Live updates: Trump administration must fund SNAP payments during the shutdown, judges rule
https://midwest.social/post/38050714
Live updates: Trump administration must fund SNAP payments during the shutdown, judges rule - midwest.social
> Trump administration must fund SNAP payments during the shutdown, judges rule
> Two federal judges ruled nearly simultaneously on Friday that President Donald
Trump’s administration must continue to fund SNAP, the nation’s biggest food aid
program, using contingency funds during the government shutdown. > It wasn’t
immediately clear how quickly the debit cards that beneficiaries use to buy
groceries could be reloaded after the ruling. That process often takes one to
two weeks.
Trump demands official overseeing jobs data be fired after dismal employment report
https://midwest.social/post/32713619
Trump demands official overseeing jobs data be fired after dismal employment report - midwest.social
> President Donald Trump on Friday called for the firing of the head of the
agency that produces the monthly jobs figures after a report showed hiring
slowed in July and was much weaker in May and June than previously reported. >
Trump in a post on his social media platform alleged that the figures were
manipulated for political reasons and said that Erika McEntarfer, the director
of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, who was appointed by former President Joe
Biden, should be fired. > Trump focused much of his ire on the revisions the
agency made to previous hiring data. Job gains in May were revised down to just
19,000 from 125,000, and in June they were cut to 14,000 from 147,000. In July,
only 73,000 positions were added. The unemployment rate ticked up to a still-low
4.2% from 4.1%. > While the jobs numbers are often the subject of political
spin, economists and Wall Street investors — with millions of dollars at stake —
have always accepted U.S. government economic data as free from political
manipulation.
Iowa magistrate removed from the bench for use of slur, handling of sexual assault case
https://midwest.social/post/26754985
Iowa magistrate removed from the bench for use of slur, handling of sexual assault case - midwest.social
> The Iowa Supreme Court has removed from the bench a magistrate who questioned
the veracity of an alleged sexual assault victim because he was a teenage male
and asked whether a defendant in a separate case was a “w------.” > Magistrate
David J. Hanson, who is based in Fayette County and has practiced law for more
than 36 years, is “simply and unalterably unsuited to be a judge,” and is
“unable to preside over any proceeding involving a sexual assault,” the court
ruled on Friday. > Its decision to remove Hanson from the bench takes effect in
10 days, assuming Hanson has not resigned before then.
US Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained, officials say
https://midwest.social/post/26250498
US Army to control land on Mexico border as part of base, migrants could be detained, officials say - midwest.social
> A long sliver of federal land along the U.S.-Mexico border that President
Donald Trump is turning over to the Department of Defense would be controlled by
the Army as part of a base, which could allow troops to detain any trespassers,
including migrants, U.S. officials told The Associated Press. > The transfer of
that border zone to military control — and making it part of an Army
installation — is an attempt by the Trump administration to get around a federal
law that prohibits U.S. troops from being used in domestic law enforcement on
American soil. > The officials said the issue is still under review in the
Pentagon, but even as any legal review goes on, the administration’s intent is
to have troops detain migrants at the border. > Troops are prohibited from
conducting civilian law enforcement on U.S. soil under the Posse Comitatus Act.
An exception known as the military purpose doctrine allows it in some cases —
but would not apply here and would likely be challenged in the courts, said
Elizabeth Gotein, an expert on presidential emergency powers at the Brennan
Center for Justice.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she won't seek reelection to another term
https://midwest.social/post/26125861
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says she won't seek reelection to another term - midwest.social
> Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced on social media Friday she will not seek
reelection to another term — an unexpected move that resets the state’s
political landscape ahead of a 2026 midterm election year. > “Now, it’s time for
me to be there for them,” she said. “To help them through the next stage of
life. To watch every track meet and basketball game … I’ll be working hard for
you every single day until my term ends.” Reynolds’ husband, Kevin, was
diagnosed with lung cancer in 2023, although she told reporters in 2024 he was
doing well after receiving treatment. > Democrats in the state have been hoping
to strongly contest the governor’s race in 2026, particularly in a midterm year
when national political dynamics have historically favored the party that
doesn’t control the White House. > Iowa’s lone Democrat elected to statewide
office, Auditor Rob Sand, is expected to run make a run for governor though he
has made no formal announcement.
Supreme Court tells Trump administration to facilitate return of mistakenly deported man
https://midwest.social/post/26042963
Supreme Court tells Trump administration to facilitate return of mistakenly deported man - midwest.social
> The Supreme Court on Thursday said President Donald Trump’s administration
must facilitate the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was
mistakenly deported to El Salvador, rejecting the administration’s emergency
appeal > The administration claims Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang,
though his attorneys said there is no evidence he was in the gang, and he has
never been charged with or convicted of a crime. > The administration has
conceded that it made a mistake in sending him to El Salvador, where he is being
held in a notorious prison, but also argued that it no longer could do anything
about it.
Trump voices anger at Putin for comments about Ukraine's Zelenskyy and threatens sanctions on Russia
https://midwest.social/post/25457711
Trump voices anger at Putin for comments about Ukraine's Zelenskyy and threatens sanctions on Russia - midwest.social
> President Donald Trump voiced anger Sunday at Russian President Vladimir Putin
for comments he made about Ukraine and its president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. > “If
a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put
secondary sanctions on Russia,” Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker, adding that
there would be “a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.” > Russia has effectively
rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 30-day halt in the fighting,
and the feasibility of a partial ceasefire on the Black Sea was thrown into
doubt after Kremlin negotiators imposed far-reaching conditions. Well, I’ve lost
the plot. When we say he wants no allies left we really mean none huh.
Iran has rejected direct negotiations with the US in response to Trump's letter
https://midwest.social/post/25430468
Iran has rejected direct negotiations with the US in response to Trump's letter - midwest.social
> Iran’s president said Sunday that the Islamic Republic rejected direct
negotiations with the United States over its rapidly advancing nuclear program,
offering Tehran’s first response to a letter President Donald Trump sent to the
country’s supreme leader.
Republicans eye actions against the courts and judges as Trump rails against rulings
https://midwest.social/post/25197929
Republicans eye actions against the courts and judges as Trump rails against rulings - midwest.social
> Angry over the crush of court rulings against the Trump administration,
Republicans in Congress are trying to slap back at the federal judiciary with
proposals to limit the reach of its rulings, cut funding and even impeach
judges, tightening the GOP’s grip on government. > n perhaps the most
high-profile case, Judge James E. Boasberg ordered planeloads of deported
immigrants to be turned around, raising the ire of Trump, who called for his
impeachment, and billionaire Musk, who is funneling campaign cash to House Rep >
"We do have authority over the federal courts, as you know,” the Republican
speaker said. “We can eliminate an entire district court. We have power of
funding over the co > Not yet 100 days into the new administration, the unusual
attack on the federal judiciary is the start of what is expected to be a
protracted battle between the co-equal branches of government, unmatched in
modern memory
Trump overhauls US elections in new executive order, including proof of citizenship
https://midwest.social/post/25197692
Trump overhauls US elections in new executive order, including proof of citizenship - midwest.social
> President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive action to
overhaul U.S. elections, including requiring documentary proof of citizenship to
register to vote in federal elections and demanding that all ballots be received
by Election Day. The order calls on states to work with federal agencies to
share voter lists and prosecute election crimes. It threatens to pull federal
funding from states where election officials don’t comply. > Trump often claims
elections are being rigged, even before the results are known, and has waged
battles against certain voting methods since he lost the 2020 election to
Democrat Joe Biden and falsely blamed it on widespread fraud.
