Supreme Court to hear Trump’s birthright citizenship case

The Supreme Court has agreed to take up the constitutionality of President Trump’s order on birthright citizenship. On the first day of his second term in office, President Trump signed an executive order declaring that children born to parents who are in the United States illegally or temporarily are not American citizens. That order would upend more than 125 years of understanding of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment. This coming spring, justices will hear the Trump administration’s appeal of a lower-court ruling that struck down the citizenship restrictions.

Federal advisors vote to stop hepatitis B shots for newborns

A federal vaccine committee has voted to scrap universal hepatitis B shots for newborns. For decades, the government has advised that all babies be vaccinated against liver infection right after birth. The effort was largely seen as a public health success. But an advisory panel, whose current members were all appointed by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is no longer supporting the hepatitis B vaccine recommendation. The decision was met by stiff opposition from a chorus of medical experts and public health leaders.

Speaker Johnson to GOP members: Don’t criticize in public

House Republicans are increasingly airing their grievances about party leadership. With Republicans holding on to a slim majority, House Speaker Mike Johnson already has a difficult job. To make matters worse, his fellow GOP lawmakers are venting their frustrations in public. Over the past week, a member of Johnson’s own leadership team openly accused him of lying, rank-and-file Republicans acted unilaterally to force votes, and a leadership-backed bill failed. Johnson told reporters that getting upset is “part of the process.” But he’s urging Republicans to share their concerns privately with him, not on social media.

Canadian, Mexican leaders to meet with Trump at World Cup draw

Supreme Court allows Texas to use GOP-friendly congressional map

The Supreme Court is allowing Texas to move forward with a new congressional map in next year’s election. In a legal victory for the Trump administration, justices on the high court allowed the redistricting plan, despite a lower-court ruling that the map likely discriminates on the basis of race. The map is favorable to Republicans and was pushed by President Trump. The Supreme Court’s order puts the lower-court ruling blocking the map on hold at least until after the high court issues a final decision in the case.

Grand jury refuses new fraud indictment against Letitia James

A judge has dismissed the mortgage fraud case against New York Attorney General Letitia James. A grand jury in Virginia rejected the Justice Department’s request for a new indictment against James. It’s the latest setback for federal prosecutors in their bid to prosecute the frequent political target of Donald Trump. James, who was charged with bank fraud and making false statements, denied any wrongdoing, and accused the administration of using the justice system to seek revenge against the president’s political opponents.

Navy Admiral to Congress: No “kill them all” order in boat strike

A Navy admiral has told lawmakers that there was no “kill them all” order in a military strike against a boat off the waters of Venezuela. During a classified briefing on Capitol Hill, Admiral Mitch Bradley said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave no such order to kill any survivors after an initial attack against a suspected drug boat. GOP Senator Tom Cotton, who heads the Senate Intelligence Committee, defended the military strikes. But Congressman Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, watched a video of the attack on survivors, calling it “deeply, deeply concerning.” He’s demanding further investigation.”

NY Times sues Pentagon over new media restrictions

The New York Times is suing the Pentagon over new media rules. In a federal lawsuit, the newspaper is attempting to overturn media restrictions put in place by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The rules required journalists to refrain from reporting information that has not been authorized for release. Most members of the mainstream media refused to sign the pledge and lost their Pentagon credentials. The New York Times argues that the rules violate constitutional freedom of speech and due process provisions.

Trump to roll back Biden-era fuel economy standards

President Trump wants to lower Biden-era fuel economy requirements for new cars and trucks. The administration has announced plans to roll back fuel economy standards for  light-duty vehicles.
The Transportation secretary said the Biden-era rules aimed at limiting air pollution were “completely unattainable” for automakers. If the plan is approved, new vehicles would need to average roughly 34 miles per gallon instead of 50.

Watchdog: Hegseth’s Signal use put military personnel at risk

The Pentagon’s watchdog found that Defense Secretary Pete Hegeth’s use of the Signal messaging app put military personnel at risk. The inspector general reviewed Hegseth’s use of Signal to convey sensitive information about a military strike earlier this year. In a report to be released this week, the watchdog concluded that the defense secretary did not violate the government’s classification rules, even though the use of a commercial messaging app put troops and their mission at risk. In response, the Pentagon’s spokesman called it a “total exoneration” of Hegseth and that “this matter is resolved, and the case is closed.”

Trump pardons Democratic congressman and his wife

President Trump has pardoned a Democratic congressman and his wife. Citing what he called a “weaponized” justice system, the president pardoned Texas Democratic Representative Henry Cuellar and his wife in a federal bribery and conspiracy case. He claimed the two were prosecuted because the congressman had been critical of President Biden’s immigration policies. Writing on social media, the president said Cuellar “bravely spoke out against open borders.”

