AFP USA

The US Supreme Court on Monday allowed President Donald Trump’s administration to end legal protections that have shielded some 350,000 Venezuelans from potential deportation.The top court granted a request by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to revoke temporary protected status (TPS) for the Venezuelans while an appeal proceeds in a lower court.Federal law permits TPS to be granted to foreign citizens who cannot safely return home because of war, natural disasters or other “extraordinary” conditions.Former president Joe Biden extended TPS for Venezuelans for 18 months just days before Trump returned to the White House in January, citing ongoing crises in the South American country under longtime ruler Nicolas Maduro.A federal judge in California put a temporary stay in March on the Trump administration’s plans to end TPS for Venezuelan nationals.US District Judge Edward Chen said the plan to end TPS “smacks of racism” and mischaracterizes Venezuelans as criminals.”Acting on the basis of a negative group stereotype and generalizing such stereotype to the entire group is the classic example of racism,” Chen wrote.Solicitor General John Sauer filed an emergency application with the conservative-majority Supreme Court asking it to stay the judge’s order.Reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision on Monday, Venezuelan-American activist Adelys Ferro blasted “a xenophobic, discriminatory, racist attack, coordinated for more than a year against a community whose only sin was to run away from a criminal dictatorship.”She pointed to the US State Department’s continued Level 4 safety advisory for Venezuela — its highest warning against travel to the country.”The Trump administration is basically becoming our tormentor, at least of the most vulnerable,” Ferro told AFP by phone.Trump campaigned for president promising to deport millions of undocumented migrants and a number of his executive orders around immigration have encountered pushback from judges across the country — including the Supreme Court.The president lashed out at the Supreme Court last week after it blocked his bid to resume deportations of alleged members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua using an obscure wartime law, the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA).”The Supreme Court of the United States is not allowing me to do what I was elected to do,” he said. “This is a bad and dangerous day for America!”In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court, which includes three justices nominated by Trump, said the alleged Tren de Aragua members were not being given enough time to legally contest their removal.Trump invoked the AEA, which was last used to round up Japanese-American citizens during World War II, on March 15 and flew two planeloads of alleged TdA members to El Salvador’s notorious maximum security CECOT prison.Since taking office, Trump has sent troops to the Mexican border, imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for allegedly not doing enough to stop illegal crossings, and designated gangs like TdA and MS-13 as terrorist groups.

US President Donald Trump fueled speculation Monday that Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis was covered up, saying he was “surprised” the public was not told about his predecessor’s condition earlier.Republican Trump’s extraordinary claim came just a day after it emerged that his bitter Democratic political rival, 82, had an aggressive form of prostate cancer.Trump also tried to tie the issue into a wider political row — sparked by a new book released this week — about whether Biden’s White House covered up evidence of his cognitive decline while in office.Biden had earlier Monday expressed gratitude for an outpouring of “love and support” following his shock diagnosis.”I’m surprised that the public wasn’t notified a long time ago,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked for his reaction to Biden’s cancer.”It takes a long time to get to that situation, to get to a stage nine,” he added, apparently referring to the announcement by Biden’s office that his cancer had “a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5).”Prostate cancer that looks “very abnormal” is assigned the highest rating, Grade 5, according to the American Cancer Society. The Gleason Score goes up to 10, indicating the seriousness of Biden’s disease.Oncologists that AFP spoke with, however, said that screening limitations could very well have left Biden’s condition undetected until now, and that late identification of an advanced cancer would not be unheard of, even for a former president receiving top-of-the-line medical care.- ‘Things going on’ -Suggesting that tests when Biden was president should have picked up signs of the disease, Trump added: “If you take a look it’s the same doctor that said Joe was cognitively fine.””There are things going on that the public wasn’t informed of.” Trump, who spent much of the 2024 election campaign bashing Biden’s cognitive fitness, had said in a statement on Sunday that he was “saddened” by the diagnosis. But 24 hours later he was leaning into accusations by others in his orbit of a cover-up, including his son Don Jr.Don Jr. questioned on Sunday whether the cancer should have been detected earlier — and then on Monday boosted unfounded claims Biden had covered up a previous diagnosis.He posted a clip of Biden — whose son Beau died of brain cancer — saying in an apparent gaffe in 2022 that “I, and so damn many other people I grew up with, have cancer.”Vice President JD Vance meanwhile said that “we really do need to be honest” about Biden’s fitness.”You can separate the desire for him to have the right health outcome with a recognition that — whether it was doctors or whether there were staffers around the former president — I don’t think he was able to do a good job for the American people,” Vance said after a meeting with Pope Leo XIV.