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July 9, 2025
Musk's new "America Party" faces many hurdles, but the first one is its name
I have been following Prof. Hasen for a very long time. Forming a new party is not going to be easy.
https://x.com/ElectionLawBlog/status/1941933483426730243
https://electionlawblog.org/?p=150775
As I highlighted last month, I am deeply skeptical of any third political party venture that purports to represent some middle-of-the-road interests in the United States. Rick P. rightly asks some questions about the party now quasi-“officially” launched by Elon Musk, the “America Party.” But one problem with this new party will be its name.
New York, for instance, expressly prohibits a political party from having “American” or part of that name in a party title.
California has a provision that provides, “The designated name shall not be so similar to the name of an existing party so as to mislead the voters, and shall not conflict with that of any existing party or political body that has previously filed notice pursuant to subdivision (b).” The American Independent Party is ballot-recognized in the state of California.
These are just two state ballot label laws that jump to mind where problems might arise. And while there might be “ballot speech” interests in how political parties choose to identify themselves, there are more material problems if they risk voter confusion with names substantially similar to existing parties. (UPDATE: Richard Winger helpfully reached out to note that Americans Elect had a candidate on the California ballot in 2014, an argument that the risk of voter confusion seems unlikely. Likewise, in 1896 the California Supreme Court allowed the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Party on the ballot.)
Of course, political parties do use different names in different states (think the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota for the Democratic Party). But for a nascent political party, the branding is certainly weakened if it relies on checkerboard labels in some parts of the United States.
New York, for instance, expressly prohibits a political party from having “American” or part of that name in a party title.
California has a provision that provides, “The designated name shall not be so similar to the name of an existing party so as to mislead the voters, and shall not conflict with that of any existing party or political body that has previously filed notice pursuant to subdivision (b).” The American Independent Party is ballot-recognized in the state of California.
These are just two state ballot label laws that jump to mind where problems might arise. And while there might be “ballot speech” interests in how political parties choose to identify themselves, there are more material problems if they risk voter confusion with names substantially similar to existing parties. (UPDATE: Richard Winger helpfully reached out to note that Americans Elect had a candidate on the California ballot in 2014, an argument that the risk of voter confusion seems unlikely. Likewise, in 1896 the California Supreme Court allowed the National Democratic Party and the Democratic Party on the ballot.)
Of course, political parties do use different names in different states (think the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in Minnesota for the Democratic Party). But for a nascent political party, the branding is certainly weakened if it relies on checkerboard labels in some parts of the United States.
July 9, 2025
https://x.com/southern_east/status/1942795052864114809
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/agriculture-secretary-suggests-medicaid-recipients-can-replace-immigra-rcna217572
Maddow Blog-Agriculture secretary suggests Medicaid recipients can replace immigrants as farmworkers
If the Trump administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.
Agriculture secretary suggests Medicaid recipients can replace immigrants as farmworkers.
— hateGOP (@hategop.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T21:36:08.484Z
If the Trump administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://x.com/southern_east/status/1942795052864114809
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/agriculture-secretary-suggests-medicaid-recipients-can-replace-immigra-rcna217572
Soon after, Team Trump reversed course, and then reversed course yet again. As recently as last week, the president talked about developing a temporary pass for immigrants who work on farms, which was the opposite of what his “border czar” said a week earlier.
This week, as Reuters reported, the moving target moved again:
To be sure, the Cabinet secretary’s comments were newsworthy, though if recent history is any guide, a prominent White House official, including possibly Donald Trump himself, will contradict Rollins very soon.
But of particular interest was something else the agriculture secretary said.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lthhwchvtw2h
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1942586137572233347
“I can’t emphasize this enough,” Rollins said. “There will be no amnesty; the mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way; and we move the workforce toward automation and 100% American participation, which with 34 million able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do fairly quickly.”
In other words, as the agriculture secretary sees it, there’s no need for concern about farmers losing out on immigrant labor because those workers can be replaced thanks to “automation” and Medicaid beneficiaries......
