分类： 未分类

Rubio’s trip to India signals US need to repair ties

2026-05-23T03:02:22.188Z / reuters.com

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio disembarks his plane with his wife Jeanette at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata, India, Saturday, May 23, 2026. Julia Demaree Nikhinson/Pool via REUTERS

• Summary

• US envoy credited with strengthening ties as ‘India whisperer’
• India weighs options as Trump administration pursues new trade investigations
• Rubio to meet Quad ministers amid concerns about ‘downgrading’

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio lands in India on Saturday on a mission to shore up a partnership battered by President Donald Trump’s tariffs and Washington’s renewed ​engagement with New Delhi’s rivals Pakistan and China.

The four-day trip, Rubio’s first visit to India, will include stops in Kolkata, Agra, Jaipur and New Delhi for talks ‌focused on trade, energy and defense cooperation, the State Department said.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

U.S. presidents, including Trump in his first term, have long tried to pull historically non-aligned India closer as a counterweight to Russian and rising Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific. Those efforts appeared to take a blow last year when Trump slapped some of the highest U.S. tariffs on India.

Many of those were rolled back in an interim agreement, but the two countries are yet to finalize ​a comprehensive agreement on trade.

New Delhi has pressed for a Trump visit to India tied to a summit of the Quad group of countries that includes the U.S., India, ​Japan and Australia, but analysts say that fell by the wayside amid trade tensions and distractions including of the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran.

The U.S. has ⁠meanwhile grown closer to India’s rival and neighbor Pakistan, with Islamabad emerging as a key interlocutor in efforts to end the war, a new irritant to the U.S.-India relationship.

The energy crisis ​sparked by the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran has also set back U.S. efforts to wean India off Russian oil.

Rubio said on Thursday energy would be a focus and the U.S. was already in talks ​to expand its share of India’s energy supply.

“We want to sell them as much energy as they’ll buy,” he said. “There’s a lot to work on with India. They’re a great ally, a great partner. We do a lot of good work with them.”

For India, Trump’s visit this month to Beijing amplified concerns about U.S. ties, said Basant Sanghera, a former State Department South Asia policy expert now with The Asia Group consultancy.

Sanghera said Trump’s approach ​had “created a perfect storm of anxiety” in India about the U.S. relationship, “but ties have stabilized and both sides are trying to build momentum in the areas that there is convergence.”

INFLUENTIAL AMBASSADOR

The Biden ​administration lavished attention on India as vital a strategic partner and feted Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a 2023 state visit. Trump also welcomed Modi to the White House early in his second term before imposing ‌steep tariffs ⁠that threw ties off course.

U.S. Ambassador Sergio Gor, dubbed “the India whisperer”, by Michael Kugelman of the Atlantic Council think tank, arrived in New Delhi in January and has sought to reset ties. Gor is a friend of Trump’s and previously a White House adviser.

In February, the two countries reached a “framework for an interim agreement” on trade to lower Trump’s tariffs on Indian goods to 18% from a punishing 50%, half of which had been linked to India’s prior purchases of Russian oil.

But talks to finalize the deal slowed after the U.S. Supreme Court in late February struck down Trump’s tariffs.

That ​effectively brought the duty rate on Indian goods ​down to 10%, but New Delhi has ⁠been weighing its options as the Trump administration pursues investigations under unfair trade practices legislation widely expected to restore much of the prior levies.

One person familiar with the talks said the U.S. had been disappointed with India’s perceived foot-dragging and apparent belief that it could strike a good deal without ​giving much up, and this mood was likely to cloud Rubio’s efforts to stabilize ties.

“I do not expect Secretary Rubio will have much ​impact in changing the downward ⁠trajectory,” said Richard Rossow of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

“The lack of a trade agreement – more than three months after the announcement of the “interim deal” – clouds other areas of engagement.”

DOWNGRADE OF GROUP COUNTERING CHINA?

India’s entreaties for the White House to schedule a Trump visit for a summit of the Quad, which was formed as a counter to China’s growing influence, have so far gone unanswered, ⁠according to another ​person familiar with the talks.

Rubio’s meeting with other Quad foreign ministers in Delhi next week will be a third ​such gathering without a leader-level engagement and effectively an “unannounced downgrade” of the grouping, Rossow said.

In a post on X the U.S. Embassy in New Delhi nevertheless emphasized the importance of the Quad, saying it stood “together for a free and open ​Indo-Pacific… From supporting regional security to diversifying critical minerals supply chains.”

Reporting by Michael Martina, David Brunnstrom, Simon Lewis and Trevor Hunnicutt; Additional reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Don Durfee and Sanjeev Miglani

特朗普周末“坐镇白宫” 开会商讨是否对伊朗发动新打击

2026年5月23日 10:34 / 联合早报

特朗普5月22日到纽约州为一名面临连任挑战的共和党众议员助选。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普星期五（5月22日）召集国家安全团队开会商讨对伊朗战事相关事宜。白宫宣布特朗普周末调整行程，将留在白宫。

美国阿克西奥斯新闻网站引述美国官员的话报道，特朗普当天上午与国家安全团队开会，听取了关于美伊谈判现状的简报，并了解若谈判破裂可能出现的各种预案。

美国副总统万斯、战争部长赫格塞斯、中央情报局局长拉特克利夫、白宫办公厅主任怀尔斯等官员出席了会议。

消息人士透露，特朗普正在认真考虑是否对伊朗发动新的打击，除非谈判在最后一刻取得突破。他提出可能进行一次最终、具有“决定性”意义的大规模军事行动，随后便可宣布胜利并结束战争。但目前尚无迹象表明特朗普已做出发动新打击的决定。

