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The Trump administration said Monday it will comply with a court ruling temporarily blocking a nearly $1.8 billion fund meant to compensate allies of President Donald Trump, effectively agreeing to pause the plan for at least two weeks after setbacks in the courts and a fierce backlash from Republicans who objected to potential payouts to participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The announcement from the Justice Department came in response to a Friday court ruling by a federal judge in Virginia who ordered plans for the fund halted pending additional arguments later this month. The department said in a statement that it "disagrees strongly" with the ruling but would abide by it.
The Trump administration had defended the $1.776 billion "Anti-Weaponization Fund," established to resolve Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, as an appropriate corrective measure to make up for what officials insist was weaponized law enforcement during the Biden administration.
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—The Associated Press
The United States said Monday that it bombed radar and drone sites in Iran after Tehran shot down an American drone over the weekend. Iran then said it targeted American soldiers in Kuwait with missiles, which the U.S. says it shot down.
The nominal ceasefire between Iran and the U.S. has been repeatedly tested with such back-and-forth attacks, even as officials from both countries try to negotiate an end to the war. It’s not clear how close they are to a deal — and there is always the risk that an attack could derail those talks.
In the meantime, Iran has maintained its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, disrupting global energy supplies and driving up the price of fuel around the world, with far-reaching consequences.
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—The Associated Press
A Pentagon policy illegally banned transgender troops from military service, a divided panel of federal appeal court judges ruled on Monday in another legal setback for President Donald Trump’s sweeping agenda.
The majority opinion — by a three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit — held that the Trump administration’s policy was designed to exclude people from the military based on their gender identity.
The ban is expected to remain in effect for now. The U.S. Supreme Court allowed the Pentagon to start enforcing it last year, as litigation continues to plays out. The panel’s new ruling would keep the military from kicking out current service members named in the lawsuit, but wouldn’t allow new transgender recruits to join. The judges put their decision on hold, though, to let the administration seek further review.
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—The Associated Press
The U.S. Treasury Department is taking steps to prepare for the potential creation of a new $250 bill featuring President Donald Trump’s image and honoring the country’s 250th birthday. While the department announced preparations 14 months after a bill was introduced in Congress, it’s taken more than a decade to create a new $20 bill featuring abolitionist Harriet Tubman.
“I don’t think that there’s anything untoward about having the president of the United States, the person who was president of the United States, on the 250th anniversary bill,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said.
Federal law currently prevents a living person from appearing on official U.S. currency. It’s been more than 150 years since a living person has appeared on a note or coin. But a measure in Congress, introduced by Rep. Joe Wilson, R-S.C., would change the law to allow Trump to appear on a new $250 note.
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—Spectrum News’ Cassie Semyon
The State Department plans to drastically slash the number of U.S. embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to come to the United States.
The almost 50 U.S. embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three U.S. officials and an internal memo obtained by The Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not authorized to comment to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.
The move is part of the Trump administration’s effort to crack down on issuing both immigrant and non-immigrant visas as part of its broader aim to limit immigration to the U.S. and clamp down on those who travel on temporary visas but then overstay them. The administration also has scaled back personnel at embassies and consulates around the world.
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—The Associated Press
• Colorado elections clerk released from prison after governor commutes sentence
• Key hearing for man accused of killing Charlie Kirk will be public, judge rules
• Hundreds of youths protest outside Kenya’s Ebola quarantine center for U.S. citizens
• Thousands of women, known as Donut Dollies, honored by Congress
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