But what I find myself stuck on is Rollins’ quote in the context of the Republicans’ domestic policy megabill. GOP policymakers approved sweeping and unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, arguing that Americans who lose coverage can simply get jobs that offer health insurance.
It’s against this backdrop that the secretary of agriculture suggested that Medicaid beneficiaries — whose coverage is at risk — can replace immigrants as farmworkers, brushing past the inconvenient fact that farmworkers tend not to get health care coverage.
All of which is to say, if the administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.
This week, as Reuters reported, the moving target moved again:
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Tuesday that there will be ‘no amnesty’ for agricultural workers from the Trump administration’s efforts to deport all immigrants in the country illegally. The farm sector has warned that mass deportation of farm workers would disrupt the U.S. food supply.
To be sure, the Cabinet secretary’s comments were newsworthy, though if recent history is any guide, a prominent White House official, including possibly Donald Trump himself, will contradict Rollins very soon.
But of particular interest was something else the agriculture secretary said.
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:4llrhdclvdlmmynkwsmg5tdc/post/3lthhwchvtw2h
https://x.com/atrupar/status/1942586137572233347
“I can’t emphasize this enough,” Rollins said. “There will be no amnesty; the mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way; and we move the workforce toward automation and 100% American participation, which with 34 million able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do fairly quickly.”
In other words, as the agriculture secretary sees it, there’s no need for concern about farmers losing out on immigrant labor because those workers can be replaced thanks to “automation” and Medicaid beneficiaries......
But what I find myself stuck on is Rollins’ quote in the context of the Republicans’ domestic policy megabill. GOP policymakers approved sweeping and unprecedented cuts to Medicaid, arguing that Americans who lose coverage can simply get jobs that offer health insurance.
It’s against this backdrop that the secretary of agriculture suggested that Medicaid beneficiaries — whose coverage is at risk — can replace immigrants as farmworkers, brushing past the inconvenient fact that farmworkers tend not to get health care coverage.
All of which is to say, if the administration is counting on Americans on Medicaid replacing immigrants on farms, officials should probably start working on a Plan B.
July 9, 2025
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/bezos-struggles-to-return-wedding
The Borowitz Report-Bezos Struggles to Return Wedding Gifts to Amazon
https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/bezos-struggles-to-return-wedding
SEATTLE (The Borowitz Report)—Less than two weeks since he tied the knot with Lauren Sanchez, Jeff Bezos has been finding it “nearly impossible” to return wedding gifts to Amazon, sources close to the newlyweds revealed on Wednesday.
According to those sources, Bezos has experienced an unacceptable level of difficulty navigating the Amazon returns system and has failed “repeatedly” to get a customer service representative to speak to him.
An associate who witnessed Bezos cursing as he attempted to print a return mailing label said that he was “in disbelief that so-called friends had bought wedding gifts on Amazon.”
“He thought that he and Lauren would be showered with luxury items,” the associate said. “At the very least, he thought he’d get more than a set of steak knives from Ivanka and Jared.”
According to those sources, Bezos has experienced an unacceptable level of difficulty navigating the Amazon returns system and has failed “repeatedly” to get a customer service representative to speak to him.
An associate who witnessed Bezos cursing as he attempted to print a return mailing label said that he was “in disbelief that so-called friends had bought wedding gifts on Amazon.”
“He thought that he and Lauren would be showered with luxury items,” the associate said. “At the very least, he thought he’d get more than a set of steak knives from Ivanka and Jared.”
July 9, 2025
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-finds-yet-another-foreign-witch-hunt-involving-one-political-all-rcna217519
Dictators have to stay together. If you are a dictator, then in trump's world, you are innocent
Maddow blog-Trump finds yet another foreign 'witch hunt' involving one of his political allies
There’s a through line between the president’s pardons and his intervention in the Jair Bolsonaro, Marine Le Pen and Benjamin Netanyahu cases.
There’s an underappreciated through-line between Trump's pardons and his intervention in the Jair Bolsonaro, Marine Le Pen, and Benjamin Netanyahu cases:
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-07-08T20:09:49.703Z
He’s convinced a “witch hunt†is any effort to hold people he likes accountable. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-finds-yet-another-foreign-witch-hunt-involving-one-political-all-rcna217519
For the third time in three months, Donald Trump has identified a foreign ally facing legal trouble. And also for the third time in three months, the American president has condemned the foreign case as a “witch hunt.” As Politico reported, the latest example involves Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro.
“Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,” the Republican wrote in a message published to his social media platform. “I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year! He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.”.....
If the message sounded familiar, it wasn’t your imagination.
In April, Marine Le Pen, a prominent far-right politician in France, was caught up in an embezzlement scheme involving E.U. funds. A French judicial panel examined the evidence and agreed to ban Le Pen from ever seeking elected office again.
Trump was not at all pleased with the developments. In fact, while the American president admitted that he didn’t know Le Pen or understand the details of the underlying controversy, the Republican nevertheless said the case against her was a “witch hunt” launched by “European Leftists,” adding that she was “probably” innocent.
In an odd online rant, Trump concluded, “FREE MARINE LE PEN!”
Last week, he did it again, condemning the corruption case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as — you guessed it — a “witch hunt” that he wants to stop. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Trump wrote, “Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State. ... THIS TRAVESTY OF ‘JUSTICE’ CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!”
As with the other two cases, Trump condemned the allegations of wrongdoing, not because of evidence pointing to Netanyahu’s innocence, but because the American president believes the Israeli prime minister is an ally and “a WARRIOR.” In fact, at no point in his online harangue did Trump even question the charges against the prime minister on the merits.......
Niceties such as guilt, evidence, justice and the integrity of the legal system are all fine and good, as far as they go, but for the incumbent Republican president, a “witch hunt” is any effort to hold people he likes accountable for alleged wrongdoing.
The next time he claims to care about “law and order,” be sure to read the fine print: We’ve arrived in an era in which justice isn’t supposed to be applied to those who act and think like Trump does.
President Donald Trump is coming to the defense of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro as he faces a trial for his role in trying to overturn the results of his country’s 2022 election. Bolsonaro is accused of participating in a plot to prevent the return of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to the presidency of the largest nation in South America, an attempt that echoed Trump’s own earlier efforts to stay in office despite losing an election.
“Brazil is doing a terrible thing on their treatment of former President Jair Bolsonaro,” the Republican wrote in a message published to his social media platform. “I have watched, as has the World, as they have done nothing but come after him, day after day, night after night, month after month, year after year! He is not guilty of anything, except having fought for THE PEOPLE.”.....
If the message sounded familiar, it wasn’t your imagination.
In April, Marine Le Pen, a prominent far-right politician in France, was caught up in an embezzlement scheme involving E.U. funds. A French judicial panel examined the evidence and agreed to ban Le Pen from ever seeking elected office again.
Trump was not at all pleased with the developments. In fact, while the American president admitted that he didn’t know Le Pen or understand the details of the underlying controversy, the Republican nevertheless said the case against her was a “witch hunt” launched by “European Leftists,” adding that she was “probably” innocent.
In an odd online rant, Trump concluded, “FREE MARINE LE PEN!”
Last week, he did it again, condemning the corruption case against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as — you guessed it — a “witch hunt” that he wants to stop. Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Trump wrote, “Bibi Netanyahu’s trial should be CANCELLED, IMMEDIATELY, or a Pardon given to a Great Hero, who has done so much for the State. ... THIS TRAVESTY OF ‘JUSTICE’ CAN NOT BE ALLOWED!”
As with the other two cases, Trump condemned the allegations of wrongdoing, not because of evidence pointing to Netanyahu’s innocence, but because the American president believes the Israeli prime minister is an ally and “a WARRIOR.” In fact, at no point in his online harangue did Trump even question the charges against the prime minister on the merits.......
Niceties such as guilt, evidence, justice and the integrity of the legal system are all fine and good, as far as they go, but for the incumbent Republican president, a “witch hunt” is any effort to hold people he likes accountable for alleged wrongdoing.
The next time he claims to care about “law and order,” be sure to read the fine print: We’ve arrived in an era in which justice isn’t supposed to be applied to those who act and think like Trump does.