报道还说，特朗普对与伊朗进行的谈判感到日益沮丧。他19日同以色列总理内坦亚胡通话时，表示希望再给外交一次机会，但到了21日晚间，他已倾向于下令发动军事打击。

会议结束数小时后，白宫宣布调整特朗普的周末行程，他将留在白宫，取消原定前往新泽西州贝德明斯特高尔夫俱乐部的安排。特朗普还在Truth Social发文称：“我认为，在这段关键时期，我留在华盛顿、坐镇白宫至关重要。”

此外，美国参议院军事委员会主席、共和党人威克（Roger Wicker）当天在社交媒体发文敦促特朗普恢复伊朗战事。他称，特朗普身边有人在给他出“馊主意”，去寻求一份“连写下它的那张纸都不值”的协议，美军应该继续摧毁伊朗的军事力量，重新打开霍尔木兹海峡。

另据《华尔街日报》引述调解方说，巴基斯坦和其他参与谈判的地区国家正努力弥合美国在限制伊朗核计划方面的要求与德黑兰的目标之间的差距。巴基斯坦陆军参谋长穆尼尔22日访问德黑兰，一个卡塔尔代表团也于当天抵达德黑兰，试图在最后关头进行斡旋。德黑兰的目标是将任何短期协议的范围限制在结束战争、解除霍尔木兹海峡的封锁以及提供财政援助。

新华社23日引述沙特阿拉伯阿拉比亚电视台报道，消息人士22日透露，美国和伊朗“接近达成”的协议草案，预计将在数小时内公布。

特朗普周末“坐镇白宫” 开会商讨是否对伊朗发动新打击

2026年5月23日 10:34 / 联合早报

特朗普5月22日到纽约州为一名面临连任挑战的共和党众议员助选。 （法新社）

美国总统特朗普星期五（5月22日）召集国家安全团队开会商讨对伊朗战事相关事宜。白宫宣布特朗普周末调整行程，将留在白宫。

美国阿克西奥斯新闻网站（Axios）引述美国官员的话报道，特朗普当天上午与国家安全团队开会，听取了关于美伊谈判现状的简报，并了解若谈判破裂可能出现的各种预案。

美国副总统万斯、战争部长赫格塞斯、中央情报局（CIA）局长拉特克利夫、白宫办公厅主任怀尔斯等官员出席了会议。

消息人士透露，特朗普正在认真考虑是否对伊朗发动新的打击，除非谈判在最后一刻取得突破。他提出可能进行一次最终、具有“决定性”意义的大规模军事行动，随后便可宣布胜利并结束战争。但目前尚无迹象表明特朗普已做出发动新打击的决定。

报道还说，特朗普对与伊朗进行的谈判感到日益沮丧。他19日同以色列总理内坦亚胡通话时，表示希望再给外交一次机会，但到了21日晚间，他已倾向于下令发动军事打击。

会议结束数小时后，白宫宣布调整特朗普的周末行程，他将留在白宫，取消原定前往新泽西州贝德明斯特高尔夫俱乐部的安排。特朗普还在Truth Social发文称：“我认为，在这段关键时期，我留在华盛顿、坐镇白宫至关重要。”

此外，美国参议院军事委员会主席、共和党人威克（Roger Wicker）当天在社交媒体发文敦促特朗普恢复伊朗战事。他称，特朗普身边有人在给他出“馊主意”，去寻求一份“连写下它的那张纸都不值”的协议，美军应该继续摧毁伊朗的军事力量，重新打开霍尔木兹海峡。

另据《华尔街日报》引述调解方说，巴基斯坦和其他参与谈判的地区国家正努力弥合美国在限制伊朗核计划方面的要求与德黑兰的目标之间的差距。巴基斯坦陆军参谋长穆尼尔22日访问德黑兰，一个卡塔尔代表团也于当天抵达德黑兰，试图在最后关头进行斡旋。德黑兰的目标是将任何短期协议的范围限制在结束战争、解除霍尔木兹海峡的封锁以及提供财政援助。

新华社23日引述沙特阿拉伯阿拉比亚电视台报道，消息人士22日透露，美国和伊朗“接近达成”的协议草案，预计将在数小时内公布。

Trump announces highest civilian honor for 9/11 hero remembered as the ‘Man in the Red Bandana’

May 22, 2026 6:53pm EDT / Fox News

‘Welles’ light still shines brightly,’ his mother, Alison, said after Trump announced the posthumous honor at a Friday rally in New York

By Alec Schemmel Fox News

President Donald Trump announced during a rally in New York that he would post-harmoniously award 9/11 hero Welles Crowther, known as the ‘man in the red bandana,’ who died saving lives inside the Twin Towers.

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/3fca036f-c922-47ca-af9f-7aa6a6c8be4e

Listen to this article

3 min

President Donald Trump announced during a rally in New York that he was posthumously awarding the nation’s highest civilian honor to Welles Remy Crowther, the 9/11 hero remembered as the “Man in the Red Bandana” after he repeatedly led victims to safety from the burning South Tower before dying in the terrorist attacks.

