The Trump administration is targeting criminal illegal aliens at courthouses across the country, in a reversal from Biden-era policies that hogtied Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Among those arrested in the recent courthouse sweeps is Juan Carlos Baez, who has previous convictions for drug trafficking cocaine and heroin. He was arrested outside a courthouse in Boston, "since Boston has declared itself a sanctuary jurisdiction and does not honor ICE detainers," the Department of Homeland Security said in a press release.
Three of the aliens who were arrested near courthouses are accused of drunk driving, an offense the Biden administration designated as not serious enough to warrant ICE's attention.
Trump has since revoked Biden-era restrictions on ICE arrests, including limits on arrests at so-called sensitive locations like churches and courthouses.
The restrictions imposed by Biden's DHS secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, barred ICE agents from arresting suspected criminals at courthouses unless they fell into certain high-risk categories. Mayorkas said that courthouse arrests during the first Trump administration had a chilling effect on people involved in criminal cases.
Some of the aliens arrested in the DHS's court sweeps have proven stubborn to deport. Carlos Gomez Viuda, a citizen of El Salvador, was arrested in December 2024 for driving under the influence of alcohol and with a suspended or revoked license and violating probation, more than a decade after he was ordered removed to his native country in 2010.
An illegal alien from Guatemala, Fernando Lorenzo-Raymundo, was charged with failing to report a deadly traffic accident that killed a man who was crossing the road in his wheelchair. Lorenzo-Raymundo entered the U.S. illegally in 2013 and was later arrested and released into the interior of the country again in March 2024, under Biden.
Trump officials have said courthouse arrests are safer - and made all the more necessary by "sanctuary" policies that tie the hands of ICE agents. The DHS claims to have experienced a 413% increase in assaults on immigration officers.
“The ability of law enforcement to make arrests of criminal illegal aliens in courthouses is common sense,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
“It conserves valuable law enforcement resources because they already know where a target will be. It is also safer for our officers and the community. These illegal aliens have gone through security and been screened to not have any weapons. Secretary Noem is empowering law enforcement to use common sense to remove criminal illegal aliens from American communities.”
Trump's tough-on-immigration agenda is popular, but his efforts to swiftly deport illegal aliens have faced pushback in the courts and the media.
One judge in Wisconsin is even facing criminal charges for obstruction after she allegedly helped an alien through a backdoor to avoid his lawful arrest by immigration agents.
Border crossings have plummeted to historic lows since Trump returned to the White House and reinstated his tough-on-immigration policies. Border arrests hit the lowest level ever recorded in March.
The administration has also floated voluntary incentives to encourage self-deportation, sending a clear message that illegal immigration will no longer be tolerated.
President Trump is planning to dismantle the Energy Star program that certifies household appliances as energy efficient.
The move is part of a broader shift at the Environmental Protection Agency, which is moving away from climate-related work under director Lee Zeldin.
"With this action, EPA is delivering organizational improvements to the personnel structure that will directly benefit the American people and better advance the agency’s core mission, while Powering the Great American Comeback,” an EPA spokesman said in a statement to The Washington Times.
The Energy Star program is widely recognized for its blue sticker on appliances that meet the government's energy standards.
While Energy Star devices typically have higher upfront costs, advocates say the program has saved Americans billions on energy bills while lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
Manufacturers have also supported Energy Star, which is a voluntary program, as an alternative to government regulation. A group of trade organizations wrote to Zeldin in March and urged him to keep Energy Star.
"The ENERGY STAR program is an example of an effective non-regulatory program and partnership between the government and the private sector,” they wrote. “Eliminating it will not serve the American people.”
But the Trump administration is targeting all climate-related work at the EPA, which was weaponized by the Biden administration to pursue a sweeping crackdown on household appliances deemed to be inefficient.
Climate change activists have praised Energy Star for nudging consumers to adopt new, energy-efficient technologies such as LED lighting, which has gradually displaced traditional incandescent lighting. Biden formally banned incandescent bulbs, favored by many for their warm glow, in 2023.
In a stark contrast from his predecessor, Trump has prioritized deregulation and consumer choice.
"The Energy Star program and all the other climate work, outside of what’s required by statute, is being de-prioritized and eliminated,” Paul Gunning, the director of the E.P.A. Office of Atmospheric Protection, told employees in a recording that leaked to the New York Times.
