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A U.S. federal judge has ruled that the Trump administration cannot use its travel ban to prevent 80 already-vetted refugees from entering the United States, marking a significant setback for the policy. In a decision issued late Monday, U.S. District Judge Jamal Whitehead in Seattle stated that President Donald Trump's June executive order — which restricted entry from 12 countries — does not apply to refugees seeking asylum. “In other words, by its plain terms, the Proclamation excludes refugees from its scope,” the judge wrote. Whitehead ruled that denying entry to refugees would undermine their ability to apply for asylum, contradicting the very language of the presidential order. He directed the government to immediately resume processing the 80 “presumptively protected refugees” who had been rejected under the travel ban. The U.S. State Department has not issued a comment on the ruling. US manufacturing struggles persist despite subsidies and tariffs Whitehead also outlined a vetting framework for refugees from the 12 banned countries and others who were denied entry after the Trump administration suspended the U.S. refugee admissions program just hours after taking office on January 20. This suspension had left thousands of refugees — many already cleared after years of security screening — stranded in various parts of the world. Among them were family members of active-duty U.S. military personnel and over 1,600 Afghans who supported American forces during the war. Several refugees and aid organizations, whose funding was frozen by the administration, filed lawsuits. They later sought class-action status to extend the court’s ruling to similarly affected refugees. In May, Judge Whitehead said the suspension likely nullified Congress’s intent, noting that Congress had created and funded the refugee admissions program. He issued a preliminary injunction in February, halting the administration’s suspension of refugee processing and aid. However, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals paused much of that ruling in March, saying the administration was likely to prevail as the president holds broad authority over immigration decisions.

More than 20 states have sued President Donald Trump's administration over billions of dollars in frozen funding for after-school and summer programs and other programs. Aiden Cazares is one of 1.4 million children and teenagers around the country who have been attending after-school and summer programming at a Boys & Girls Club, the YMCA or a public school for free thanks to federal taxpayers. Congress set aside money for the programs to provide academic support, enrichment and child care to mostly low-income families, but President Donald Trump's administration recently froze the funding. The money for the 21st Century Community Learning Centers is among more than $6 billion in federal education grants Trump's Republican administration has withheld, saying it wants to ensure recipients' programs align with the president's priorities. After-school programs for the fall are in jeopardyIn Rhode Island, the state stepped in with funding to keep the summer programs running, according to the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence. Other Boys & Girls Clubs supported by the grants have found ways to keep open their summer programs, said Sara Leutzinger, vice president for communications for the Boys & Girls Club of America. But there isn’t the same hope for the after-school programming for the fall. Some of the 926 Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide that run 21st Century Community Learning summer and after-school programs stand to close if the Trump administration doesn’t release the money in the next three to five weeks, Leutzinger said. The YMCA and Save the Children say many of the centers they run are also at risk of shuttering. “Time is of the essence,” said Christy Gleason, executive director of Save the Children Action Network, which provides after-school programming for 41 schools in rural areas in Washington state and across the South, where school will begin as soon as August. “It’s not too late to make a decision so the kids who really need this still have it.” Schools in Republican-led areas are particularly affected by the freeze in federal education grants. Ninety-one of the 100 school districts that receive the most money from four frozen grant programs are in Republican congressional districts, according to an analysis from New America, a left-leaning think tank. Of those top 100 school districts, half are in four states: California, West Virginia, Florida and Georgia. New America’s analysis used funding levels reported in 2022 in 46 states. Republican officials have been among the educators criticizing the grant freeze. “I deeply believe in fiscal responsibility, which means evaluating the use of funds and seeking out efficiencies, but also means being responsible — releasing funds already approved by Congress and signed by President Trump," said Georgia schools superintendent Richard Woods, an elected Republican. “In Georgia, we’re getting ready to start the school year, so