Tracking presidential actions and other news.
The order directs the City of Eagle Pass, Texas, to expand and continue to maintain and operate a vehicular and pedestrian crossing at the Camino Real International Bridge Land Port of Entry. This includes the construction of six vehicle lanes in a second span adjacent to the existing bridge. The permittee is required to comply with all applicable federal laws and regulations, mitigate any adverse environmental impacts, and obtain all necessary permits and authorizations prior to commencing construction.
A three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit ruled that the Trump II administration had a legitimate interest in protecting federal employees and property and that federalizing the California National Guard to do so was within the president's powers. The court also said that the government must provide justification for its action, and the case will return to the lower court to make that determination.
Hundreds of Voice of America employees received layoff notices this week, effectively shutting down the news outlet that had been in service providing American-produced news and info around the world since WWII. Among the 639 employees let go were employees of VOA's persian-language service who had been brought back from administrative leave a week ago following Israel's bombardment of Iran. All told, 1,400 people have been let go from VOA and its parent agency. Kari Lake, the Trump II administration appointee overseeing the agency, blasted it as a "bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy ... riddled with dysfunction, bias, and waste. That ends now."
A federal judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a student and activist at Columbia University. He was held in a Louisiana immigration detention center for three months after DHS agents arrested him, one of the first students targeted for deportation for their pro-Palestine protest actions on campus. He was the last of several noncitizen students picked up during the administration's crackdown last spring to be released.
Several members of the Senegal Women's Basketball team were denied visas to enter the United States to take part in a training camp. In response, the team cancelled its training camp visit and instead will hold its training camp in Senegal's capital, Dakar. The Senegal Basketball Federation said that two members of the federation, a doctor, a physical therapist, five players, the GM, a steward, and a "ministerial delegate" were all denied entry. Senegal is not currently on the list of countries from which travel is banned. The State Department didn't give a reason for the denials.
The order directs federal agencies to extend the enforcement delay of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, specifically as it applies to TikTok, until September 17, 2025. During this period, the Department of Justice is instructed not to enforce the Act or impose any penalties for noncompliance, including for actions related to foreign adversary controlled applications. The Attorney General is tasked with issuing written guidance to implement this directive and to confirm to each provider that no violations of the statute have occurred during the specified period.
The Trump II State Department said it is restarting the process for accepting student visa applications, but said it would require applicants to unlock their social media accounts for review. Consular reviewers will be looking for posts and messages deemed "hostile to the United States, its culture, government, institutions, and founding principles."
The proclamation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, celebrated on June 17, 2025. The day is marked to honor the courage, determination, and selflessness of the American patriots who fought in the battle, signifying their fight for freedom and independence.
On Tuesday the Trump administration federalized another 2,000 California National Guard troops. They join 4,000 National Guards and 700 Marines in supporting DHS deportation roundups in Los Angeles. The move comes a few hours after a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit heard arguments in the California Governor's lawsuit against the Trump administration's federalization of the National Guard.
The order directs federal agencies to implement the General Terms of the United States-United Kingdom Economic Prosperity Deal. This includes creating an annual quota of 100,000 vehicles for UK automotive imports at a 10% tariff rate and negotiating preferential treatment for pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients from the UK, contingent on an investigation. The UK has also committed to meeting US requirements on supply chain security for steel and aluminum exports. The order further establishes tariff-free bilateral trade in certain aerospace products.
The memo notifies the Senate of new appointees and nominations. Notably, Riley Barnes is appointed as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Alan Boehme is appointed as an Assistant Secretary of Veterans Affairs; and Karen Brazell is appointed as Under Secretary for Benefits of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Additionally, several individuals are nominated for roles as U.S. District Judges for various districts, and others are appointed to various roles within the Department of State, Department of Defense, and other federal entities.
The administration plans to reconsider a ban on the only form of asbestos still used in the United States. "White" asbestos is banned in 50 countries due to its link to lung cancer. It is used in the U.S. for roofing, textiles, cement, brake pads, and other uses. The Biden-era E.P.A proposed the ban in 2024. The Trump administration now plans to delay the ban and review the rule, a process that can take several years.
The Department of Homeland Security said it was directing agents to once again conduct immigration raids at farms, hotels, and restaurants. The directive undoes a short-lived policy change from last week that exempted those business sectors from enforcement roundups, despite the president's policy of mass deportations.
The proclamation commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States Army. It directs the Department of Defense to update its medical standards related to transgender identification and reinstates service members dismissed for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, with full back pay and benefits. The proclamation also designates June 14, 2025, as a day of commemoration for this anniversary.
The proclamation recognizes June 15, 2025, as Father's Day, in accordance with an existing joint resolution of Congress. It encourages government officials to display the U.S. flag on all government buildings and invites the public to observe Father's Day with appropriate ceremonies. The proclamation also highlights the administration's efforts to preserve the Child Tax Credit, expand school choice, and protect parental rights, among other initiatives.