President Trump is known for his dislike of appliances that use less power, such as low-flow shower heads. Trump signed an executive order last month to roll back Biden-era regulations on water pressure.
“It’s not just showers — the Biden administration aggressively targeted everyday appliances like gas stoves, water heaters, washing machines, furnaces, dishwashers, and more, waging war on the reliable tools Americans depend on daily,” Trump said in the memorandum.
President Trump pledged to maintain tariff pressure on China, as he pushes to end America's steep trade deficit with its largest economic competitor.
During a combative interview with NBC's Kristen Welker, Trump said he sees little reason to dial back 145% tariff rates right now because China's economy is buckling.
"They said today they want to talk. Look, China, and I don't like this. I'm not happy about this. China's getting killed right now," Trump told Welker.
"They're getting absolutely destroyed. Their factories are closing. Their unemployment is going through the roof. I'm not looking to do that to China now. At the same time, I'm not looking to have China make hundreds of billions of dollars and build more ships and more Army tanks and more airplanes."
While Trump has signaled that he sees an off-ramp in the future, he made it clear to Welker that America will not make the first move. And he warned that some tariffs would remain permanent in order to incentivize companies to build in America long-term.
China has already exempted a range of U.S.-made goods, including some pharmaceuticals and microchips, from its 125% tariff rates.
"You're not dropping the tariffs against China to get them to the negotiating table?" Welker asked.
Trump responded, "No."
"At some point, I'm going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much. Look, their economy is really doing badly. Their economy is collapsing."
Trump objected early and often to Welker's "dishonest" framing as she needled Trump on the perceived downsides of his tariff war, at one point asking if Americans could expect to see "empty store shelves" in the future. Trump rebuked her for ignoring positive developments like a drop in gas prices.
"This is such a dishonest interview already. Prices are down on groceries. Prices are down for oil prices are down for oil. Energy prices are down at tremendous numbers for gasoline," Trump said.
Trump repeated his now-familiar argument about trade-offs, conceding Americans may need to pay more for certain "junk" products from overseas during a "transition period" towards a more resilient economy.
"I don’t think that a beautiful baby girl needs — that’s 11 years old — needs to have 30 dolls. I think they can have three dolls or four dolls because what we were doing with China was just unbelievable. We had a trade deficit of hundreds of billions of dollars with China," Trump said.
When Welker pushed Trump to rule out a recession, Trump rejected the premise as absurd.
"Anything can happen," Trump said. "But I think we're going to have the greatest economy in the history of our country. I think we're going to have the greatest economic boom in history."
Charley Scalies, a TV actor noted for his role in HBO's The Sopranos and The Wire, has died. He was 84.
The Philadelphia native died "peacefully" after a long battle with Alzheimer's, an online obituary confirmed.
Scalies is mostly known for playing Thomas "Horseface" Pakusa, a corrupt Baltimore dock worker and union leader, on Season Two of The Wire.
The actor also appeared in season five of The Sopranos as Coach Molinaro, who appears to mafia boss Tony Soprano in a dream to reprimand him over his life of crime.
Both HBO series are highly regarded among TV critics and consistently rank among the greatest shows in the history of the medium.
The Wire writer Rafael Alvarez wrote in a tribute, “I became instant friends with your Dad when I sat down next to him at lunch on the first day of shooting Season Two of The Wire. In time he became a member of my family. Miss you, Horse.”
The youngest of three children, Scalies gave some of his first performances in his father's pool hall in South Philadelphia, where he entertained patrons with jokes and impressions.
Before his rise to fame, Scalies was Director of Sales and Contracts at Clifton Precision, a company known for precision manufacturing. He also started his own consulting firm before returning to acting in the 1990s, taking on roles in community and dinner theater including Nicely-Nicely Johnson in Guys & Dolls, Billy Flynn in Chicago and the Cowardly Lion in The Wizard of Oz for the St. Francis Players in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
His silver screen debut was in the Al Pacino film Two Bits (1995).
His other TV credits include Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Cold Case. As far as film goes, he appeared in 12 Monkeys (1995), Liberty Heights (1999), and Jersey Girl (2004).
Despite his notoriety on TV, Scalies remained humble and a family man at heart.
"[He was] best known first and foremost as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend,” the obituary read.