Dictators have to stay together. If you are a dictator, then in trump's world, you are innocent
July 9, 2025
https://x.com/hateGOP/status/1942730667369914767
Maddow Blog-Judge overseeing Abrego case stunned after DOJ fails to answer simple questions
Throughout Monday’s hearing, lawyers for the administration repeatedly refused to provide answers to some very straightforward questions.
Judge overseeing Abrego case stunned after DOJ fails to answer simple questions.
— hateGOP (@hategop.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T23:40:40.660Z
Throughout Monday’s hearing, lawyers for the administration repeatedly refused to provide answers to some very straightforward questions.
www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
https://x.com/hateGOP/status/1942730667369914767
On Monday, Trump administration lawyers were taken apart during a federal court hearing in Maryland over the bizarre, bungled, seemingly lawless deportation of a man named Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
During that hourslong hearing, the same federal judge who ordered the government in April to bring Abrego back from prison in El Salvador became totally exasperated as Justice Department lawyers refused to give clear answers to her clear questions.....
When the judge asked Guynn which option it was likely to take, he said that the “current plan is to attempt to remove [Abrego] to a third country” but noted the government could reassess that plan. When Guynn reiterated that the administration had not made a final decision, the judge said she did not “buy that for a second.”
The back-and-forth continued as the judge pressed the administration about what third country it planned to send Abrego to. “I do not believe that has been determined yet,” Guynn said. “I think there's a number of countries with whom we have treaties and agreements ... and DHS would explore its options for removal closer to the time when they would be taking [Abrego] into custody.”
The judge then asked if the government had started the process of identifying a possible country. Another lawyer from the Justice Department intervened and said they did not have that information. The exchange, according to Lawfare’s Anna Bower, who was inside the courtroom, appeared to leave the judge confused.
Throughout that hearing, the lawyers for the Justice Department repeatedly refused to provide reasonable answers to some very straightforward questions......
But on Monday, there was a major development on that front. According to a new filing in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the country of El Salvador has seemingly contradicted the Trump administration’s claim.
That filing, submitted by lawyers for men being held in the prison, includes a document indicating that, as The New York Times reports, “the government of El Salvador recently told the United Nations that it bears no legal responsibility for the men. The document, written in response to a U.N. inquiry examining some of the deportations, also claimed that the Salvadoran government was merely doing the United States’ bidding when it accepted the men into its prison system.”
The ACLU’s Lee Gelernt, who is the lead counsel in this case, told NBC News that “El Salvador has confirmed what we and everyone else understood: It is the United States that controls what happens to the Venezuelans languishing at CECOT. Remarkably, the U.S. government didn’t provide this information to us or the court.”
During that hourslong hearing, the same federal judge who ordered the government in April to bring Abrego back from prison in El Salvador became totally exasperated as Justice Department lawyers refused to give clear answers to her clear questions.....
When the judge asked Guynn which option it was likely to take, he said that the “current plan is to attempt to remove [Abrego] to a third country” but noted the government could reassess that plan. When Guynn reiterated that the administration had not made a final decision, the judge said she did not “buy that for a second.”
The back-and-forth continued as the judge pressed the administration about what third country it planned to send Abrego to. “I do not believe that has been determined yet,” Guynn said. “I think there's a number of countries with whom we have treaties and agreements ... and DHS would explore its options for removal closer to the time when they would be taking [Abrego] into custody.”
The judge then asked if the government had started the process of identifying a possible country. Another lawyer from the Justice Department intervened and said they did not have that information. The exchange, according to Lawfare’s Anna Bower, who was inside the courtroom, appeared to leave the judge confused.
Throughout that hearing, the lawyers for the Justice Department repeatedly refused to provide reasonable answers to some very straightforward questions......
But on Monday, there was a major development on that front. According to a new filing in federal district court in Washington, D.C., the country of El Salvador has seemingly contradicted the Trump administration’s claim.
That filing, submitted by lawyers for men being held in the prison, includes a document indicating that, as The New York Times reports, “the government of El Salvador recently told the United Nations that it bears no legal responsibility for the men. The document, written in response to a U.N. inquiry examining some of the deportations, also claimed that the Salvadoran government was merely doing the United States’ bidding when it accepted the men into its prison system.”
