Angelika Ahrens
Trump is going to the Supreme Court again in the dispute over postal voting
In the legal dispute over stricter rules for postal voting, President Donald Trump's government has again appealed to the Supreme Court. She asked the court to suspend a lower court decision that has so far prevented her from implementing the new rules. Less than two months before the important midterm elections, the Trump administration is asking the US Supreme Court to make a quick decision with its urgent application. In the state of North Carolina, the first postal voting documents are scheduled to be sent out this Friday.
The Supreme Court had previously overturned another injunction against Trump's plans - albeit for procedural reasons. He did not decide on the legality of the project.
Angelika Ahrens
Trump administration announces start of work on triumphal arch
The administration of US President Donald Trump has announced that excavation work for the planned controversial Triumphal Arch in Washington will begin within the next two weeks. “This will be one of the great pieces of American architecture (…) befitting the most powerful capital in the world,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum wrote on Platform X on Thursday.
The 76 meter high arch is to be built between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery. A lawsuit was filed against the construction plans.
Sarah Sendner
US diesel price reaches record high
According to data from the GasBuddy portal, the average diesel price in the USA has reached a new record of $5,820 per gallon (1.32 euros per liter). This surpasses the previous high of $5,819, which was recorded on June 17, 2022 as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Vivian Melchert
US government wants to overturn tax exemption for universities with diversity goals
The administration of US President Donald Trump is intensifying its campaign against diversity programs at universities. The Treasury Department proposed a new rule Thursday that would strip private universities and colleges of their tax-exempt status if they provide targeted aid to students based on race.
The Trump administration wants to abolish diversity programs aimed at black, Hispanic students and other minorities at universities. Government officials have tried to stop measures to increase diversity, equality and inclusion, arguing that they put white and Asian Americans at a disadvantage.
“The administration’s recent rule changes are its most blatant attack on preventing working-class Americans and people of color from accessing higher education and a better life,” said Mike Gavin, executive director of the Alliance for Higher Education. The Treasury Department and the IRS estimate that up to 18,000 private colleges, colleges and other educational institutions could be affected by the proposal. Private universities in the USA have been exempt from many taxes for more than 100 years because they serve the public. The tax benefits save many universities millions of dollars each year.
Vivian Melchert
Trump suffers partial defeat in new birthright plan
US President Donald Trump has suffered partial defeat in his renewed efforts to impose far-reaching restrictions on US birth rights. A federal district judge issued a preliminary injunction against Trump's latest executive order denying citizenship to certain people in the United States.
Children of undocumented parents or parents living temporarily in the country who were or will be born in the USA since February 20, 2025 will continue to be considered US citizens for the time being. In addition, the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security, the USCIS immigration authority and other authorities may not take any action that “impairs, denies or does not recognize” the citizenship of those affected. The Trump administration is likely to take action against the decision.
Judge Deborah L. Boardman described Trump's move as "almost likely" unconstitutional since the Supreme Court had already ruled on the matter. “This court must therefore once again temporarily prohibit the implementation of the President's latest attempt to deprive them of their right to citizenship,” it said. Trump cannot simply ignore Supreme Court rulings by slightly rewording orders or constructing new exceptions. In his latest attempt, Trump wanted to take action against “birth tourism” and also create certain requirements for parents so that a child can be granted US citizenship.
Sabrina Frangos
Trump announces entry into the US Republican midterm election campaign
US President Donald Trump wants to get heavily involved in the Republican election campaign before the congressional elections in November. “I will be at your side 100 percent until November,” he said on Wednesday (local time) at a dinner with Republican representatives and senators in the White House. The aim is to defend the narrow majorities of the Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate in the election on November 3rd. It is primarily about 35 particularly contested mandates.
Trump had previously announced his appearances in Alaska and his support for some gubernatorial candidates to journalists in the Oval Office. However, he emphasized that the focus is on the congressional election campaign. Part of this offensive is also a Republican party conference next week, which is unusual for midterm elections, at which Trump will speak on both evenings. According to insiders, his double appearance will help attract more party supporters to the event.
Sabrina Frangos
Trump: Helipad at White House “essentially” complete
US President Donald Trump has declared the construction of the new helipad at the White House to be complete. "We essentially completed it today - one of the most beautiful helipads you've ever seen," Trump said. “This is very special,” he added. "And we finished it a little earlier than planned. It turned out even more beautiful than I thought."
Trump had indicated that construction of the helipad on the South Lawn of the White House was moving ahead at full speed in order to complete it before Chinese President Xi Jinping's planned visit at the end of the month.
Miriam Braun
Maduro calls for US cases to be dropped, citing immunity
Ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called on a US court to drop the criminal case against him for drug trafficking. “This unprecedented prosecution violates the absolute immunity from criminal jurisdiction that has been granted to heads of state and foreign officials in official capacity for centuries,” his lawyer, Barry Pollack, said in a filing Wednesday in New York. Maduro was arrested on January 3 during a US military operation in Caracas and has been in custody since then. If he is unsuccessful, the trial is scheduled to begin on June 1, 2027.