“Professionally, Charley Scalies was an American actor and former business executive whose life reflected a rich blend of professional achievement, creative passion, and a true joy for life. His favorite audience was always seated around the dinner table.”
Scalies is survived by his wife Angeline M. Scalies, his five children, and four grandchildren.
Earlier this year, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) essentially provided a "class" for illegals during which she offered tips and tricks to resist and avoid President Donald Trump's deportation policies.
The situation was so egregious that it sparked border czar Tom Homan to threaten her with DOJ charges, to which AOC responded this week, essentially saying, "bring it on," according to the New York Post.
On Friday, the radical progressive Democrat essentially dared Homan to bring charges against her and drag her to court.
AOC has insisted that she hasn't done anything illegal, and welcomes the opportunity to fight the charges in a court of law, should it come down to that.
During a packed town hall event in Jackson Heights, Queens last week, AOC held nothing back in daring Homan to take her to court over the situation.
Tom Homan said he was going to refer me to DOJ because I’m using my free speech rights in order to advise people of their constitutional protections. To that I say: Come for me. Do I look like I care?” AOC told those in attendance.
She continued, saying there’s "nothing illegal about it — and if they want to make it illegal, they can come take me."
AOC's seminar to help illegals avoid deportation came via a livestreamed web event, during which she gave tips like not opening the door for ICE agents and other methods to either avoid or delay the process.
“What she needs to do is read the statutes enacted by Congress,” Homan said in February, “because it’s a crime to enter this country illegally.”
"Not only that, but when you harbor and conceal and impede law enforcement, that’s a felony," Homan continued.
"What she’s doing, she says she’s educating everybody on their constitutional rights, and we all know they’ve got constitutional rights, but what she’s really doing … she’s trying to teach them how to evade law enforcement."
At the time Homan made those comments, AOC published a childish reply on her X account.
"MaYbe shE's goiNg to be in TroUble nOw"
Maybe he can learn to read. The Constitution would be a good place to start https://t.co/vQ69UDyQnT
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 14, 2025
It'll certainly be interesting to see if she's forced to eat her words, should she actually be hauled to court.
Despite growing national security concerns, toward the end of former President Joe Biden's term in office, he added Romania to a list of countries eligible for U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
According to Breitbart, in a move announced Friday, President Donald Trump, the U.S. State Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) just reversed that poorly thought-out, Biden-era decision.
Reports indicated that the removal of Romania from the list was finalized "after a review of the Eastern European country’s admittance was concluded."
The program is quite the privilege for foreign nationals from countries on the VWP list, as it allows them to travel to the United States without a visa and stay for up to 90 days, visa-free.
The country's VWP status certainly didn't last long, as Biden had only added Romania to the list in January. The DHS announced that it had planned to remove the country in March.
Breitbart noted:
Countries eligible for the VWP must meet particular criteria, including having a visa overstay rate that is less than three percent. Romania, in 2024, had an overstay rate of 2.61 percent, but in 2023, its overstay rate was nearly 9 percent, nearly 13 percent in 2022, and more than 17 percent in 2021.
A senior White House official explained the decision to Breitbart.
"The Administration notes with increasing concern the recent developments across Europe of democratic backsliding,” the official reportedly said. "Efforts to suppress the will of the people draw into question the strength of our shared values."
The White House official added, "“Healthy democracies do not fear opposing perspectives. Concerted efforts to delegitimize certain political perspectives draw a striking resemblance to the American experience that President Trump faced, including lawfare and censorship."
The United States is revoking Romania’s inclusion in the U.S. visa waiver program less than four months after an announcement that it would be added. pic.twitter.com/h8n8Oplmp5
— TVP World (@TVPWorld_com) May 3, 2025
Many users across social media weighed in on the development, with some backing it and some criticizing the decision.
"Good. They should do the same for Germany, France and U.K as they also are descending into fascism. In fact all of EU is on the wrong track," one X user wrote.
Another X user wrote, "Not Russia, Romania. Got it."
President Donald Trump has touted new capital investments in the U.S. as proof that his bold economic reforms are restoring American industry, even as critics continue to stoke fears about the impact of his tariffs.
At a White House event on Wednesday, Trump welcomed the CEOs of major companies as he boasted of $8 trillion in new investments from companies in the pharmaceutical, energy, and technology sectors.