I call on federal funds to be released so we can ensure the success of our students.” The Office of Management and Budget said some grants supported left-wing causes, pointing to services for immigrants in the country illegally or LGBTQ+ inclusion efforts. Summer clubs provide instruction for childrenAt the East Providence summer camp, Aiden, a rising third grader, played tag, built structures with magnetic tiles, played a fast-paced game with the other kids to review addition and subtraction, learned about pollination, watched a nature video and ate club-provided chicken nuggets. Veteran teachers from his school corrected him when he spoke without raising his hand and offered common-sense advice when a boy in his group said something inappropriate. “When someone says something inappropriate, you don’t repeat it,” teacher Kayla Creighton told the boys between answering their questions about horseflies and honeybees. Indeed, it’s hard to find a more middle-of-the road organization in this country than the Boys & Girls Club. Just last month, a Republican and a Democrat sponsored a resolution in the U.S. House celebrating the 165-year-old organization as a “beacon of hope and opportunity.” The Defense Department awarded the club $3 million in 1991 to support children left behind when their parents deployed for the Persian Gulf. And ever since, the Boys & Girls Club has created clubs on military installations to support the children of service members. Military families can sign up their kids for free. “I suspect they will realize that most of those grants are fine and will release them,” said Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, a conservative education policy think tank, speaking of the Trump administration's review of the 21st Century Community Learning Center grants. But not everyone is so sure. Families see few affordable child care alternativesAiden’s mother has started looking into afternoon child care for September when kids return to school in Rhode Island. “It costs $220 a week,” Aiden's mother, Darleen Reyes, said, her eyes expanding. “I can’t afford that.” The single mother and state worker said she’ll probably ask her 14-year-old son to stay home and watch Aiden. That will mean he would have to forgo getting a job when he turns 15 in the fall and couldn’t play basketball and football. “I don’t have any other option,” she said. At home, Aiden would likely stay inside on a screen. That would be heartbreaking since he’s thrived getting tutoring and “learning about healthy boundaries” from the Boys & Girls Club program, Reyes said. Fernande Berard learned about the funding freeze and possible closure from a reporter after dropping off her three young boys for summer camp. “I would be really devastated if this goes away,” said the nurse. “I honestly don’t know what I would do.” Her husband drives an Uber much of the day, and picking up the kids early would eat into his earnings. It’s money they need to pay the mortgage and everything else. If her boss approves, she’d likely have to pick up her children from school and take them to the rehabilitation center where she oversees a team of nurses. The children would have to stay until her work day ends. “It’s hard to imagine,” she said.

Search operations for victims of the devastating Texas floods were set to resume Monday after being temporarily suspended due to more heavy rain. The catastrophic flooding, which began on July 4, has already claimed at least 132 lives. Search efforts along the Guadalupe River were halted on Sunday as new storms triggered high water rescues and raised fears of further flooding. It marked the first weather-related suspension of the search since the disaster began. Authorities believe over 160 people remain missing in Kerr County, with 10 more unaccounted for in nearby areas. In Kerrville, where officials face criticism over whether timely warnings were issued, authorities went door-to-door early Sunday to alert residents of renewed flood risks and sent phone alerts across the area. Trump to visit Texas flood zone amid FEMA phase During the suspension, Ingram Fire Department ordered crews to evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor due to high flash flood risks. Later on Sunday, the Kerr County Sheriff’s Office announced that teams in the county’s western areas could resume operations. The Ingram Fire Department planned to restart search efforts Monday, said spokesman Brian Lochte. The National Weather Service has kept the region under a flood watch until 9 p.m. Monday, with up to 5 inches of rainfall expected. The saturated soil across the Hill Country raises concerns of increased runoff. Governor Greg Abbott said dozens of rescues took place in San Saba, Lampasas, and Schleicher counties. Around 100 homes were damaged, and widespread rural infrastructure, including cattle fencing, was destroyed, according to Ashley Johnson, CEO of the Hill Country Community Action Association. Camp Mystic, a historic girls’ summer camp along the Guadalupe River, lost at least 27 campers and counselors. Experts said the flood far exceeded FEMA’s 100-year projections and struck in the dead of night, catching many off guard.