The ACLU’s Lee Gelernt, who is the lead counsel in this case, told NBC News that “El Salvador has confirmed what we and everyone else understood: It is the United States that controls what happens to the Venezuelans languishing at CECOT. Remarkably, the U.S. government didn’t provide this information to us or the court.”
July 9, 2025
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article310130645.html
Giant bugs, heat and a hospital visit: Inside Alligator Alcatraz's first days
https://x.com/MakeTexasBlue22/status/1942703512422588509Giant bugs, heat and a hospitalization: Inside Alligator Alcatraz’s first days
The calls from Alligator Alcatraz’s first detainees brought distressing news: Toilets that didn’t flush. Temperatures that went from freezing to sweltering. A hospitalization. Giant bugs. And little or no access to showers or toothbrushes, much less confidential calls with attorneys. The stories, relayed to the Miami Herald by the wives of detainees housed in Florida’s makeshift detention center for migrants in the Everglades, offer the first snapshots of the conditions inside the newly opened facility, which began accepting detainees on July 2. They reveal detainees who are frightened not just about being deported, but also about how they are being treated by the government, which is saying little about what is taking place inside.
REMINDER: Being an undocumented immigrant doesn't make you a criminal, it's a civil offense. You should not be treated like a criminal.
The calls from Alligator Alcatraz’s first detainees brought distressing news: Toilets that didn’t flush. Temperatures that went from freezing to sweltering. A hospitalization. Giant bugs. And little or no access to showers or toothbrushes, much less confidential calls with attorneys. The stories, relayed to the Miami Herald by the wives of detainees housed in Florida’s makeshift detention center for migrants in the Everglades, offer the first snapshots of the conditions inside the newly opened facility, which began accepting detainees on July 2. They reveal detainees who are frightened not just about being deported, but also about how they are being treated by the government, which is saying little about what is taking place inside.
REMINDER: Being an undocumented immigrant doesn't make you a criminal, it's a civil offense. You should not be treated like a criminal.
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/immigration/article310130645.html
The calls from Alligator Alcatraz’s first detainees brought distressing news: Toilets that didn’t flush. Temperatures that went from freezing to sweltering. A hospital visit. Giant bugs. And little or no access to showers or toothbrushes, much less confidential calls with attorneys.
The stories, relayed to the Miami Herald by the wives of detainees housed in Florida’s makeshift detention center for migrants in the Everglades, offer the first snapshots of the conditions inside the newly opened facility, which began accepting detainees on July 2. They reveal detainees who are frightened not just about being deported, but also about how they are being treated by the government, which is saying little about what is taking place inside.
“Why would we treat a human like that?” a woman whose Venezuelan husband is housed in Alligator Alcatraz told the Miami Herald. “They come here for a better life. I don’t understand. We are supposed to be the greatest nation under God, but we forget that we’re under God.”
The men, whose identities the Herald is withholding due to their families’ fears that the government will punish them for speaking out, described harsh conditions at the detention center, pitched as a new model for holding migrants ensnared in President Donald Trump’s war on illegal immigration. The state, which intends to eventually house 3,000 or more people at the site, has said the detainees’ descriptions provided to the Herald are “untrue.”
The stories, relayed to the Miami Herald by the wives of detainees housed in Florida’s makeshift detention center for migrants in the Everglades, offer the first snapshots of the conditions inside the newly opened facility, which began accepting detainees on July 2. They reveal detainees who are frightened not just about being deported, but also about how they are being treated by the government, which is saying little about what is taking place inside.
“Why would we treat a human like that?” a woman whose Venezuelan husband is housed in Alligator Alcatraz told the Miami Herald. “They come here for a better life. I don’t understand. We are supposed to be the greatest nation under God, but we forget that we’re under God.”
The men, whose identities the Herald is withholding due to their families’ fears that the government will punish them for speaking out, described harsh conditions at the detention center, pitched as a new model for holding migrants ensnared in President Donald Trump’s war on illegal immigration. The state, which intends to eventually house 3,000 or more people at the site, has said the detainees’ descriptions provided to the Herald are “untrue.”