- ‘Quick buck’ -The cancer diagnosis comes amid swirling new questions in recent weeks over Biden’s health while in office, with a new book titled “Original Sin” by two journalists alleging his staff worked to conceal his decline.Biden’s granddaughter Naomi lashed out at the book’s authors, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, calling it “a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck.”Biden’s team has consistently denied there was any effort to hide fears about his health.His diagnosis had prompted an outpouring of support from other quarters, including Biden’s vice president Kamala Harris and ordinary Americans.”Cancer touches us all. Like so many of you, Jill and I have learned that we are strongest in the broken places,” Biden said on social media on Monday, including a photo of him and former first lady Jill Biden.”Thank you for lifting us up with love and support.”Britain’s King Charles, 76, who himself is being treated for an undisclosed form of cancer, wrote to Biden over the weekend to express his well wishes, Buckingham Palace said.The mental and physical health of Biden, the oldest person ever to hold the US presidency, was a dominant issue in the 2024 election.After a disastrous debate performance against Trump, Biden ended his campaign for a second term.

The first group of undocumented migrants who accepted a payment of $1,000 from the US government and agreed to “self-deport” were flown from the United States to Honduras and Colombia on Monday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.A total of 64 migrants were aboard the “voluntary charter flight” that took off from Houston, Texas, DHS said in a statement.”They received travel assistance, a $1,000 stipend, and preserved the possibility they could one day return to the United States legally,” it said.Thirty-eight of the migrants were flown to Honduras, while the other 26 went to Colombia.DHS Secretary Kristi Noem urged other undocumented migrants in the United States to take advantage of what the department is calling “Project Homecoming.””Take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home,” Noem said. “If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation and will never be allowed to return.”If you are in this country illegally, self-deport now and preserve your opportunity to potentially return the legal, right way,” she said.Donald Trump campaigned for president promising to expel millions of undocumented migrants, and he has taken a number of actions since returning to power in January aimed at speeding up deportations.For instance, Trump has invoked an obscure wartime law to summarily deport alleged Venezuelan gang members, has sent troops to the Mexican border, and has imposed tariffs on Mexico and Canada for allegedly not doing enough to stop illegal border crossings.

The leader of the Democratic minority in the US Senate introduced legislation Monday that would block President Donald Trump from using a luxury plane offered by Qatar as the official Air Force One.Chuck Schumer’s Presidential Airlift Security Act would prohibit the Pentagon from using taxpayer funds to retrofit any plane previously owned by a foreign government for use as the presidential plane.The bill marked the latest in a series of protests by Democrats over Trump’s acceptance of the $400 million 747-8 jumbo jet, offered free-of-charge by the Gulf state’s royal family.The proposal has raised huge constitutional and ethical questions — as well as security concerns about using an aircraft donated by a foreign power for use as the ultra-sensitive Air Force One.Trump has denied there are any ethical issues involved with accepting the plane, saying it would be “stupid” for the US government not to take the aircraft.”Donald Trump has shown time and again he will sell out the American people and the presidency if it means filling his own pockets,” Schumer said in a statement. “Not only would it take billions of taxpayer dollars to even attempt to retrofit and secure this plane, but there’s absolutely no amount of modifications that can guarantee it will be secure.”Although several Republicans have voiced concerns about the proposed gift, Senate Majority Leader John Thune — a Trump loyalist — is not obliged to bring the bill to the floor of Congress’s upper chamber.But Schumer plans to force a vote by offering it as an amendment to spending bills that Republicans will have to pass later in the year.The US Constitution prohibits government officials from accepting gifts “from any King, Prince or foreign State,” in a section known as the Emoluments Clause.Schumer announced last week that he was planning to hold up all Justice Department political appointees over the gift, while Senator Chris Murphy pledged to force votes to block weapons sales to Qatar.Other Democratic senators have sought to advance resolutions of disapproval and have discussed legal action to enforce the Emoluments Clause.Some Republicans have also appeared queasy over the offer, mainly raising security concerns or objecting to the high costs of modifying a craft that will only be used during Trump’s term, before being moved to his presidential library. Trump has long been unhappy with the current Air Force One jets — two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft that entered service in 1990 under president George H.W. Bush.