Despite support from both the Biden and Trump administrations, U.S. manufacturing remains stuck in a prolonged slump. Ex-President Joe Biden’s administration rolled out subsidies for chipmakers and clean energy firms, spurring a surge in factory construction from 2021 to 2024. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump imposed high tariffs on foreign goods to protect American manufacturers and encourage domestic production. Still, factory jobs are declining. The U.S. Labor Department reported a loss of 7,000 manufacturing jobs in June, the second monthly drop in a row. Manufacturing employment is expected to fall for the third straight year. “Manufacturing production will continue to flatline,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “If production is flat, that suggests manufacturing employment will continue to slide.” Trump plans to hike tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% Industry insiders echo concerns. “The past three years have been a real slog for manufacturing,” said Eric Hagopian, CEO of Pilot Precision Products. Trump’s tariffs offer some relief for U.S. firms by making imported goods more expensive. “When you throw the tariff on, it gets us closer,” said Chris Zuzick of Waukesha Metal Products. But tariffs also raise the cost of imported materials used by American factories, like steel and aluminum, reducing global competitiveness. Frequent changes to tariff policies have added to industry uncertainty. “Customers do not want to make commitments in the wake of massive tariff uncertainty,” one company said in a recent ISM survey. “Everyone is kind of just waiting for the new normal,” Zuzick added.

The European Union has decided to suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods that were set to take effect Monday, in a bid to reach a trade agreement with the Trump administration by the end of the month. “This is now the time for negotiations,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday, following a letter from President Donald Trump announcing new U.S. tariffs of 30% on goods from the EU and Mexico, effective August 1. The EU, the United States’ largest trading partner and the world’s biggest trading bloc, had planned to implement “countermeasures” starting Monday at midnight Brussels time (6 p.m. EDT). Trade negotiations on behalf of the EU’s 27 member states are handled by the European Commission. Von der Leyen said the EU would delay implementing those measures until August 1, noting that Trump's letter “shows that we have until the first of August” to strike a deal. European leaders have been urging both sides to allow more time for negotiations. Trump plans to hike tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% “We have always been clear that we prefer a negotiated solution,” she said. “If no deal is reached, we will continue to prepare countermeasures so we are fully prepared.” Speaking alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, von der Leyen also emphasized the need to diversify the EU’s trade relationships, citing ongoing tensions with the U.S. Trump has argued that global tariffs are essential to address a U.S. trade deficit he considers a national security threat. The EU-U.S. trade relationship was valued at €1.7 trillion ($2 trillion) in 2024, according to Eurostat, with major European exports including pharmaceuticals, cars, aircraft, chemicals, medical instruments, and wine and spirits. EU trade ministers are set to meet Monday to review trade ties with the U.S. and China.

President Donald Trump on Sunday will attend the FIFA Club World Cup final, a match that will offer Trump a preview of the globe’s premier soccer tournament that North America will host next year. Trump and first lady Melania Trump will travel from their golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, to East Rutherford 40 miles (64 kilometers) away to watch the final match of the U.S.-hosted tournament between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea at MetLife Stadium. Trump’s trip Sunday falls on the first anniversary of the assassination attempt he survived in Butler, Pennsylvania, while campaigning for president. Trump administration sanctions UN investigator probing Gaza abuses The president did not have any public plans to mark the date beyond participating in a taped Fox News Channel interview with his daughter-in-law Lara Trump that aired Saturday night. Sporting events have made up the bulk of Trump’s trips in the U.S. since taking office this year. In addition to his visit this weekend to the soccer tournament, he’s attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, the Daytona 500 in Florida, UFC fights in Miami and Newark, New Jersey, and the NCAA wrestling championships in Philadelphia. The president, who has a warm relationship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, has said he plans to attend multiple matches of the World Cup tournament next year.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday announced 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union and Mexico, effective August 1, targeting two of the country's largest trade partners. The announcement came through letters Trump posted on his social media account, where he outlined the reasoning behind the move. In his message to Mexico’s president, Trump acknowledged the country’s efforts in helping to curb undocumented migration and the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. However, he criticized Mexico for not doing enough to prevent the region from becoming what he called a “Narco-Trafficking Playground.” In a separate letter addressed to European Union leaders, Trump described the U.S. trade deficit as a threat to national security. “We have had years to discuss our Trading Relationship with The European Union, and we have concluded we must move away from these long-term, large, and persistent, Trade Deficits, engendered by your Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies, and Trade Barriers,” Trump wrote. “Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.” Judge blocks Trump administration from random immigration raids, arrests in California The move is part of a broader campaign effort by Trump, who has been ramping up announcements of new tariffs as a central theme of his 2024 re-election bid. He claims these measures will restore fairness to the U.S. economy, which he says has been exploited by foreign powers for decades. By introducing these reciprocal tariffs, Trump is effectively challenging the global trade framework established under the Uruguay Round of negotiations, which set tariff rates under a “most favored nation” principle — ensuring no country was treated less favorably than others. With Saturday’s letters, Trump has now imposed tariff conditions on 24 countries and the 27-member European Union.