July 8, 2025
Judge demands answers from Trump administration after El Salvador says US still holds jurisdiction over deported migrant
The trump DOJ lied to a couple of different courts about the ability of the US to return detainees. Three or four months ago, El Salvador made a filing with the United Nations stating that the US retains jurisdiction over all detainees/deportees. Now a court wants to find out if the trump DOJ lied to the court
Attorneys representing a group of detainees at CECOT filed a UN report in which El Salvador said the U.S. still has legal responsiblity for deported migrants.
https://x.com/JordanOnRecord/status/1942673860262076906
https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/dmv-immigration/judge-demands-answers-from-trump-administration-after-el-salvador-says-us-still-holds-jurisdiction-over-deported-migrants-cristian-abrego-garcia/65-a8b40c5f-3464-4972-a588-67872e8da43e
WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Maryland overseeing the case of “Cristian,” a Venezuelan asylum seeker wrongfully deported to El Salvador, has given the Trump administration a week to explain why a newly discovered United Nations report appears to contradict statements they’ve made in her courtroom.
In a letter to counsel Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher said a report from the UN’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances appeared to directly cut against claims by the Justice Department that the U.S. has no control over the group of immigration detainees sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison earlier this year. Gallagher took judicial notice of the report, which was filed Monday in a separate case in federal court in D.C. involving a challenge to President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to order immediate deportations of a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members.
The report details the Salvadoran government’s responses to Venezuelan families seeking information about loved ones who were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador. In it, the Salvadoran government disclaims any legal responsibility for the detainees and says they remain under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government:
“The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters.”
The report details the Salvadoran government’s responses to Venezuelan families seeking information about loved ones who were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador. In it, the Salvadoran government disclaims any legal responsibility for the detainees and says they remain under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government:
“The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters.”
Gallagher wrote that if El Salvador told the truth to the UN, no diplomatic discussions should be required to bring Cristian back to the U.S. She ordered the DOJ to explain its position that diplomatic discussions are required to return Cristian no later than next Tuesday.
In a letter to counsel Tuesday, U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher said a report from the UN’s Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances appeared to directly cut against claims by the Justice Department that the U.S. has no control over the group of immigration detainees sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison earlier this year. Gallagher took judicial notice of the report, which was filed Monday in a separate case in federal court in D.C. involving a challenge to President Donald Trump’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act to order immediate deportations of a group of alleged Venezuelan gang members.
The report details the Salvadoran government’s responses to Venezuelan families seeking information about loved ones who were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador. In it, the Salvadoran government disclaims any legal responsibility for the detainees and says they remain under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government:
“The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters.”
The report details the Salvadoran government’s responses to Venezuelan families seeking information about loved ones who were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador. In it, the Salvadoran government disclaims any legal responsibility for the detainees and says they remain under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government:
“The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State. In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters.”
Gallagher wrote that if El Salvador told the truth to the UN, no diplomatic discussions should be required to bring Cristian back to the U.S. She ordered the DOJ to explain its position that diplomatic discussions are required to return Cristian no later than next Tuesday.
July 8, 2025
Federal Judge wants to know if the trump DOJ lied about persons deported to El Salvador
A judge is mad about being lied to by the trump DOJ
JUST IN: Judge Gallagher says either El Salvador is lying to the UN or the administration is lying to her about the people deported to CECOT.
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T18:35:00.823Z
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
July 8, 2025
Maddow Blog-Trump's IRS says churches can now endorse political candidates from the pulpit
By allowing houses of worship to endorse candidates, despite federal tax law, the IRS is “fixing” a problem that doesn’t exist, while inviting new ones.
By allowing houses of worship to endorse candidates, the IRS isn’t just “fixing†a problem that doesn’t exist.
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-07-08T17:07:48.796Z
It’s also inviting new problems that don’t currently exist. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
For nearly seven decades, federal tax law has been clear: Houses of worship are entitled to tax-exempt status, but they’re not allowed to intervene in partisan political campaigns. As The New York Times reported, under Donald Trump, the IRS has unilaterally decided to interpret federal tax law in a new and unique way.