“We have a total of close to $8 trillion all told,” he continued. “And there’s never been anything like that in this country; we’ve never had anything close. I would say, if you looked at the last administration, probably for four years, they did maybe less than $1 [trillion], and we’ve done almost $8 [trillion].”
The White House launched a website that lists 49 different commitments from companies like Apple, NVIDIA, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Hyundai, and more.
Trump credited the new influx of capital to business-friendly policies like low taxes and deregulation, as well as tariffs giving companies an incentive to build in America. "There's never been, I don't think there's ever been anything like this anywhere in the world. Together we're going to bring back the most beautiful words I always say, made in the USA. The most beautiful words, we're going to have made in the USA like we haven't had before in a long time," he said.
Some of the biggest investments are from companies at the center of the AI revolution. Apple, NVIDIA, and Stargate, which is a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, have each pledged $500 billion.
The commitment from Apple is notable given the company's notorious reliance on Chinese imports. China has been hit harder than any other nation by Trump's tariff war, with import duties currently at 145%.
"Tim Cook from Apple is pledging, not only pledging, is committed to $500 billion, they're going to build plants all over the country, seven or eight different states," Trump said.
The CEO of chipmaker NVIDIA, Jensen Wong, praised Trump for fostering a renaissance in domestic production. Trump has pointed to America's reliance on foreign semiconductor chips as a national security concern.
"We’re going to build NVIDIA’s technology, the next generation of that, all here in the United States,” Wong said.
“Without the president’s leadership, his policies, his support, and, very importantly, his strong encouragement… frankly, manufacturing in the United States wouldn’t have accelerated to this pace,” he added.
Indeed, NVIDIA recently announced it would start building AI super computers in America for the first time.
Despite this good news, Trump's critics have painted a much darker picture, predicting an economic slowdown or recession on the heels of a contraction in gross domestic product (GDP.) The president dismissed a .3% contraction in the first quarter of the year as a lingering effect of former President Joe Biden's policies.
"This is Biden's economy because we took over on January 20th," Trump said. "I think you have to give us a little bit of time to get moving."
The Trump administration is diligently working to find thousands of missing children who may have fallen victim to sex trafficking during the Biden border crisis, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said.
During a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Kennedy accused the Biden administration of acting as a "collaborator" in the child sex trade.
Unaccompanied alien children (UACs) who cross the border illegally are held by the Health and Human Services' Office Of Refugee Resettlement, which has the responsibility of caring for them and eventually placing them with an adult sponsor.
During the Biden era, standards of vetting declined as the number of unaccompanied minors flooding across the border skyrocketed. It is feared that many of these children fell into the wrong hands.
A former Biden HHS employee, Tara Lee Rodas, testified to Congress last year about HHS sending children to traffickers, likening the set-up to a "white-glove delivery system." Republican Senator Chuck Grassley (IA) obtained internal records showing that Biden's HHS knowingly released two children to a sponsor with ties to MS-13.
Over 600,000 unaccompanied minors have crossed the border since 2019, a recent Inspector General report confirmed. The majority of them entered the U.S. under Biden, although crossings ticked up midway through Trump's first term in 2019 before dropping off with the onset of COVID in 2020.
As of January 2025, 233,000 UACs were released into the U.S. without receiving notices to appear in immigration court, the Inspector General report found. Another 43,000 who did receive notices to appear had failed to show up for their court dates.
An additional 31,000 were released with addresses that were blank, undeliverable, or missing apartment numbers, according to the report.
"Without an ability to monitor the location and status of UACs, ICE is unable to facilitate court appearances and has no assurance UACs are safe from trafficking, exploitation, forced labor, or involvement in criminal activities that may pose a risk to local communities," the report notes.
Since Trump returned to the White House and reinstated tough border policies, illegal crossings have plummeted to record lows.
The number of unaccompanied minors crossing the border has fallen from over 11,000 per month under Biden to less than 700 per month.
Under Secretary Kennedy, HHS is tightening vetting standards, implementing changes like mandatory fingerprinting to keep kids safe.
"We have ended HHS, as the role as the vector — the principal vector in this country for child trafficking,” Kennedy said.
“During the Biden administration, HHS became a collaborator in child trafficking and for sex and for slavery. And, we have ended that, and we are very aggressively going out and trying to find these children — 300,000 children that were lost by the Biden administration.”