However, legal experts consider the move to be unpromising. When it comes to who they recognize as a foreign head of state, US courts generally follow the assessment of the government in Washington. This has no longer recognized Maduro as the legitimate president since 2019. A precedent should give Maduro little hope: In 1990, a federal judge in Miami rejected the immunity of former Panamanian ruler Manuel Noriega. Maduro's lawyer countered that the US government was not denying that Maduro was head of state, but was simply denying his legitimacy. A hearing on the application is scheduled to take place on November 17th.
Sabrina Frangos
Plane carrying US minister made emergency landing - engine failed
Due to a failed engine, a plane with US Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin on board had to make an emergency landing in the capital Washington. “The U.S. Coast Guard pilots made the single-engine landing seem like a routine affair,” Mullin wrote on Platform X. After landing, the pilots told Mullin that it was their first emergency landing. “We couldn’t have been in better hands.”
A total of 14 people were in the machine, according to a report from the local media DMV Live News, which Mullin shared on X. Accordingly, the right engine failed halfway, whereupon the plane was diverted to Washington. It initially remained unclear what the flight's destination was. “No panic, just pure professionalism,” Mullin praised the pilots.
Miriam Braun
Republican US Senator calls for Hegseth to be fired
Republican US Senator Thom Tillis has called on President Donald Trump to fire Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Tillis wrote on Platform X on Wednesday that Hegseth was creating “a leadership vacuum at the top of our armed forces.” Previously, Secretary of the Army Dan Driscoll resigned.
Driscoll was “the right man at the right time,” Tillis wrote. “I have never experienced more incompetent management of the brave men and women who serve our country,” Tillis said, referring to Hegseth. “Competence intimidates him,” he explained.
Tillis voted to confirm Hegseth as defense secretary last January after expressing concerns about Hegseth's suitability for the job.
Miriam Braun
US attacks on alleged “drug smugglers”: 227 dead in one year
In its controversial fight against suspected drug smugglers in the Pacific and the Caribbean, the USA has killed 227 people in one year. A spokesman for the Southcom command responsible for the region said a total of 68 strikes were carried out against so-called drug boats during the “Southern Spear” operation, which has been running for exactly a year. Only three suspected drug smugglers were rescued alive.
The US Department of Defense launched the “Southern Spear” operation at the behest of President Donald Trump to stop drug smuggling along the American continent. A US government official said on Tuesday that as a result of the operations, drug smuggling in the Caribbean had fallen by up to 65 percent. This information cannot be independently verified.
Vivian Melchert
Bessent: Washington is putting pressure on Iran's trading partners
According to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the US government is putting pressure on other countries to stop doing business with Iran. Bessent told Fox News on Wednesday that several members of the government were in talks with other countries.
Even when asked directly, Bessent avoided mentioning Russia. His message to everyone was to “stay away,” he said, referring to Iran, on the “Fox & Friends” program. "We all want this conflict to end, and the quickest way to end this conflict is for no one to provide support to this regime. We will cut any ties they have with the outside world."
Vivian Melchert
Lutnick: Prepare for tariffs on semiconductors
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick told CNBC that the Trump administration is working on a tariff for semiconductor chips. Lutnick confirms a report from Politico last week that the White House was considering this step. Accordingly, the taxes could affect not only microchips themselves, but also products in which they are installed. Laptops, game consoles and servers for data centers were mentioned as examples.
In his own words, Lutnick favors a regulation in which foreign companies would only be exempt from tariffs if they invest in US chip production in return. “I think what you're going to see is a targeted, thoughtful tariff policy that basically says: If you produce here, you pay nothing, but if you don't produce here, you can expect to pay for access to the largest market in the world,” Lutnick said at the G20 meeting. A gradual introduction of the new tariffs is also being considered.
The tariffs on semiconductor chips have been in the works for some time, but the government has not publicly discussed what exactly is being considered.
"We will be successful in semiconductors. They will be made in America," he said.
Sabrina Frangos
Trump wants acting Navy Secretary Cao as a permanent solution
After many personnel changes in the leadership of the US Department of Defense, President Donald Trump has made a proposal for permanent leadership of the Navy. Hung Cao, who has been running the business on an interim basis since April, will hold the position of Secretary of the Navy permanently, as Trump announced on his Truth Social platform. “I can’t think of anyone better suited than him,” Trump said. The Senate still has to approve Trump's proposal.
The former Undersecretary Cao had already taken office on an acting basis at the end of April after John Phelan resigned from the post. At the time, the ministry did not provide any information about the reasons for the change. As the New York Times reported, tensions had been simmering for months between Phelan and his two superiors, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and his deputy Stephen Feinberg.
Sarah Sendner
Dispute over trans people in the military: Trump goes to the Supreme Court
President Donald Trump's administration has gone to the Supreme Court in the legal dispute over the dismissal of trans people from the US military. A spokeswoman for the German Press Agency confirmed that a corresponding application had been received by the court. However, it is not yet clear whether the Supreme Court will accept the case.
In 2025, at Trump's behest, the Defense Department ordered that trans people be largely excluded from military service. Lower courts had blocked this for the time being, but a final judgment is still pending. Trump's request to the Supreme Court in the capital Washington aims to remove these members of the armed forces from service before a verdict is made.
Sarah Sendner
Trump wants to restrict birthright with new passport rules
The US State Department