An actors’ union is suing the makers of the Fortnite video game over the use of AI to create an interactive Darth Vader, it said Monday.Fortnite announced last week it had got permission from the family of James Earl Jones to make a chatty “Star Wars” villain based on the late actor’s voice work in the smash hit space opera series.Using AI models, developer Epic Games introduced the Emperor’s consigliere into Battle Royale, a player-versus-player version of Fortnite in which squads form to defeat other contestants online.Users were quick to adopt the Sith Lord on their missions, posting clips of their interactions with one of cinema’s most famous bad guys.Many delighted in the character’s apparent wit, laughing as he tells them off for poor technique, or suggesting that they are cheating.”The empire has no need for fast food,” he chides one player who asks what his McDonald’s order would be.”If I were forced to endure such a culinary experience, I would take a Chicken Selects Meal with large fries and a Coca-Cola drink.”But actors’ union SAG-AFTRA was not amused, claiming the use of AI in video games puts performers out of work.”We celebrate the right of our members and their estates to control the use of their digital replicas and welcome the use of new technologies,” a statement said Monday.”However, we must protect our right to bargain terms and conditions around uses of voice that replace the work of our members, including those who previously did the work of matching Darth Vader’s iconic rhythm and tone in video games.”The union, which says it represents around 160,000 people, says Epic’s subsidiary did not talk to its negotiators over how AI would be used in the game.SAG-AFTRA said it had filed a claim for unfair labor practice with the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency that protects workers’ rights to organize and to negotiate.Epic Games did not immediately respond to AFP’s queries, but a statement released last week cited Jones’s family saying they were pleased with the project.”We hope that this collaboration with Fortnite will allow both longtime fans of Darth Vader and newer generations to share in the enjoyment of this iconic character,” the family said. Performers have become concerned about the use of artificial intelligence in films, TV and video games.Improving technology makes it increasingly possible to digitally recreate the audio and visual likeness of an actor.The strikes that crippled Hollywood in 2023 stemmed in part from fears that studios would seek to use digital models to replace human performers and creators.Video game actors began their own strike against major players in the sector in July 2024.

A jury on Monday convicted a retired four-star US admiral who served as the US Navy’s second-highest-ranking officer on corruption charges for steering contracts to a company in exchange for a lucrative job. Robert Burke ordered staff to award a $355,000 contract to a company, and then began working there at a $500,000-a-year job after his 2022 retirement from the Navy, the US Department of Justice said.He also unsuccessfully attempted to convince a top officer to give the firm a separate contract.A jury found him guilty of offenses including bribery, performing acts affecting a personal financial interest, and concealment of material facts, court records show.Sentencing is set for August, the same month that two co-CEOs of technology services firm Next Jump are to go on trial in a related case, the Washington Post reported.Monday’s verdict makes Burke the senior-most officer to be convicted in recent times for crimes committed while serving in the US military.In the Navy, Burke served as deputy commander of the US 6th Fleet, commander of Submarine Group 8, and chief of naval personnel — a position he held at the same time as when he was vice chief of naval operations, the service’s second-highest position.The Navy has faced other corruption problems in recent years, with the most notorious scandal involving Leonard Francis — known as “Fat Leonard” — who handed out more than $500,000 in cash bribes and provided prostitutes, first-class travel, luxury hotel stays and lavish meals to naval officers.Francis was sentenced to 15 years in prison in November 2024, after fleeing house arrest and traveling to Venezuela before being returned in a prisoner swap the previous year.As part of a plea agreement, Francis provided government investigators with detailed information that led to the conviction of a number of high-ranking US Navy officers.

