Happy Thursday, readers! Thank you for continuing to make Today’s American News your source for news and analysis on the circus that is American politics and entertainment. Signalgate latest: Federal judge orders preservation of Signal messages as evidence; Trump fuming about Waltz creation of chat… CNN reports, “A federal judge on Thursday ordered key Trump administration agencies to preserve messages sent on Signal between March 11 to March 15. Judge James Boasberg made the ruling in a preservation lawsuit brought in the wake of the revelation that Cabinet officials were discussing war plans on Signal. The Justice Department says the administration is already working to track down and preserve the Signal texts from that period. Boasberg’s temporary restraining order also directs the administration to file a status report Monday, accompanied with declarations from government officials, explaining the steps the agencies were taking to preserve the messages.” Meanwhile, NBC News reports Trump is privately fuming that his national security advisor Mike Waltz created the unsecured chat in the first place.
Rubio says 300 student visas have been revoked after international students spoke out against violence in Gaza… CBS News reports, “Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday that 300 student visas have been revoked, asserting ‘we have a right’ to rescind the visas of students who participate in campus protests, despite questions about due process and First Amendment objections. ‘If you apply for a visa to enter the United States and be a student, and you tell us that the reason why you're coming to the United States is not just because you want to write op-eds, but because you want to participate in movements that are involved in doing things like vandalizing universities, harassing students, taking over buildings, creating a ruckus, we're not going to give you a visa,’ Rubio said. ‘If you lie to us and get a visa then enter the United States, and with that visa, participate in that sort of activity, we're going to take away your visa.’”
Federal judge says Trump likely violated law in firing IGs but doubts she will reinstate them… ABC News reports, “A federal judge Thursday afternoon said she is unlikely to reinstate eight former inspectors general who were fired by the Trump administration in January, even if it's determined that (the) president broke federal law when he removed them from their jobs without notifying Congress. ‘I do not see how I can reinstate the IGs even if I find that the statute is constitutional,’ Judge Ana Reyes said during a hearing in a Washington, D.C. federal district court in a case brought by the inspectors general, challenging their termination. ‘I think what we would be dealing with maybe would be either back pay, or something of the sort.’ When Judge Reyes pressed a lawyer for the Department of Justice about whether Trump followed the law when he failed to notify Congress about the firings, the attorney agreed that the president did not comply with the text of the statute related to terminating inspectors general.”
Trump withdraws his pick for U.N. ambassador, weary of thin U.S. House majority… NPR reports, “President Trump on Thursday said he is withdrawing his nomination of Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to be ambassador to the United Nations. Stefanik's nomination had been expected to easily clear the Senate — but Republicans are concerned about holding on to their thin majority in the House of Representatives. Republicans currently hold 218 seats and Democrats 213 seats. Four seats are currently vacant — two are considered safe GOP seats and two are considered safe Democratic seats. But off-year special elections can bring surprises.”
Today’s Furry Friend Meet Stormi, whose fortunes changed as she made human and canine friends… Today’s Buzz Shondaland celebrates two decades making some of America’s best entertainment… Entertainment Weekly writes Shonda Rhimes’ “writing didn't just speak for itself. Like the powerful monologues she'd become known for, her words might as well have screamed in the face of everyone who read them. Rhimes, who remembers making up stories and dictating them to a tape recorder when she was 3 or 4 years old, entered the television landscape in 2005 with a roaring mega-hit, Grey's Anatomy.” A riveting interview with Rhimes follows. Thanks for once again allowing Today’s American News help make sense of the chaos. Check back in with us tomorrow evening. |