Trump revealed the Presidential Medal of Freedom honor during a Rockland County stop on Friday with Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., who had urged the president to recognize Crowther’s heroism ahead of the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11. Crowther, a 24-year-old equities trader who also worked as a volunteer firefighter, became a symbol of American courage after survivors recounted being guided through smoke and wreckage by a man wearing a red bandana over his face.

“At the request of Bruce, and Mike, and some of the political — great political people we have, and we are approaching the 25th anniversary of September 11th, 2001, a dark day that will live in infamy. We are posthumously awarding Welles the Presidential Medal of Freedom,” Trump told the Rockland County crowd, earning a resounding applause.

FOX NATION, TUNNELS TO TOWERS EXPLORES HOW AMERICA’S PASTIME HELPED A GRIEVING NEW YORK HEAL AFTER 9/11

President Donald Trump seen greeting Alison Crowther, the mother of Welles Crowther, known as the ‘Man in the red bandana,’ who the president awarded the highest civilian honor to on Friday, May 22, 2026.(Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

“It’s the highest award outside of the Congressional Medal of Honor — those are the two biggies and Welles has one of them. I just want to congratulate his great mother in doing a phenomenal job in raising that young man. Boy, what bravery, saved those people and became a legend in a sense, nobody else would have done what he did. So he’s going to be getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom.”

The president subsequently brought up Welles’ mother, Alison Crowther, who addressed the pro-Trump crowd momentarily, describing the award bestowed on her son as a “huge honor.”

“It’s such a beautiful thing that even 25 years later, Welles’ light still shines brightly,” she told the crowd, noting she has traveled the world telling her son’s story to places as far away as Jordan. Alison Crowther remarked that in these travels, when she tells children Welles’ story, “They’re tremendously moved and inspired … to be better people.”

NEW 9/11 MUSEUM EXHIBIT AIMS TO CONNECT YOUNGER AMERICANS TO THE ATTACKS THROUGH POWERFUL ARTIFACTS

Welles, an equities trader who worked on the 104th floor of the South Tower, was in his office when the first aircraft hit the North Tower that morning. He left his mother a voicemail shortly after the towers were struck, letting her know he was okay, but his body was later found amid the rubble.

US President Barack Obama speaks at the dedication of the national September 11th Memorial Museum in New York, on May 15, 2014.(JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the 9/11 Memorial& Museum, Welles “made three trips to the sky lobby, saving as many people as he could, until the burning building collapsed,” with some reports indicating he saved up to 18 lives that day. As he did so, Welles covered his nose and mouth with a red bandana he kept at his desk.

That red bandana is currently displayed at the 9/11 museum in New York City. The Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit that supports first responders and their families, including those who became victims after 9/11, said Welles always kept a red bandana at his desk.

The Tribute in Light is illuminated above the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center behind the Statue of Liberty ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York City on September 10, 2025, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The foundation recounted how, when he was asked why he always carried the red bandana, Welles replied: “With this red bandana, I’m going to change the world.” His father, the foundation said, told Welles to always carry a red bandana on him for “messy jobs.”

“People can live 100 years and not have the compassion, the wherewithal to do what he did,” a survivor rescued by Crowther has said.

AI job cuts are rising, but experts say layoffs are only part of the story

May 22, 2026 / 5:42 PM EDT / CBS News
By Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch

AI-related layoff announcements are mounting, fueling the sense that the technology is already replacing a significant number of U.S. workers as companies invest heavily in automation. But AI’s broader impact on workers may be quieter: weaker hiring, especially for junior and entry-level roles.

Enterprise software maker Intuit this week cut 17% of its staff, or 3,000 people, saying it would shift its focus to AI, while Meta began laying off 8,000 workers on Wednesday as it shifts investment toward AI. Last week, Cisco also announced thousands of job cuts, with CEO Chuck Robbins saying in a blog pos t that it was reducing headcount in part to invest in “employees’ use of AI across the company.”

Andrew Tran, 40, a Meta product designer who was among those losing their job this week, told CBS News he plans to look for a new job at a company that he believes is using AI “intentionally,” rather than chiefly to replace workers.

Tran doesn’t believe his role at Meta was directly replaced by AI, but said it’s clear corporations are leaning into the tech.

“In general, companies should have an obligation to retrain their workforces instead of throwing them to the curb,” he told CBS News, while clarifying that his views are aimed at the corporate sector as a whole and not specifically at Meta.

Meta didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Thousands of job cuts

Companies have announced nearly 50,000 job cuts this year linked to AI, according to research from outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. Those layoffs account for roughly 17% of the roughly 300,000 total job cuts announced so far in 2026, the firm’s figures show.

The layoffs come as some analysts warn AI could eventually reshape the labor market on a much larger scale. Boston Consulting Group has projected that up to 15% of U.S. jobs could be eliminated over the next five years.

Economists say that most of the recent AI-related layoffs are limited to the high-tech sector, while noting that companies may not always adopt such tools as a direct substitute for workers.

“We are seeing a lot of layoff announcements that are supposedly related to greater use of AI,” EY-Parthenon chief economist Greg Daco told CBS News. “They are aimed at cutting down on labor expenses, while AI investment is growing very rapidly, but I’m not entirely sure this is a replacement situation where talent is being replaced by technology.”

Some economists say AI’s impact on the labor market may be emerging less through mass layoffs and more through weaker hiring. Some companies are delaying recruitment while they evaluate how AI changes their staffing needs, potentially making it tougher for younger and entry-level workers to find jobs.

In other words, these businesses may not be laying off workers, but they’re also not creating new jobs.

