urgency it demands. That means committing to doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable amongst us and hold public officials accountable. We must be loud in our opposition to the attacks on our democracy and actively exercise our freedoms to protect it. We must contact our members of Congress to demand that they uphold the rule of law and take on those actively working to undermine our system of checks and balances. We must join the protests and the growing movement of people from all walks of life who are actively fighting authoritarianism. We must do everything we can to support our immigrant friends, neighbors and community members whose lives are being torn apart by this administration. Finally, we must also vigorously reject the paralyzing lure of fatalism – that the future will merely be an extension of our present rather than something we can build together. If our government can pour boundless resources into hurting people, there is nothing radical or unrealistic in insisting that those same resources could be used to better all of our lives. Sign up to Fighting Back Big thinkers on what we can do to protect civil liberties and fundamental freedoms in a Trump presidency. From our opinion desk. after newsletter promotion At the National Immigration Law Center, we will continue using every tool at our disposal to fight back against Trump's attacks on our communities. We are clear eyed about how we got here and what the stakes are. Just because this moment demands defense, it will not stop us from standing firm in the declaration that a pathway to a better world still exists. What's giving me hope now is the number of people who are joining a rapidly growing movement fighting back against this administration's authoritarian plans. They include courageous immigrants who refuse to be silenced or dehumanized; retirees who are spending time being of service to impacted immigrants, engaging elected officials and/or attending rallies and town halls; courageous young people who refuse to accept the status quo and are putting their bodies on the line; and entire communities who are speaking out and doing everything possible to protect their neighbors. All of us have a role in upholding justice and preserving our democracy. I'm heartened to see people from all walks of life determined to do their part and remain optimistic that this movement will get bigger and stronger over time. Kica Matos is president of the National Immigration Law Center
The Guardian
40 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Michigan's governor replaces clean energy advocate on utilities board with ‘industry ally'
Michigan's governor, Gretchen Whitmer, has effectively ousted a clean energy advocate from serving on a board that regulates the state's energy utilities monopoly, and replaced her with someone who environmental groups charge is an 'industry ally', campaigners say. The groups allege the move was made at utility giant DTE Energy's behest because it was unhappy with Michigan public services commission (MPSC) board member Alessandra Carreon's position on clean energy and opposition to rate increases, among other issues. Each MPSC board vote is important because the commission is made up of three gubernatorial appointees, and Whitmer's decision amid a debate over rate increases could slow the state's ambitious clean energy transition and lead to higher energy bills, opponents warn. The decision marks the latest in a series of environmental controversies for Whitmer, a Democrat whose name has been discussed as a potential leading candidate for the party's nominee for president in 2028, but now faces increasing scrutiny over her record. Appointing someone with industry ties to a board that is supposed to protect the public from utility wrongdoing 'reflects incredibly poorly on Governor Whitmer', said Chris Gilmer-Hill, policy associate with the Michigan Environmental Justice Coalition non-profit. 'This is part of this pattern of this administration being very quick to give utilities what they want and not giving Michiganders what they need,' Gilmer-Hill added. Whitmer appointed Carreon to the MPSC board in July 2023 to fill a partial term. Among other causes, Carreon was an advocate for greater public involvement in and transparency around the arcane regulatory process for utilities at a time when public frustration over DTE's poor service and high rates has steadily mounted. In a highly unusual move, the governor announced in June that she would not renew Carreon's appointment. Environmental groups in June lambasted the decision, which they alleged came amid pressure from DTE and Consumers Energy, Michigan's second largest utility monopoly. 'My understanding is that DTE and Consumers were very unhappy with recent decisions the commission has made around the utilities' profit margin,' Charlotte Jameson, chief policy officer of the Michigan Environmental Council, told the Detroit News at the time. Many of the state's top environmental groups signed an 18 June letter to Whitmer that stated they were 'deeply concerned' with the decision not to renew Carreon's appointment and potentially replace her with someone who has 'clear conflicts of interest or strong industry allegiances'. They urged the governor to reconsider. Whitmer did not. In mid-July, she appointed Shaquila Myers, who, during the 2023-2024 legislative session, was chief of staff for former Michigan House speaker Joe Tate, a pro-business Democrat. He faced a stunning revolt from his own party in December because he generally refused to allow votes on legislation opposed by big business, and was seen by many as hostile towards environmental causes. Despite a chorus of calls for change, Tate did not allow multiple utility reform bills to move through the legislature. 'There was a quiet, steady refusal to do anything but ignore [utility] bills,' said Rachel Hood, a former Democratic state representative who served with Tate last session, and has worked on energy policy in Michigan for nearly 20 years. Hood characterized Myers as 'not just an industry ally', but also 'deeply enmeshed in the governor's policy agenda'. 'And it's clear that the governor is pushing DTE's agenda to the best of her ability,' Hood said. DTE and Consumers are among the state's powerful political forces. The former, either via the company, its employees or its affiliated dark money non-profit, has given millions of dollars in campaign donations to Whitmer or the state Democratic party over her two terms. Sign up to Headlines US Get the most important US headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion Meanwhile, a 2022 analysis found DTE had donated to all but 10 of 148 state legislators the previous session. Amid furor over prolonged power outages that left hundreds of thousands of people in Michigan without power for days in late 2023, DTE's affiliated dark money non-profit gave Tate $100,000. Tate would not let a 2023 reform bill aimed at improving accountability and affordability be introduced in committee. 'This is Michigan's powerful political entities acting to maintain their way of life and their balance sheets,' said Hood. Meanwhile, Tate and Whitmer ushered through a datacenter bill that may derail Michigan's climate goals. Whitmer's office did not comment, but a Whitmer spokesperson sent statements on behalf of DTE and Consumers. The utilities separately sent their own statements in which they both denied involvement in the process. In its statement, a DTE spokesperson said: 'Our team at DTE works collaboratively with the MPSC commissioners and staff to ensure we're providing safe, reliable, cleaner and affordable energy to our customers and the state of Michigan.' The move comes at a particularly critical juncture. The MPSC is weighing over $1bn in proposed rate increases between the two companies, and each are slated to deliver to the MPSC formal long-term plans for delivering power. Commissioners have the power to shape those proposals with decisions about billions of dollars in infrastructure. The MPSC has not allowed a DTE proposal to build a methane plant, and advocates fear that decision could be reversed with Myers on the board, Gilmer-Hill said. Meanwhile, the utilities are negotiating datacenter deals that could result in dramatic cost increases to customers and take a toll on the environment if they are not checked by the MPSC, Gilmer-Hill added. 'We need an MPSC that's willing to say no to the utilities, otherwise we mess things up for decades,' Gilmer-Hill said.
