Reporting From the Flames of a Dumpster Fire: Recent U.S. News
Recent news from across the U.S. that you might have missed.
Trump signed two executive orders targeting cashless bail policies.
Trump signed executive orders Monday targeting “cashless bail” policies in major cities like Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, New York City, and Chicago.
“We’re ending cashless bail, starting in D.C.,” Trump said, saying he has the federal authority to do so.
One EO instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to review bail practices nationwide and report back in 30 days. It also opens the door to cutting federal funds to jurisdictions that continue the policies.
A separate order focuses on Washington, D.C., directing a new task force to push for pretrial detention and federal custody of those detained. It also directs AG Bondi to coordinate federal efforts to pressure D.C. to roll back its bail reforms.
Texas and Florida asked to become plaintiffs in a lawsuit challenging the FDA’s approval of abortion medication mifepristone.
Both Texas and Florida have requested to join a lawsuit challenging the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone – the first drug in a two-step regimen used for abortion medication.
The state’s argue that the availability of mifepristone nationwide is making it impossible for them to enforce their near-total abortion bans.
The Trump administration had asked a Texas federal judge in May to dismiss the case on the basis that the plaintiffs – Missouri, Kansas and Idaho – are not connected to Texas, where the lawsuit was filed. If Texas is allowed to join the case, however, the argument for dismissal may no longer apply.
Beverly Hills public schools will vote on displaying the “Israeli” flag on all campuses throughout the month of May.
The Beverly Hills Unified School District’s Board of Education will be voting Tuesday night on a proposal to display the “Israeli” flag on all school campuses and district facilities to recognize Jewish Heritage Month in May. The proposal is part of a resolution to “combat antisemitism.”
“This proposal conflates Jewish faith and identity with the political actions of a foreign government and undermines the inclusive and respectful environment that public schools are meant to foster for all students, regardless of their background,” said Hussam Ayloush, executive director of CAIR-LA in a statement. “It is deeply insensitive and distressing to Palestinian students who have lost countless family members to Israel’s violent military campaign and the man-made humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
The Department of Education revoked guidance to schools regarding how they provide English language learning services for 5 million students.
The Education Department has rescinded a 2015 Dear Colleague letter on its website, which served as a guide for school districts that are serving English learners to ensure they're providing adequate resources to their students under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Per reporting from The Washington Post, “Since March, the Education Department has also laid off nearly all workers in its Office of English Language Acquisition and has asked Congress to terminate funding for the federal program that helps pay for educating English-language learners. Last week, education advocates noticed that the guidance document related to English learning had a new label indicating it was rescinded and remains online “for historical purposes only.”
Top officials at the Pentagon are “thinking about” whether the U.S. should acquire equity stakes in defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed in an interview with CNBC that the Defense Department is currently “thinking about” acquiring equity stakes in defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin. Lutnick said that Lockheed, which makes most of its revenue from federal contracts, is “basically an arm of the U.S. government.”
Lutnick said that Trump is rethinking how the U.S. government should be financing munitions and other “defense capabilities,” saying, “I tell you, the way it has been done has been a giveaway.”
The DOJ has demanded extensive medical information about young transgender patients from nearly two dozen hospitals around the U.S.
The Justice Department has issued sweeping subpoenas to hospitals seeking extensive records on medical care provided to transgender youth according to a copy of a subpoena made public in a court filing last week.
A June subpoena to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia demanded billing data, internal communications, and personal patient details – including Social Security numbers and birth dates – dating back to January 2020, before any bans on gender-affirming care existed.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, who announced more than 20 subpoenas, framed the effort as a move to “hold medical providers accountable.” The subpoenas suggest the government may be building civil or criminal cases even against providers who acted within state law at the time, per sources familiar with the subpoenas.
Over 100 U.S. groups demand that Marco Rubio immediately secure the release of a 16-year-old dual American-Palestinian citizen who has been detained by “Israel” for six months over allegations of rock throwing.
More than 100 U.S.-based human rights, faith-based and civil rights groups have joined together to demand that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio immediately secure the release of 16-year-old
Mohammed Zaher Ibrahim – a dual American-Palestinian citizen who has been detained by “Israel” for six months over allegations that he threw rocks at IOF vehicles.
Mohammed, who splits his time between Palm Bay, Florida, and the West Bank, was 15 when IOF arrested him from his home in the West Bank in February. Mohammed is currently being held at
”Israel’s” Ofer prison, which is notorious for abusing Palestinian children. He has developed scabies while detained and lost at least 25 pounds, according to his lawyer.
“Mohammed is an American child with a community in Florida who cares about him deeply,” the organizations wrote in a statement. “It is the responsibility of the U.S. government to protect all American children, including Palestinian-Americans.”
Trump and Hegseth announced forthcoming plans to rename the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.”
On Monday, Trump announced that he soon plans to rename the Department of Defense to the “Department of War.”
“When we won World War I, World War II, it was called the Department of War. And to me, that’s really what it is,” Trump said. “I don’t want to be defense only. We want offense too.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed plans to change the name soon though the name change would likely need to be approved by Congress.
For background: The Department of War oversaw U.S. military branches beginning in 1789; it was renamed the Department of Defense in 1949.