Junior workers squeezed

Lackluster hiring can draw less attention than layoffs because companies rarely announce such decisions. Research from Goldman Sachs shows that in the past year, AI reduced monthly payroll growth by roughly 16,000 jobs, raising the unemployment rate by 0.1 percentage point.

“AI seems to be impacting labor finally, but it’s actually not so much through increased layoffs. The main channel tends to be reduced hiring, especially reduced hiring of junior workers,” Daniel Keum, associate professor of management at Columbia Business School, told CBS News.

Younger workers may face particular challenges because entry-level roles are easier to automate than senior positions, experts said.

“The major sort of impact of AI will come from reduced hiring of juniors,” Keum said, noting that “seniors are a lot more difficult to replace.”

AI may also reshape job requirements, creating new roles that do not necessarily align with the skills of workers displaced by automation.

“The people who get laid off don’t necessarily get the next set of jobs, because the roles are different,” said Ken Matos, an organizational psychologist and director of insights at hiring platform HiBob.

Still, he expects hiring to rebound after companies complete major AI investments.

“Right now, companies are moving labor dollars into tech investment,” Matos said. “Hopefully, that moves back into labor dollars once the technology is set up.”

Positive spin

Corporations are also grappling with a host of other pressures, such as geopolitical tensions, fluctuating U.S. tariff policy and other sources of economic uncertainty, which could be driving layoffs and crimping hiring.

But framing workforce cuts as part of an AI strategy may send a more positive signal to investors than citing weaker demand or rising costs, Daco said.

“When you announce layoffs in general, it’s not seen as a good thing from markets’ and investors’ perspectives,” Daco said. “But when you say you’re proceeding with layoffs because of AI, it’s positive from a communications standpoint.”

Attributing job cuts to AI can help companies “frame a complex picture into a simple message that is easily understood,” said Clarence Lee, a tech entrepreneur and professor at the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.

Only about 10% of firms currently use AI to produce goods and services, and only a subset are replacing workers with the technology, according to Daco.

“There is some job displacement, but we are not seeing massive job dislocation as a result of AI at this stage,” he said.

Dan Freedman, a Google software engineer and member of the Alphabet Workers Union, sees a link between the recent jump in layoffs and the push to embrace AI, while noting that he doesn’t believe the tech is replacing workers “one for one.”

“AI is just the latest fear about our jobs that we have to work through now,” he told CBS News.

What should workers do?

Experts say workers who combine AI skills with adaptability may be best positioned as the labor market evolves.

“AI is a dynamic beast, so we are now looking for the ability to accept risk, people who are motivated by continuous learning, who are engaged by the transformation,” Matos said. “It’s a personality trait as much as it’s a skill-set.”

Lee said workers should focus on understanding what AI can do while identifying skills that remain uniquely human.

“That’s where the magic unlocks,” he said.

—CBS News’ Mary Cunningham contributed to this story.

Exclusive: US tax officials consider adding citizenship question to tax forms

2026-05-22T20:53:10.267Z / Reuters

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) building is seen in Washington, U.S. September 28, 2020. REUTERS/Erin Scott/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

• Summary

• IRS considers adding citizenship status checkbox to Form 1040 as part of immigration enforcement push
• Move follows legal battle over the IRS illegally sharing confidential taxpayer data with immigration authorities
• Fear among immigrant communities is driving down tax compliance

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is debating requiring taxpayers to disclose their citizenship status on next year’s tax forms, ‌according to three people familiar with the situation, as the Trump administration intensifies attempts to link federal agencies to its sprawling immigration enforcement and anti-fraud drive.

IRS officials are considering two versions of Form 1040, the primary paperwork individuals use to report earnings and claim tax benefits, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.

The Reuters Iran Briefing newsletter keeps you informed with the latest developments and analysis of the Iran war. Sign up here.

The ​first version contains minor updates to reflect changes in tax laws. The second includes those updates and a check-box labeled: “Check this box if you ​are a non-U.S. citizen or have dual citizenship.”

Representatives from the Treasury Department – the IRS’s parent agency – declined to comment ⁠on Friday.

Immigrants, including undocumented immigrants, are required to file taxes and use the same IRS forms as tax filers with citizenship. Paying taxes has long ​been seen as a key factor for undocumented immigrants to obtain legal status.

“It’s just an effort to once again terrorize people with certain immigration statuses, ​and it’s another step of turning the IRS into an agency that collaborates with immigration authorities rather than being an agency that enforces and administers the tax laws,” said Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, an advocacy and low-income tax assistance organization.

The Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security spent much of 2025 ​attempting to collaborate, sharing confidential taxpayer data with immigration officials to assist in the Trump administration’s deportation campaign.

Olson’s organization filed a lawsuit, and a ​federal judge in November blocked the IRS from disclosing that data. The federal government has appealed the ruling.

The IRS in February admitted to the court that it had ‌erroneously shared ⁠the data of more than 42,000 taxpayers with DHS.

Disclosing a taxpayer’s personal information — including a name or address — outside of narrow legal exceptions carries stiff penalties, including jail time. President Donald Trump recently dropped a lawsuit against the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages after a tax agency contractor leaked his tax returns to media outlets. The contractor, Charles Littlejohn, is serving a five-year prison sentence.

In exchange for dropping the suit, the Justice Department created a nearly $1.8 ​billion fund to pay supposed victims ​of “government weaponization.” As part of ⁠the settlement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an agreement permanently barring the IRS from pursuing tax claims against Trump, his family or his businesses.