The US State Department has begun dismissing more than 1,300 employees as part of a sweeping reorganization under the Trump administration’s plan to downsize the federal government. According to CNN said the layoffs include 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service officers. Employees are being notified via email, with many placed on administrative leave—foreign service staff for 120 days and most civil servants for 60 days—before termination. “Nearly 3,000 members of the workforce will depart as part of the reorganization,” the notice said, including both involuntary and voluntary departures. “In connection with the Departmental reorganization first announced by the Secretary of State on April 22, 2025, the Department is streamlining domestic operations to focus on diplomatic priorities,” the notice read. It said reductions target “non-core functions, duplicative or redundant offices,” and those where “considerable efficiencies” can be gained through consolidation.   Trump plans to hike tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% Secretary of State Marco Rubio, currently returning from Malaysia, said the overhaul was being carried out “probably in the most deliberate way of anyone that’s done one.” A senior official said the changes are “personnel agnostic,” focusing on functions no longer aligned with department goals. While overseas posts remain unaffected, many in Washington, DC, will be impacted. Thomas Yazdgerdi, president of the American Foreign Service Association, called the timing troubling. “There are horrible things that are happening in the world that require a tried-and-true diplomatic workforce,” he said, pointing to crises in Ukraine, Gaza, and Iran. Yazdgerdi warned the cuts could damage morale, recruitment, and retention. “We’re like the military,” he said. “If you’re going to RIF an office, we’re not tied to that office.”

President Donald Trump is set to visit flood-ravaged areas of Texas on Friday, even as questions grow over his administration’s pledge to shutter the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The trip comes after catastrophic flooding left at least 120 people dead and over 170 missing. Despite earlier promises to shift disaster response to states, Trump has focused on the tragedy’s human toll. “It's a horrible thing,” he said Friday. Speaking to NBC News, he described it as “a once-in-every-200-year deal.” Trump approved Texas’ request to expand the federal disaster declaration to eight additional counties, enabling direct financial assistance. He will tour the damage by air and meet with first responders and victims’ families, joined by First Lady Melania Trump, Governor Greg Abbott, and Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz. Trump administration sanctions UN investigator probing Gaza abuses Trump has used past disaster tours to attack political opponents but has stayed silent this time on FEMA’s future. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Whether that assistance comes from states or the federal government, that is a policy discussion that will continue.” OMB Director Russell Vought also avoided clarifying FEMA’s fate but said the agency has “billions” in reserves. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem noted, “We’re cutting through the paperwork of the old FEMA. Streamlining it, much like your vision.” Local officials in Texas face criticism over preparedness, but some residents, like Darrin Potter of Kerr County, urged understanding, saying evacuation could have been more dangerous.