Under the Internal Revenue Service’s new approach, all nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations will continue to enjoy tax-exempt status, but houses of worship will enjoy a new benefit that the agency won’t apply to secular organizations: Churches, temples, synagogues and mosques will be free to endorse candidates, but other nonprofit groups will not.
If you’re thinking this incongruity seems like the sort of thing that will end up in court, you’re not alone......
As for why the IRS’s new approach matters, there’s potential for dramatic consequences if houses of worship become tools of political campaigns. Imagine the campaign finance mess that would exist if parties, candidates and political action committees could funnel donations through tax exempt churches, free of oversight, all while benefiting from explicit endorsements.
For that matter, imagine if a foreign government, eager to secretly help put a specific candidate in power, decides to funnel money to specific churches, knowing that those ministries would in turn use the resources to support that candidate. The churches would never have to disclose any of this, and the public would be kept in the dark.
The IRS’s new position “fixes” a problem that doesn’t exist. There doesn’t appear to be any great public demand for such a change — most Americans, and even many religious leaders, don’t want churches to endorse candidates — and there’s no reason to create a mess where none currently exists.
And yet, Trump’s IRS is apparently doing it anyway.
The I.R.S. said on Monday that churches and other houses of worship can endorse political candidates to their congregations, carving out an exemption in a decades-old ban on political activity by tax-exempt nonprofits. The agency made that statement in a court filing intended to settle a lawsuit filed by two Texas churches and an association of Christian broadcasters.
Under the Internal Revenue Service’s new approach, all nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations will continue to enjoy tax-exempt status, but houses of worship will enjoy a new benefit that the agency won’t apply to secular organizations: Churches, temples, synagogues and mosques will be free to endorse candidates, but other nonprofit groups will not.
If you’re thinking this incongruity seems like the sort of thing that will end up in court, you’re not alone......
As for why the IRS’s new approach matters, there’s potential for dramatic consequences if houses of worship become tools of political campaigns. Imagine the campaign finance mess that would exist if parties, candidates and political action committees could funnel donations through tax exempt churches, free of oversight, all while benefiting from explicit endorsements.
For that matter, imagine if a foreign government, eager to secretly help put a specific candidate in power, decides to funnel money to specific churches, knowing that those ministries would in turn use the resources to support that candidate. The churches would never have to disclose any of this, and the public would be kept in the dark.
The IRS’s new position “fixes” a problem that doesn’t exist. There doesn’t appear to be any great public demand for such a change — most Americans, and even many religious leaders, don’t want churches to endorse candidates — and there’s no reason to create a mess where none currently exists.
And yet, Trump’s IRS is apparently doing it anyway.
July 8, 2025
https://www.rawstory.com/brooke-rollins-medicaid-farm-workers/
Trump's agriculture head expects '34M able-bodied on Medicaid' to do farm work
These people are nuts
This is how far out of touch these people are ....
— 🦋â„ï¸ðŸBaronðŸâ„ï¸ðŸ¦‹ (@baron333.bsky.social) 2025-07-08T15:25:37.619Z
Trump's agriculture head expects '34M able-bodied on Medicaid' to do farm work www.rawstory.com/brooke-rolli...
https://www.rawstory.com/brooke-rollins-medicaid-farm-workers/
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins argued that 34 million "able-bodied adults" who are at risk of losing their Medicaid benefits should be expected to take the jobs of migrants on farms.
During a Tuesday press conference, Rollins was asked about President Donald Trump's pledge to give farmers a "pass" when it came to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
"There will be no amnesty," Rollins insisted. "The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way. And we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly."
During a Tuesday press conference, Rollins was asked about President Donald Trump's pledge to give farmers a "pass" when it came to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids.
"There will be no amnesty," Rollins insisted. "The mass deportations continue, but in a strategic way. And we move the workforce towards automation and 100% American participation, which again, with 34 million people, able-bodied adults on Medicaid, we should be able to do that fairly quickly."
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