The Trump administration has sought to aggressively police government benefits awarded to non-citizens. Federal ​law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from many entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits covering ​education and housing. Non-citizens, ⁠though, pay into those programs through income, payroll and sales taxes.

Tax preparers nationwide reported encountering clients frightened to file taxes in 2025 due to the IRS’s collaboration with immigration enforcement. That fear has fiscal consequences for the U.S. government. The

Yale Budget Lab estimated, opens new tab
lower tax compliance rates among immigrant communities could lead ⁠to a $313 billion ​loss in federal revenue over the next decade.

The IRS is considering other methods of ​determining a taxpayer’s citizenship status. Non-citizens can file taxes using a nine-digit “individual tax identification number” in place of a Social Security number. Tax officials have discussed differentiating codes to denote a ​filer’s immigration status, the people said. The New York Times first reported those deliberations.

Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rosalba O’Brien and Nick Zieminski

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab

DOJ vows to appeal after judge dismisses smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia as ‘vindictive’

2026-05-22T18:10:47-04:00 / Fox News

DOJ spokesperson calls ruling ‘wrong and dangerous’ after judge found prosecution was retaliation for civil lawsuit

By Alexandra Koch , Bill Mears , David Spunt Fox News

Published May 22, 2026 6:10pm EDT

Tennessee authorities release body camera video of traffic stop involving Kilmar Abrego-Garcia

The Tennessee Highway Patrol released body camera video of its 2022 encounter with illegal immigrant Abrego-Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador’s Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT).

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/a5415527-2bac-4610-9105-19f480f8bffc

Listen to this article

3 min

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) vowed to appeal a federal judge’s decision Friday to dismiss human smuggling charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who initially entered the U.S. illegally and allegedly had suspected ties to MS-13, slamming the ruling as “wrong and dangerous.”

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw Jr. on Friday threw out a two-count indictment in Tennessee against Abrego Garcia, ruling the DOJ’s actions amounted to “vindictive and selective prosecution” in violation of the Fifth Amendment’s Due Process Clause.

Abrego Garcia was facing charges after allegedly conspiring to smuggle roughly 600 illegal immigrants into the U.S. annually, between 2016 and 2025, according to a cooperating witness.

FEDERAL PROSECUTOR ADMITS ‘EXTRAORDINARY’ TIMING IN ABREGO GARCIA SMUGGLING CASE CHARGES

Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrives with his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura and attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg at U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, Md., on Dec. 22, 2025, for a hearing.(Alex Wong/Getty Images, File)

“Another activist judge has placed politics above public safety,” a DOJ spokesperson told Fox News. “The judge’s order is wrong and dangerous, and we will appeal.”

The federal investigation was initially sparked by a November 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee and included suspected ties to the MS-13 gang and human trafficking.

The case became a constitutional standoff after the executive branch deported Abrego Garcia to El Salvador in March 2025 due to an alleged “administrative error.”

[MARYLAND IMMIGRANT WRONGLY DEPORTED TO EL SALVADOR MUST RETURN TO US, SUPREME COURT RULES]

Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia is seen during a traffic stop by the Tennessee Highway Patrol.(Tennessee Highway Patrol)

Abrego Garcia sued the government, and the judicial branch — ultimately backed by the Supreme Court — unanimously ordered his return be “facilitate[d]” to the U.S.

Crenshaw, an Obama appointee, noted that just days after the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Department of Homeland Security suddenly reopened a closed investigation into Abrego Garcia’s 2022 traffic stop.

[TENNESSEE BODYCAM OF ‘MARYLAND MAN’ TRAFFIC STOP SHOWS TROOPERS’ HANDS TIED DESPITE SMUGGLING CLUES]

This courtroom sketch depicts Kilmar Abrego Garcia sitting in court during his detention hearing on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Nashville, Tenn.(Diego Fishburn via AP)

Top Justice Department officials, under the leadership of Attorney General Pam Bondi and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, then pushed for an indictment, according to court documents.

In his 32-page memorandum opinion, Crenshaw determined the DOJ’s rapid pivot from closing the case to prosecuting Abrego Garcia was a direct retaliation for his successful civil lawsuit.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., meets with Kilmar Abrego Garcia at an undisclosed location in San Salvador, El Salvador, on April 17, 2025.(Sen. Van Hollen’s Office/Getty Images, File)

Calling it an “abuse of prosecuting power,” the judge concluded “absent Abrego’s successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador, the Government would not have brought this prosecution.”

As a result of the finding, Crenshaw formally dismissed the indictment and vacated Abrego Garcia’s conditions of release.

[CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP]

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who flew to El Salvador in April 2025 to meet with Abrego Garcia after he was deported to the country’s “Terrorism Confinement Center” (CECOT) megaprison, hailed Friday’s decision.

“Today, a federal judge made clear what we have long known: the Department of Justice was engaged in a vindictive prosecution against Kilmar Abrego Garcia,” Van Hollen said in a statment. “This decision is a strong repudiation of Trump’s lawless DOJ and a win for the Constitutional rights of everyone in our nation.”

Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.

She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.

SpaceX launches more powerful Super Heavy-Starship rocket on test flight

May 22, 2026 / 6:47 PM EDT / CBS News

SpaceX launched a revamped Super Heavy-Starship rocket Friday on a flight to test more powerful engines, enhanced control systems and a host of other upgrades needed to streamline operations and improve safety and reliability.