President Donald Trump has announced plans to raise tariffs on a wide range of Canadian imports to 35%, intensifying a growing rift between the two long-time North American allies. In a letter sent Thursday to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump said the new tariffs—set to take effect on August 1—would replace the existing 25% duties that were imposed in March. The move is part of Trump’s ongoing pressure campaign on Canada, which he accuses of not doing enough to prevent fentanyl trafficking into the United States, despite data showing that Canada is not a major source of the drug. Trump also reiterated concerns over the U.S. trade deficit with Canada, which is largely driven by American oil imports. “The flow of fentanyl is hardly the only challenge we face with Canada, which maintains many tariff and non-tariff barriers,” Trump wrote in the letter. The announcement rattled global markets, with stock futures falling early Friday. Although recent gains in the S&P 500 had reflected investor optimism that Trump might scale back the tariff hike, the letter appears to have renewed economic uncertainty. Responding to the move, Prime Minister Carney said Canada remains committed to negotiating a fair trade deal with the U.S. and highlighted his government's efforts to combat fentanyl. “Through the current trade negotiations with the United States, the Canadian government has steadfastly defended our workers and businesses,” he posted on social media. Trump administration sanctions UN investigator probing Gaza abuses Carney, who became prime minister in April, campaigned on a promise to adopt a tougher stance in defending Canadian interests. He has since sought to diversify Canada’s trade ties, strengthening partnerships with the European Union and the United Kingdom. Just hours before Trump’s letter was released, Carney shared a photo with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on social media, writing, “In the face of global trade challenges, the world is turning to reliable economic partners like Canada”—a veiled criticism of the U.S.'s unpredictable trade policies under Trump. While several countries have received similar tariff notices from the U.S. in recent days, Canada—America’s second-largest trading partner after Mexico—has become a focal point of Trump’s trade crackdown. Canada has responded with retaliatory tariffs and rejected Trump's past remarks suggesting it should become the 51st U.S. state. When Carney went to the White House in May, the public portion of their meeting was cordial. But Trump said there was nothing the Canadian leader could tell him to remove the tariffs, saying, “Just the way it is.” Daniel Beland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal, said Trump's latest move will make it more difficult for Canada and the U.S. to reach a trade deal, Beland said. “It doesn’t mean a new trade deal between Canada and the United States is impossible, but it shows how hard it is for the Canadian government to negotiate with a U.S. president who regularly utters threats and doesn’t appear to be a reliable and truthful interlocutor,” he said. Trump has sent a series of tariff letters to 23 countries. Those form letters became increasingly personal with Canada as well as a Wednesday note that put a 50% tariff on Brazil for the ongoing trial of its former President Jair Bolsonaro for trying to stay in office after his 2022 election loss. Trump was similarly indicted for his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. Trump administration officials have said that Trump was seeking to isolate its geopolitical rival China with the tariffs, but the latest tariffs have undermined that message. Brazil's largest trading partner is China, not the U.S., and Chinese government officials have framed his import taxes as a form of bullying. Trump threatens Brazil with steep tariff, demands end to Bolsonaro trial “Sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs are important principles of the U.N. Charter and basic norms governing international relations," said Mao Ning, the Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. “Tariffs should not be used as a tool for coercion, bullying and interference in the internal affairs of other countries.” The letters reflect the inability of Trump to finalize the dozens of trade frameworks that he claimed would be easy to negotiate. Shortly after unveiling his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs, a financial market selloff caused Trump to announce a 90-day negotiating period during which a 10% baseline tariff would be charged on most imported goods. But Trump has indicated that the 10% tariff rates are largely disappearing as he resets the rates with his letters. “We’re just going to say all of the remaining countries are going to pay, whether it’s 20% or 15%,” Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News. Trump has announced trade frameworks with the U.K. and Vietnam, as well as a separate deal with China to enable continued trade talks. Trump jacked up import taxes on Chinese goods to as much as 145%, but after talks he has said China faces total tariffs of 55%. In June, Trump said he was suspending trade talks with Canada over its plans to continue its digital services tax, which would hit U.S. technology companies. A few days later, talks resumed when Carney rescinded the tax. Under the current tariff structure, the 2020 United States Mexico Canada Agreement has protected eligible goods from Trump's tariffs. But a review of the pact is scheduled for 2026.