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has suspended the judge accused of helping an illegal alien evade an arrest by immigration agents.
The state's highest court - which is dominated by liberals - relieved Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, of her duties as she fights federal obstruction charges.
"It is ordered … that Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah C. Dugan is temporarily prohibited from exercising the powers of a circuit court judge in the state of Wisconsin, effective the date of this order and until further order of the court,” the Wisconsin Supreme Court wrote.
The judge is accused of helping a Mexican citizen, Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, evade an arrest on April 18. The man, who was previously deported from the United States, was in Dugan's courtroom to face charges of criminal battery.
Federal agents with the FBI, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) planned to arrest Flores-Ruiz in a public hallway after his court appearance.
According to an FBI affidavit, when Dugan learned of ICE's presence, she became "visibly angry, commented that the situation was 'absurd,' left the bench, and entered chambers."
Dugan and another judge then confronted the federal agents in the hallway and told them to leave. Dugan argued with the agents over the arrest warrant and told them to report to the chief judge's office.
When Dugan returned to her courtroom, multiple witnesses, including the court's bailiff, observed the judge direct Flores-Ruiz and his attorney through a non-public "jury door." The man and his lawyer started heading for the public courtroom exit when the judge said something like, "Wait, come with me."
The FBI affidavit notes the "unusual" nature of her intervention, since "only deputies, juries, court staff, and in-custody defendants being escorted by deputies used the back jury door."
Dugan also adjourned the hearing without the knowledge or participation of the prosecutor, who was in court that day with the victims.
Flores-Ruiz was able to exit the building, but agents caught him after a brief foot chase down "the entire length of the courthouse."
Judge Dugan is charged with concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest and obstructing or impeding a proceeding.
Many see the judge's alleged conduct as part of a troubling pattern of judicial activism.
Democrats have condemned Dugan's arrest as an act of authoritarian retribution, but the liberal Supreme Court of Wisconsin is taking the allegations against her seriously.
“In the exercise of (the) constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude, in our own motion, that it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties,” the court ordered.
Alabama Republican senator Tommy Tuberville, a vocal Trump supporter, is considering a run for governor of the state.
There has not been an open race for Tuberville's Senate seat since the 1990s. Tuberville would likely easily win re-election next year, but if he gives up his current job, Senate Republicans will have to defend the seat in the 2026 midterms.
"I'm considering it," Tuberville told reporters. "My wife and I and family, we've sat down once, and we really talked hard about it. I want to do what's best for the people of Alabama. Is it here or is it in the governor's seat back in Montgomery?"
A former Auburn University football coach, Tuberville is a popular figure in Alabama. During his time in the Senate, he has stood out as one of the most outspoken defenders of Trump in the chamber.
The current governor of Alabama, Republican Kay Ivey, is term-limited, setting the stage for a crowded Republican primary.
If Tuberville runs, the primary will shift to a "clash of titans" between Tuberville and Lt. Governor Will Ainsworth, the state's GOP chair John Wahl said.
“Sen. Tuberville is a bold conservative. He is someone that does not mind being politically incorrect and taking the hard stance for conservative values and I think that’s a great trait that our elected officials need in today’s politics,” Wahl told the Daily Caller.
For now, Tuberville is keeping his cards close to the vest. But according to reports, he has been telling colleagues that he wants to come home to Alabama full-time.
Tuberville told WVTM 13 that he will "probably" make a decision in May, and he's leaning towards running for governor. The primary is on May 26.
Tuberville is not the only Senator considering a run for governor next year. Republican senator Marsha Blackburn, of Tennessee, is also weighing a run in her state, and Democrat Michael Bennet, of Colorado, has already launched a campaign.
Unlike Tuberville, Blackburn and Bennet are not facing re-election next year, so they do not have to give up their current jobs to run for governor.
If Tuberville resigns, there will be the first open race for the Senate seat since 1996. Alabama was once a Democratic stronghold but has been reliably Republican in recent years.
Democrats won a major upset in 2017 when Doug Jones defeated scandal-plagued Roy Moore in a special election for Jeff Sessions' Senate seat. Sessions, who resigned to serve in the first Trump administration, later lost a comeback primary battle to Tuberville, who went on to handily defeat Jones in the general election.