U.S. pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries

The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications for people from 19 countries. The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalizations for immigrants from 19 countries that the Trump administration has described as high-risk. Earlier this year, people from those countries were banned from U-S travel. This latest crackdown is part of the president’s sweeping immigration changes in the wake of last week’s shooting of two National Guard troops by an Afghan national.

Trump-backed Republican wins special House election in Tenn.

A Trump-backed Republican won the special election in Tennessee for a U-S House seat. Republican Matt Van Epps defeated Democrat Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District. The victory gives a little breathing room for Republicans in the House, where they still have a razor-thin majority. However, the race in the conservative red Tennessee district may have been too close for comfort for the GOP. President Trump carried the district by 22 percent points last year, but Van Epps won by only single digits.

In tirade, Trump says he doesn’t want Somalis living in the U.S.

President Trump says he doesn’t want Somalis living in America because they’re a drain on the country’s social safety net. The president ended his Tuesday cabinet meeting with a tirade against Somali immigrants, complaining they add little to the United States. “I don’t want ’em in our country. Their country is no good for a reason. Their country stinks.” In recent days, he’s described Minnesota, which is home to the largest Somali community in the U-S, as a “hub of fraudulent money laundering activity.”

Trump administration threatens to cut SNAP in Dem states

The Trump administration is threatening to cut SNAP food aid in most Democrat-controlled states. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins says SNAP funds will be withheld starting next week unless the states provide data about those receiving the assistance. She saie states are refusing to provide requested information about the recipients, including their names and immigration status. Democratic states have sued to block the requirement. About 42 million lower-income Americans rely on SNAP to help buy groceries.

Hegseth cites “fog of war” in defense of 2nd strike on alleged drug boat

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is defending a follow-up military strike on a suspected drug-carrying boat near Venezuela. During a cabinet meeting with President Trump, Hegseth said that he did not see survivors in the water after the initial strike was conducted in early September — citing “the fog of war.” Hegseth said he was not in the room when the second strike was launched, but he staunchly defended Navy Vice Adm. Frank “Mitch” Bradley’s decision-making. Lawmakers have announced congressional reviews of the U-S military strikes.

Trump says U.S. to start land strikes “soon” against drug runners

President Trump is threatening to conduct land strikes against drug traffickers in foreign countries. Even as Congress scrutinizes the legality of the Pentagon’s attacks on suspected drug boats near Venezuela, the president says the U-S military will soon expand its counter-narcotics mission. “We’re going to start doing those strikes on land, too. You know, the land is much easier,” Trump said. Last weekend, the president warned that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety.”

Dells pledge $6.25 billion to help fund Trump Accounts for kids

Billionaires Michael and Susan Dell have made a historic donation to help fund so-called Trump accounts. The program, which was part of the president’s tax legislation earlier this year, gives one-thousand dollars to babies born during the years of the Trump administration. That money is invested in the stock market and given to the child at age 18. To help parents of older children, the Dells pledged more than 6-billion dollars to help start accounts for children 10 and under and living in ZIP codes with a median family income of 150-thousand dollars or less.

Trump frees ex-Honduran president after drug trafficking conviction

Voters cast ballots in Tennessee’s conservative 7th congressional district

Trump envoy to hold Tuesday peace talks with Russia’s Putin

President Trump’s special envoy will hold talks with Russian President Putin in Moscow. After U-S officials met with Ukrainian officials in Florida over the weekend, the diplomatic effort shifts to Russia. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt says presidential envoy Steve Witkoff will be discussing the proposed U-S peace plan with Putin. Administration officials point to progress, but also say key sticking points remain.

White House defends 2nd deadly drug boat strike as legal

The White House confirms a second military strike was ordered against a suspected drug-smuggling boat to kill any survivors. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the September 2nd action against an alleged drug boat as “lethal targeting” and said the second strike was carried out “in self-defense and “in accordance” with laws governing armed conflict. Lawmakers from both parties are questioning the incident after The Washington Post reported that Defense Secretary Hegseth ordered the military to “kill everybody.”

WH: Trump’s MRI was preventative; “perfectly normal” results

The White House says President Trump’s recent MRI was “preventative” in nature. After repeated questions about the purpose of the procedure, the White House released a statement from the president’s physician. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, reading from the doctor’s memo, said the screening was conducted because men in the president’s “age group benefit from a thorough evaluation of cardiovascular and abdominal health.”

Melania Trump unveils White House holiday decorations, theme