The CEO of CBS News, one of America’s best-known broadcast media outlets, quit Monday citing a “challenging” last few months as the network became embroiled in legal and business tensions with the Trump administration.US President Donald Trump is suing CBS owner and media giant Paramount for $20 billion in damages over the contents of a pre-election interview last year with his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris.Legal experts have argued the lawsuit is baseless, and would be an easy legal victory for CBS if it ever went to court, per constitutional protections for freedom of the press.Paramount nevertheless entered into mediation in a bid to placate Trump as it seeks to close an $8 billion merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which needs federal government approval.”The past few months have been challenging,” CEO Wendy McMahon wrote in a goodbye letter to staff. “It’s become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward. It’s time for me to move on and for this organization to move forward with new leadership,” she said.Trump alleges an interview with Harris on CBS’s “60 Minutes” program last year was edited to remove an embarrassing response.Many legal analysts maintain the suit is part of a broader assault on press freedom that has seen Trump bar some journalists from the Oval Office and sue other media organizations over their coverageIn a message to CBS News staff, Paramount CEO George Cheeks confirmed McMahon’s resignation and thanked her for her leadership.CNBC meanwhile reported that Cheeks spoke with McMahon Saturday and asked for her resignation, citing people familiar with the matter.The executive producer of “60 Minutes,” veteran journalist Bill Owens, resigned last month, citing what he said were attacks on his independence in running the show.Award-winning television newsmagazine broadcast “60 Minutes,” which pulls around 10 million viewers weekly, is a leading target of Trump’s offensive against the media.The program has continued to air investigations critical of the Trump administration since his return to the White House.In response, Trump has called for its cancellation, while his billionaire advisor Elon Musk has said he hoped the team behind “60 Minutes” would receive long prison sentences.

US President Donald Trump called Monday for a “major investigation” into Beyonce, Bruce Springsteen and other celebrities, alleging they were paid millions of dollars to endorse his Democratic opponent in the 2024 election, Kamala Harris.In a rant-filled diatribe that provided no evidence for his allegations, Trump charged for instance that Beyonce was paid $11 million to appear at a Harris rally — reports the Democrat’s team has denied.Trump, six months after he beat Harris to launch a second term in the White House, said such payments could amount to illegal campaign contributions.The US president alleged that for a Harris rally in late October in which the “Freedom” singer made an appearance, “Beyonce was paid $11,000,000 to walk onto a stage, quickly ENDORSE KAMALA, and walk off to loud booing for never having performed, NOT EVEN ONE SONG!” Trump said this was “according to news reports.” At the time, Beyonce told the rally crowd that “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother.”The US president said he intended “to call for a major investigation into this matter.””Candidates aren’t allowed to pay for ENDORSEMENTS, which is what Kamala did, under the guise of paying for entertainment,” he said, while also alleging the Democrat was trying to “artificially build up her sparse crowds. IT’S NOT LEGAL!”In her bid for the presidency Harris sought to harness star power from celebrities such as Beyonce, Springsteen and Oprah Winfrey.Winfrey has defended a $1 million payment to her production company from the Harris campaign to cover costs associated with the talk show legend’s production company hosting the presidential candidate at a rally in September.The campaign listed one endorsement-related expenditure for $75 in its financial reports to an environmental advocacy group.Trump, who won the 2024 election comfortably, received scant support from the entertainment industry at large but tapped into a targeted subset of well-known, hypermasculine influencers including podcast host Joe Rogan.The president on Monday accused Harris of paying rock star Springsteen to perform at a rally in Georgia weeks before the election.”How much did Kamala Harris pay Bruce Springsteen for his poor performance during her campaign for president?” he wrote.”Why did he accept that money if he is such a fan of hers?”Trump last week took to Truth Social to feud with Springsteen after the star told a British concert audience that his homeland was now ruled by a “corrupt, incompetent and treasonous administration.”In return, the 78-year-old Republican said the star, nicknamed “the Boss,” is “Highly Overrated.”Springsteen is an outspoken liberal critic of Trump and turned out for Harris after she replaced Democratic president Joe Biden in his abandoned reelection bid.

