The federal government has asked a judge to halt the United States' first reparations program in Evanston, Illinois. The program, launched in 2021, offers Black residents $25,000 for past discrimination and the lingering effects of slavery. The U.S. Department of Justice called the program “racially discriminatory,” saying it violates the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution. The program allots more than $20 million over 10 years to eligible residents for home repairs and property expenses. Reparations have been a contentious issue, with differing views on how to address historical injustices.
Tyra Banks has filed a defamation lawsuit against Netflix and the directors of “Reality Check: Inside America's Next Top Model.” She contends in the lawsuit filed Saturday that they edited her interviews to create a false narrative. Banks says she was interviewed for over three hours, but the footage was cut to 16 minutes and misrepresented her statements. Her lawyers allege that the edits suggest Banks allowed a contestant to be assaulted and used it for ratings. Banks is seeking damages and an injunction against using her image on a related album. Emails seeking comment were sent Sunday to representatives for the defendants and for Banks.
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore sites changed under an executive order that sought to eliminate “inappropriate content” at national museums, parks and landmarks. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley's ruling on Friday also ordered the government to pause any additional changes and to submit status reports on restoring the changes. The order comes in response to a lawsuit by conservation and historical organizations over National Park Service policies. Many changes occurred at Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, including removing exhibits on enslaved people. President Donald Trump signed the executive order “restoring truth and sanity to American history” at the nation’s museums, parks and landmarks last year.
A federal judge has refused to stop the White House from staging a UFC show this weekend in an elaborate ring already built on the South Lawn to celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary — on President Donald Trump’s 80th birthday. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that organizers can use the White House lawn as the venue for Sunday’s planned UFC mixed martial arts event. The nonprofit Public Integrity Project sued to challenge Trump’s UFC Freedom 250 event. The White House calls the lawsuit baseless, saying it's no different from many other events hosted at public forums in the capital.
A federal judge in Virginia has extended a court-ordered block on the Trump administration’s creation and operation of a $1.8 billion settlement fund for compensating people who claim to be victims of a weaponized government. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche says the government is scrapping its plans for the fund after bipartisan backlash. Plaintiffs’ attorneys aren’t satisfied by Blanche’s assurances the fund won’t move forward. U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema previously agreed to temporarily block President Donald Trump's Republican administration from proceeding with the fund for at least two weeks. Brinkema on Friday gave the parties a week to negotiate an agreement for Blanche to submit a sworn declaration the administration won’t revive the fund.
More than 30 lawsuits have been filed against GKN Aerospace after one of the company’s tanks containing a highly flammable chemical overheated and threatened a catastrophic explosion in California's Orange County. The incident over Memorial Day weekend forced the evacuation of about 50,000 residents. More than 100 individuals along with local businesses are suing GKN Aerospace, saying the company was negligent in maintaining a safe facility in Garden Grove, especially since it’s located in a large population center. Pressure on the company increased Wednesday when FBI agents served a search warrant at the facility to collect documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank.
It is up to a New Mexico judge to settle a challenge over the legality of New Mexico’s fledgling universal childcare program, an ambitious and closely watched effort to eliminate daycare costs for all working families. A lawsuit brought by former Republican gubernatorial candidate Duke Rodriguez and other plaintiffs challenges the process used by state officials to eliminate an income cap and co-pays for childcare assistance. They say the Legislature didn't have a chance to weigh in or approve funding before regulations were adopted last fall by Democratic Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's administration. Attorneys for the administration argue the case is moot since funding has since been approved.
Federal authorities served a search warrant on Wednesday at a Southern California aerospace facility where a chemical tank overheated last month, forcing 50,000 residents to evacuate because authorities feared an explosion. The warrant signed by a federal judge last week approved the seizure of documents and records related to the “storage, use, or disposal” of methyl methacrylate, the chemical inside the affected tank. The FBI confirmed its agents were searching GKN Aerospace Transparency Systems in the Orange County city of Garden Grove. A GKN spokesperson told the AP the company is cooperating with authorities. County health officials said the chemical that overheated is still in the holding tank and there are plans to have it removed.
Civil rights groups have sued on behalf of New York residents to stop Westchester County, New York, from using nearly the nearly 600 license plate readers they have installed around the county. The plaintiffs argue the system is a form of warrantless surveillance that violates the state constitution. The lawsuit claims the county never received proper authorization for the program, which has collected 1.6 billion plate scans and shared them with over 50 law enforcement agencies. The case was brought on behalf of four women who highlighted concerns about privacy and data sharing. The use of license plate readers has been controversial, with some cities and states restricting or canceling their use.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency official is set to testify in federal court about the U.S. government’s plans for refunding billions of dollars in tariffs that the Supreme Court ruled President Donald Trump imposed illegally. A Court of International Trade judge says he wants to hear details to help him decide whether to order the government to expand its system for repaying businesses that paid the now-defunct import taxes. The Justice Department has appealed the judge's order to make all importers eligible for refunds plus interest. The government says only companies that were parties in any of the more than 2.500 lawsuits that challenged the tariffs are legally entitled to seek refunds.