The proclamation designates June 14, 2025 as Flag Day and the week starting June 8, 2025 as National Flag Week. It instructs the appropriate officials to display the American flag on all Federal Government buildings during this week and encourages all Americans to observe Flag Day and National Flag Week by displaying the flag. It also encourages people to observe the days from Flag Day through Independence Day as a time to honor America, celebrate heritage, and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
The order directs the City of Laredo, Texas, to expand and continue to maintain a vehicular border crossing at the Laredo-Colombia Solidarity International Bridge Land Port of Entry. This includes the construction of two new 4-lane spans for commercial traffic parallel to the existing bridge. The city is also required to comply with all federal laws and regulations regarding the construction, maintenance, and operation of the border facilities, and to take measures to mitigate any adverse environmental impacts.
The order directs the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to review the proposed acquisition of the United States Steel Corporation by Nippon Steel Corporation. The review was initiated due to concerns over potential risks to national security. The order also amends a previous order, allowing the acquisition to proceed if Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel comply with a national security agreement consistent with a draft submitted by the U.S. Government.
The order directs federal agencies to streamline and improve wildfire prevention and response measures. The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture are instructed to consolidate their wildland fire programs for efficiency and effectiveness, and to work with other secretaries to strengthen local land management, develop incentives for responsible wildfire prevention, and create a technology roadmap to enhance firefighting capabilities. The Environmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of Energy, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission are also directed to consider modifying policies and initiating rulemaking to reduce wildfire risks and promote the use of woody biomass and forest products to reduce fuel loads.
The order directs the Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works to revoke a previous memorandum from 2023, which proposed breaching four dams on the Lower Snake River, eliminating over 3,000 megawatts of hydroelectric generating capacity. The current order also instructs these department heads to withdraw from a related Memorandum of Understanding and rescind a Notice of Intent to prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Columbia River System Operations. The heads of departments are further directed to develop a new schedule for completing this Environmental Impact Statement.
A federal court ruled that the Trump administration acted illegally when it "federalized" the California National Guard last week to provide security for federal property and personnel in Los Angeles where protests erupted over the Department of Homeland Security's aggressive immigration-enforcement actions. Soon thereafter a three judge panel of the Ninth Circuit stayed the lower court's ruling, pending a hearing on June 17. The National Guard remains federalized and under Trump's control.
All 12 board members of the Fullbright program that promotes educational exchanges around the globe resigned because of what they said is political interference in the program's operations. Exiting board members point to the State Department's cancellation of 200 scholarships as an example of the administration's illegal, political interference. Those scholarships were rejected after State Department staff reviewed the scholars' research. In addition, the department is reviewing 1,200 scholars from other countries, even though they have already been approved.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr chose eight people for an influential vaccine advisory panel. Picks include a well-known pediatric infectious disease expert and several anti-vax or vaccine-skeptical people. Earlier the Secretary fired all 17 members of the Advisory Committee in Immunization Practices. The committee requires eight to function. The first meeting of the RFK, Jr selected roster is June 25-27.
The Department of Justice has reversed decades old precedent and concluded that the president has the authority to abolish protected lands set aside as national monuments by previous presidents. The new legal opinion undoes an opinion written in 1938. That interpretation of the 1906 Antiquities Act had allowed for millions of acres of federal lands to be off limits to miners, oil driller, and other interests. According to the opinion, authored by the department's Office of Legal Counsel, the president can determine that previously declared monuments “either never were or no longer are deserving of the Act’s protections; and such an alteration can have the effect of eliminating entirely the reservation of the parcel of land previously associated with a national monument.”
U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver, Democrat from New Jersey, was indicted by a federal grand jury on three counts of "forcibly impeding and interfering" with federal law enforcement. McIver was charged last month following a fracas outside an immigration detention center in New Jersey. McIver and other officials had visited the private detention center to inspect it. Interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba announced the indictment on the social media platform X.
The order directs Green Corridors, LLC to construct, maintain, and operate a commercial elevated guideway border crossing near Laredo, Texas, at the international boundary between the United States and Mexico. The construction, maintenance, and operation of the border facilities must adhere to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations, including environmental ones. The permit is also subject to inspection by appropriate federal, state, and local agencies. [Editor's note: Presidential permits are required for the construction of all cross-border infrastructure projects.]
Secretary of Health Robert F. Kennedy Jr fired all 17 members of a vaccine advisory committee, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and said he would replace them. The Health Secretary said the firings were required to rebuild "public confidence in vaccine science." He said the "new members will prioritize public health and evidence-based medicine. The Committee will no longer function as a rubber stamp for industry profit-taking agendas." Medical groups, including the American Medical Association, denounced the move.
David Huerta, Service Employees International Union California leader, was arrested Friday during a protest at an ICE immigrant detention center in Downtown Los Angeles. On Monday he was charged with conspiracy to impede an officer, a federal felony. The crime has a maximum sentence of six years in prison. He was released on $50,000 bond.
The Trump administration has activated 700 active-duty Marines to support National Guardsmen tasked with protecting federal property and federal immigration enforcement agents. Protests have erupted at a Downtown Los Angeles immigrant detention center and elsewhere around the city in response to DHS efforts to detain undocumented immigrants. Marines are expected to begin arriving in the city Tuesday. California's governor has slammed the deployments as unconstitutional and intended to heighten tensions around DHS tactics, and the Los Angeles Chief of Police has also been critical.