Prosecutors trying the case of Sean “Diddy” Combs on Monday began questioning witnesses to his alleged pattern of violence including the music mogul’s ex-girlfriend’s one-time best friend.Following nearly a week of grueling testimony from Casandra Ventura, who was with Combs for more than a decade, government attorneys are vying to build their broader racketeering charge that accuses Combs of heading a criminal enterprise that was involved in arson, kidnapping and bribery.In addition to that federal count Combs, 55, also faces sex trafficking charges. If convicted, the one-time powerful figure in the music industry could land in prison for life.Ventura, the 38-year-old singer known as “Cassie,” testified over four days that she was subjected to years of harrowing abuse and coercive, drug-fueled sex marathons known as “freak-offs.”Her one-time best friend Kerry Morgan, a 39-year-old personal assistant who met Ventura when they were teenagers in the modeling industry, described the singer’s relationship with Combs as physically and psychologically abusive.”She lost her confidence big time,” Morgan told jurors Monday. “She lost her spark. She was not the same Cassie.”During one violent outburst in Los Angeles, Morgan said she urged one of Combs’s security guards to “do something” as the rapper and producer struck Ventura — he didn’t.Morgan said aside from herself, most people in Ventura’s circle were Combs’s employees or associates, and that Ventura seemed to feel better about her relationship with Combs the more time she was with them.”You could tell they were convincing her it was okay,” Morgan said.Persuading jurors that a web of employees propped up Combs’s alleged crimes is key to the prosecution’s case.- ‘Combs controlled everything’ – Morgan was with Ventura in the hours following the now infamous 2016 incident at the Los Angeles-area InterContinental Hotel.Security footage that jurors have now seen multiple times shows Combs on that day beating and dragging Ventura, who testified she was trying to flee a freak-off.In the aftermath Morgan, who was staying at Ventura’s home, said Combs arrived there and began banging at the front door with a hammer.Ventura seemed “numb,” Morgan said: “I don’t think she cared if he came in and killed her.”Morgan said at times she encouraged Ventura to leave Combs, or call the police.Ventura would respond that “she couldn’t,” Morgan testified, “because of her job, her car, her apartment. Combs controlled everything.””She would have lost all of her livelihood.”Morgan said Combs struck her as well, an incident that prompted her to end her contact with both him and Ventura. Morgan told the court Combs was looking for Ventura one day and “boomeranged” a wooden hanger that struck her in the head and caused a concussion.She said it was a line-crossing moment and that she only saw Ventura one more time. Morgan said she signed a non-disclosure agreement in exchange for $30,000.Following Morgan’s testimony, the government called to the stand David James, who was a personal assistant to Combs during the time he dated Ventura.- Fits of rage -Monday began with an intense cross-examination of Dawn Richard, a singer who found fame in the girl group Danity Kane that came out of MTV’s reality show “Making the Band,” which Combs produced. Richard has a pending civil suit against Combs alleging sexual assault and battery.While Richard was a performer in the group Diddy — Dirty Money from 2009-2011 she said she witnessed Combs attempt to hit Ventura in the head with a skillet.When Ventura curled up on the kitchen floor in fear, he punched and kicked her, Richard said.Richard described two other similar fits of rage, including one time when Combs punched Ventura in the stomach at a Los Angeles restaurant.Nicole Westmoreland, a lawyer for Combs, painstakingly scrutinized Richard’s version of events in a bid to cast her as unreliable, also painting her money-hungry in light of her civil suit.The defense attorney pointed out inconsistencies between the singer’s statements on the stand, in her own suit, and in records of meetings with government lawyers.”You would agree with me that as time progresses your story changes,” Westmoreland asked.Richard replied “yes” — but later explained under more questioning from prosecutors that she has long aimed to forget those years she described as “a hard time.””Every day it gets easier to remember,” she said.