Once operational, Elon Musk’s company is counting on the mammoth rocket to launch larger Starlink satellites and government and commercial payloads, and eventually propel missions to the moon and even Mars.

The upgraded Super Heavy-Starship blasted off at about 6:30 p.m. EDT from a new, beefed up pad at SpaceX’s Starbase launch site on the Texas Gulf Coast. Launch followed a last-minute scrub Thursday due to a minor glitch with a launch pad system and two weather delays beforer that.

Generating up to 18 million pounds of thrust — twice the liftoff power of NASA’s SLS moon rocket — the 33 methane-burning Raptor engines at the base of the Super Heavy first stage pushed the 407-foot-tall rocket skyward atop a brilliant torrent of blue-white fire.

A SpaceX Super Heavy booster carrying the Starship spacecraft lifts off on a test flight from Starbase, Texas, May 22, 2026. Steve Nesius / REUTERS

It was the first launch of a “version 3” Super Heavy-Starship and the first use of SpaceX’s second Texas launch pad, designed to better withstand the rigors of repeated launches by the world’s most powerful rocket.

Two minutes and 24 seconds after liftoff, now out of the dense lower atmosphere, the Starship upper stage’s six Raptors ignited just before the Super Heavy first stage fell away.

It was programmed to flip around, reverse course and head back toward Starbase for a controlled splashdown in the Gulf, but the rocket had some engine trouble and didn’t reach its target.

“The booster’s primary test objective will be executing a successful launch, ascent, stage separation, boostback burn and landing burn at an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America,” SpaceX said on its website. “As this is the first flight test of a significantly redesigned vehicle, the booster will not attempt a return to the launch site for catch.”

About a minute and 10 seconds after booster splashdown, the 160-foot-tall Starship upper stage engines were expected to shut down, putting the spacecraft on an arcing sub-orbital trajectory targeting a Raptor-assisted splashdown of its own in the Indian Ocean.

During its coast through space, the flight plan called for the release of 22 Starlink satellite simulators from a Pez-like dispenser, including two with cameras to photograph heat shield tiles during re-entry.

The Super Heavy first stage is powered by 36 Raptor engines burning methane and oxygen. In this shot from an earlier test flight, the Raptors are seen burning in concert to propel a Super Heavy-Starship out of the lower atmosphere. The latest version of the rocket features more powerful engines, capable of generating a combined 18 million pounds of thrust. SpaceX

Overall, the Super Heavy-Starship is equipped with about 50 cameras that will send imagery to the ground via the Starlink satellite system.

The flight plan also called for one of the Raptor engines to be re-ignited in space to test start-up procedures in the space environment. One heat-shield tile was deliberately removed to measure the thermal and structural effects of re-entry on surrounding tiles.

“Finally, the ship will perform experimental actions tested on previous flight tests, including a maneuver to intentionally stress the structural limits of the vehicle’s rear flaps and a dynamic banking maneuver to mimic the trajectory that future missions returning to Starbase will fly,” SpaceX said before launch.

As with earlier test flights, the Starship upper stage is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in a belly first orientation before flipping vertical for a rocket-powered descent to splashdown in the Indian Ocean. This view shows an earlier Starship seconds before the spacecraft hit the water. SpaceX

A milestone on the path to the moon

Version 3 test flights are major milestones for SpaceX as the company works to perfect the first fully reusable rocket for operational use launching government and commercial satellites along with science probes and, eventually, piloted flights to Mars.

The flights also are critical to NASA, which is paying SpaceX to develop a version of the Starship upper stage for use as a lander to carry the agency’s Artemis astronauts to the surface of the moon starting in 2028. Shortly thereafter, NASA plans to begin launching multiple missions per year and to build a base near the moon’s south pole.

In the near term, NASA plans to launch its next Artemis mission in 2027, sending up four astronauts in an Orion capsule atop an SLS rocket to rendezvous in Earth orbit with SpaceX’s lander and an alternative being built by Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin.

An artist’s impression of SpaceX’s Starship moon lander compared to the squat lunar modules that carried Apollo astronauts to the lunar surface more than 55 years ago. NASA/SpaceX

NASA plans tests with both landers during the Artemis III mission, but the flight will proceed even if only one is available. Both companies must launch a successful unpiloted moon landing mission before the agency will attempt to land astronauts in 2028.

Neither company has yet put a moon lander in space and both face daunting test schedules. With version 3 of its showcase rocket now available, SpaceX is working to transition from sub-orbital test flights to orbital missions while continuing work to perfect the systems that will be needed for moon missions.

A major challenge is the ability to autonomously refuel a Starship lander in Earth orbit before it can head for deep space. The version 3 Starship now features the attachment points and fuel-transfer systems that will be needed for those operations.

SpaceX says the first in a series of orbital refueling tests is planned before the end of the year.

Audit finds over 70% increase in federal immigration arrests in NYC under Trump

May 22, 2026 10:13 PM UTC / Reuters

By Jasper Ward

Demonstrators hold signs during an anti-ICE protest in front of 26 Federal Plaza Immigration Court in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. May 12, 2026. REUTERS/Ryan Murphy/File Photo

• Summary

• More than 5,500 New Yorkers arrested by federal immigration agents over last year
• Audit recommends city prisons discontinue reports to ICE regarding non-citizens

WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) – New York City experienced a more than 70% increase in federal immigration arrests since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, according to a city audit released on Friday.