US President Donald Trump said that Russia and Ukraine would immediately start ceasefire talks after he spoke with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin Monday, but the Kremlin leader fell short of agreeing to the unconditional truce proposed by Washington.Trump painted a more upbeat picture of the situation after the two-hour call, as he desperately seeks a deal to end a grinding conflict that he had promised on the election trail to solve within 24 hours.Putin said he was ready to work with Kyiv on a memorandum towards a possible peace deal after the “useful” call — but insisted that more compromises were necessary to end the war Moscow launched in February 2022.”Just completed my two-hour call with President Vladimir Putin of Russia. I believe it went very well,” Trump said on his Truth Social network. “Russia and Ukraine will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War.”Trump added that the “tone and spirit of the conversation were excellent,” after the US president had shown signs of increasing frustration with the Kremlin leader. Trump recently called for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv agreed, but Putin has so far held off on any such truce.The Vatican — where Pope Leo XIV was recently elected as the first American pontiff — would be “very interested” in hosting the Russia-Ukraine talks, Trump added.- ‘Very useful’ -Putin was more circumspect, even as he appeared to give one of the most concrete signs yet of being ready to discuss an end to Moscow’s invasion of its neighbor. “It was very informative and very open and overall, in my opinion, very useful,” Putin told Russian media after the call.He said that Russia would “propose and will be ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace agreement defining a range of positions.”His comments left many details unclear, however, including on the timing and contents of the document.The Russian president added that while talks with Kyiv last week in Istanbul had put the world “on the right path” to resolving the conflict, more “compromises” were still needed.Trump, a former property tycoon who prides himself as a master of the “art of the deal,” has repeatedly signaled that he is losing patience with efforts to seal an agreement on Ukraine.After initially directing much of his frustration towards Zelensky, including during a blazing Oval Office row, he has recently said that the Russian president may be stringing him along.The US president briefly spoke to Zelensky before Putin, with the Ukrainian leader urging him to toughen sanctions against Russia if it did not agree to a ceasefire, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP.Trump added that he had “informed” Zelensky, European Commission President Ursula von Der Leyen and the leaders of France, Germany, Italy and Finland of the resumption of peace talks in a call immediately after his conversation with Putin.- Sanctions pressure -Germany said after the Trump-Putin call that key European allies of Ukraine had agreed to “increase pressure” on Russia with sanctions.But there were signs from Trump that he is more interested in resetting relations with Moscow than imposing sanctions.He held out the carrot that Russia could do “largescale TRADE with the United States when this catastrophic ‘bloodbath’ is over.”The Kremlin said that both Putin and Trump wanted the “normalization” of US-Russia ties.Still, Trump’s frustrations could yet boil over with either side if they fail to reach a deal.US Vice President JD Vance earlier said that if Russia proved unwilling to reach peace “then we’re eventually just going to have to say, this is not our war.” The White House had earlier said that Trump still hoped to meet Putin in person, after the Russian leader rebuffed his suggestion to meet at last week’s Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul.On the ground, the Russian army continued its attacks.Moscow claimed its forces had captured two villages in Ukraine’s eastern Sumy and Donetsk regions. Russia also fired 112 drones on Ukraine overnight, 76 of which were repelled, the Ukrainian air force said.burs-dk/aha