The audit, ordered by Mayor Zohran Mamdani soon after he took office this year, found that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested 5,567 people in the New York City area between January 20, 2025, when Trump, a Republican, was sworn in as president, and March 10, 2026. Over half of those arrests took place at immigration court at 26 Federal Plaza, according to the report.

Jumpstart your morning with the latest legal news delivered straight to your inbox from The Daily Docket newsletter. Sign up here.

That figure, according to the audit, represented a 71% increase over the same number of days at the end of Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which has federal oversight of immigration enforcement and has carried out Trump’s aggressive immigration campaign, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mamdani, a Democrat, ordered the audit as part of efforts to protect immigrant communities.

“New York City is home to immigrants from every corner of the world, and no one should live in fear because of their status,” the mayor said in a statement on Friday.

The audit report included more than two dozen recommendations, among them auditing emails between officials in the city’s Department of Corrections and ICE to identify any improper communications. Also recommended was discontinuing daily reports to ICE regarding the national origin of non-citizens admitted into custody who have qualifying “violent and serious convictions.” According to the report, sharing such information is not required by federal, state or local law.

New York and other Democratic strongholds have laws limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, some arguing local resources should not be used on what is primarily a federal responsibility, and that, as a matter of broader public safety, immigrants should be encouraged to work with law enforcement to report crimes without fearing deportation.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington; editing by Donna Bryson, Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Way harder than it should be: Why Congress may balk on $1.7B compensation fund

2026-05-22T19:01:29-04:00 / Fox News

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the fund ‘makes everything way harder than it should be’ for Republicans

Chad Pergram By Chad Pergram Fox News

Published May 22, 2026 7:01pm EDT

Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on division amongst congressional Republicans over a $1.8 billion compensation fund on ‘Special Report.’

NEW You can now listen to Fox News articles!

blob:https://www.foxnews.com/b6956463-712a-43f3-bdfe-fc247e2482dc

Listen to this article

7 min

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had never appeared before a congressional panel asking for money to run his department until Tuesday morning.

And even though cabinet secretaries routinely make their budget requests to Congress, it appears that Blanche apparently didn’t even need to ask lawmakers for the most-controversial batch of federal funds in years.

It was already approved. Somehow.

Blanche’s Justice Department announced the creation of a billion compensation fund to pay people who Republicans say are victims of government weaponization. Who gets the money isn’t clear. And what’s murkier still is how the stash of cash came about.

APOLOGIES AND CASH HEADED TO ALLEGED ‘WEAPONIZATION’ VICTIMS IN BILLION-DOLLAR TRUMP SETTLEMENT

President Donald Trump speaks during a Fighting For American Workers event in Suffern, N.Y., on May 22, 2026.(Ryan Murphy/AP)

In short, President Donald Trump sued his own IRS for leaking his tax returns – along with the filings of several hundred other Americans. Then, Blanche’s own Department of Justice announced that the president essentially settled with himself.

“Per the settlement, plaintiffs will receive a formal apology but no monetary payment or damages of any kind. They have agreed, in exchange for the creation of this fund, to drop their pending lawsuit with prejudice, and also withdraw two administrative claims, including for damages resulting from the unlawful raid of Mar-a-Lago and the Russia-collusion hoax,” read the DoJ statement.

The fund is worth $1.776 billion. Get it? 1776.

REPUBLICANS RECOIL AS TRUMP’S BILLION-DOLLAR DOJ ‘SLUSH FUND’ FOR ALLIES THREATENS ICE, BORDER PATROL PLAN

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche spoke during a news conference at the Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice building in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2026. He discussed the department’s anti-fraud efforts and announced the creation of a National Fraud Enforcement Division.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

So while the president couldn’t receive money from this fund, his political allies and donors could.

All without congressional input.

“I realize it’s a lot of money,” said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “I want to understand where the money comes from. Do we find it in the budget? Do we have to borrow it? There’s just a lot of unanswered questions.”

DAVID MARCUS: HE BARELY SURVIVED BIDEN LAWFARE, AND NOW HE DESERVES TO GET PAID

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., has argued a third budget reconciliation package is unlikely to materialize this year, adding the forthcoming immigration enforcement-focused bill is the “last train leaving the station” ahead of November’s midterm elections.(Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“What I want to know is how the fund is created and what its purpose is,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan.

“And (I want to know) the legality of creating a fund that Congress hasn’t had anything to say about.”

The government swept up the phone information of multiple Republican lawmakers after the January 6 riot as part of Operation Arctic Frost. That included the records of Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn. He defended the fund.

‘COMPLETE FAILURE’: GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN CRISIS THREATENS CAPITOL HILL AS TRUMP PLANS POLICY OVERHAUL

Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., is seen inside the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 4, 2026.(Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

“What we ought to be talking about is the reasons for the compensation. Weaponization of government that took place under former President Joe Biden was an absolute disgrace,” said Hagerty.

Blanche formerly served as President Trump’s personal legal counsel. Lawmakers argued that Blanche reverted to that role when he created the compensation fund out of the ether.

“Mr. Attorney General, you are acting today like the president’s personal attorney. And that’s the whole problem,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS FACE BRUISING BATTLE TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

Sen. Chris Van Hollen questions U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a subcommittee hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 9, 2025.(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

“You’re a very gifted lawyer. But from my perspective, you have very little faith to the Constitution and the people of America. And you’re the president’s consigliere,” piled on Sen. Jack Reed D-R.I.

Lawmakers questioned who qualifies for compensation.

“Will individuals who assaulted Capitol Hill police officers be eligible for this fund?” asked Van Hollen.

DEMS DEMAND TRUMP RESUME CASH FLOW AS THEY FINALLY GET LEVERAGE IN RACE TO PREVENT SHUTDOWN

“Anybody in this country is eligible to apply if they believe they are a victim of weaponization,” replied Blanche.

And that’s what concerned bipartisan lawmakers. The compensation conundrum instantly spilled over into a major bill, due to the hit the Senate floor.

Congressional Republicans were trying to pass a bill to finally address funding for ICE and Border Patrol, once and for all. But they planned to bypass a Democratic filibuster using a special process called budget reconciliation.

SENATE GOP LAUNCHES ALL-NIGHT VOTE-A-RAMA TO FUND ICE, BORDER PATROL THROUGH END OF TRUMP’S TERM

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents patrol seen patrolling an airport.(Heather Diehl/Getty Images)

The good thing about reconciliation is that you can pass a bill with 51 yeas and don’t need to clear the filibuster with 60 votes. The bad thing is that the reconciliation process entails what the Senate refers to as a “vote-a-rama.” This is where senators can offer practically any amendment on any subject in a drawn-out process which might consume an entire calendar day.

Republicans freaked out that Democrats would force them to take controversial votes on the compensation fund. And frankly, many Republicans intended to author their own amendments to curb the fund – simultaneously inoculating themselves from blowback.

That political brew was too much for Senate Republicans.

DEMOCRATS’ LAST-MINUTE MOVE TO BLOCK GOP FUNDING PLAN SENDS LAWMAKERS HOME EARLY

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., spoke to reporters after the Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28, 2026.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

They summoned Blanche to Capitol Hill Thursday morning to explain the fund. The meeting didn’t go well. Fox is told that Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., were pointed in their comments to Blanche. Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., popped into the Capitol’s Ohio Clock Corridor en route to the meeting. Tillis was in mid-conversation. All anyone could hear Tillis say was “And I’m not voting for it!” as he walked by.

By early afternoon, Republican leaders scrapped the bill to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and sent everyone home for Memorial Day. It was the biggest legislative rebuke of President Trump’s second term.

“I just don’t know how this puppy dog will work,” said Kennedy. “I think there were six or seven people who are going to vote no.”

SENATE REPUBLICANS RACE TO FUND ICE, CBP WITHOUT DEMOCRATS AS SHUTDOWN DRAGS

Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., and Senate GOP leaders are pushing forward with budget reconciliation to fund the final piece of government that had been shut down by Senate Democrats’ opposition to President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions.(Nathan Posner/Anadolu)

Yet Republicans were practically on the verge of finally ending the ICE and Border Patrol funding impasse.

“The sole reason we are here today is because Democrats refused to fund law enforcement at the Department of Homeland Security,” said Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D.

The debate over funding for the president’s ballroom wasn’t exactly the foxtrot for Senate Republicans. But the compensation fund converted the reconciliation process into the samba.

CONGRESS MELTS DOWN: MEMBERS UNLEASH PERSONAL ATTACKS AFTER WEEKS OF SHUTDOWN DRAMA

Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., listens during the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee confirmation hearing for Secretary of Education nominee Linda McMahon in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Feb. 13, 2025.(Bill Clark/Unknown)

No fancy footwork here. Republicans managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

“There are a lot of questions about it. I have Republican colleagues who have concerns about who can receive funding from that fund,” said Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind.

However Banks noted that “every single Republican who was on the ballot like I was in the ‘24 cycle talked about stopping the weaponization of government.”

HOUSE GOP TENSIONS ERUPT AS REPUBLICANS TURN ON EACH OTHER HEADING INTO YEAR’S END

Sen.-elect Peter Welch, D-Vt., walks through the hallways of the Senate at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 15, 2022.(Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Democrats watched as Republicans blanched at what Blanche told them.

“I think my Republican colleagues have reached their limit,” said Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.

Thune said the compensation fund “makes everything way harder than it should be.” He declared that the White House should should have “consulted” with Congressional Republicans about the fund ahead of time. So deadlocked, Thune and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., dismissed everyone until early June.

OUT OF POWER: DEMOCRATS DISORIENTED IN FIGHT AGAINST TRUMP AGENDA

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is mounting a longshot bid to retake Senate control during November’s midterm elections.(Kylie Cooper-Pool/Getty Images)

“Republicans are so divided, so dysfunctional, so disorganized, that they are fleeing Washington. Their majority can’t melt down fast enough,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.

However, some of the President’s allies defended the compensation fund.

“I feel comfortable that whose who have been wronged by their government should have some sort of redress,” said Sen. Eric Schmidt, R-Mo.

[image_19]

And even though the president recently steamrolled some GOP foes politically, Republicans blocked him legislatively.

“We should have full review of what we’re funding,” said Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont. “Congress has our obligation.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

So President Trump may get the personnel he wants in Congress next year as Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., go by the wayside. But securing the policies may need to wait until the president’s preferred candidates are in place in 2027.

That’s why some lawmakers are questioning whether Congress can move any more meaningful legislation the rest of this year. Everything else from here on will be “way harder than it should be.”

Chad Pergram currently serves as Chief Congressional Correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He joined the network in September 2007 and is based out of Washington, D.C.