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Judge denies Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs push to delay trial

The federal judge in the trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs for sex trafficking and other charges denied Friday the music mogul’s bid to delay his trial by two months, saying he had ample time to prepare.On Monday, the rapper and record producer pleaded not guilty to two new charges added to the criminal racketeering and sex trafficking case: one new charge of sex trafficking and one of transportation to engage in prostitution.Judge Arun Subramanian said that the blockbuster trial of Combs, 55, who stands accused by several women of trafficking and sexually exploiting them, should go ahead as planned on May 5. It is expected to last eight to 10 weeks.He has denied all charges thus far, insisting that any sex acts were consensual, and he nodded his head vigorously Friday when the judge reminded the courtroom that Combs was innocent until proven guilty.”It’s unclear why… there isn’t sufficient time, especially given the now four (law) firms Mr. Combs now has representing him,” the judge said at a pretrial hearing in a Manhattan skyscraper courthouse.Combs’s lead lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, had said an extension was required to examine new evidence.”The new conduct (alleged) is not new,” the judge said in response.On Friday, Combs wore drab prison scrubs, his hair and beard flecked with grey as he rocked from side to side, turning around at one point to blow a kiss to his mother, Janice.Also in court was attorney Brian Steele, fresh from securing a successful plea deal for artist Young Thug, who had faced decades in jail.Steele did not speak.Public allegations have been building against Grammy winner Combs since late 2023, when singer/actor Cassie, whose real name is Casandra Ventura, alleged he had subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs, as well as a 2018 rape.Along with the federal criminal case, Combs faces a mountain of civil suits that allege harrowing abuse by the artist with assistance from a loyal network of employees and associates.The rap superstar, incarcerated since September, has started to look noticeably aged.

Trump says US will soon ‘take a pass’ if no Ukraine deal

President Donald Trump said Friday the United States will “take a pass” on brokering further Ukraine war talks unless there is quick progress from Moscow and Kyiv.Trump was speaking after Secretary of State Marco Rubio commented — following talks with European allies — that Washington would “move on” if a truce did not seem “doable” within days.”Yeah very shortly,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office when asked to confirm what Rubio had said. “No specific number of days, but quickly. We want to get it done.”Trump refused to cast blame on either Russian President Vladimir Putin, who ordered the February 2022 full-scale invasion of pro-Western Ukraine, or Ukrainian President Voloydmyr Zelensky. But he insisted both sides had to make progress.”Now if for some reason one of the two parties makes it very difficult, we’re just going to say: ‘You’re foolish. You’re fools. You’re horrible people’ — and we’re going to just take a pass,” Trump said. “But hopefully we won’t have to do that.”Trump boasted repeatedly before returning for a second presidential term that he would end the Ukraine war within 24 hours. He claimed recently that he was being sarcastic.Ukraine has agreed to a full temporary ceasefire and accused Russia of stalling on a deal to get a better negotiating position.Trump stunned Western capitals when he opened direct talks with Putin in February, soon after taking office.He said he hoped the Russian leader was not dragging his feet. “I hope not,” he said when asked if Putin was stalling. “I’ll let you know soon.”Trump denied that he was being “played” by the former KGB agent, who denied Russia was going to invade right up until the eve of the attack.”Nobody’s playing me, I’m trying to help,” Trump said.

US threatens to withdraw from Ukraine talks if no progress

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that Washington could soon exit efforts to reach a Ukraine ceasefire if it decided peace was not “doable”, after meeting European and Ukrainian officials in Paris.European powers have been seeking a seat at the table since US President Donald Trump’s shock decision to open talks with Russia to end the three-year-old war, which started with Moscow’s 2022 invasion.But Trump’s push for peace has stumbled, with Russian President Vladimir Putin rebuffing a complete truce.”The United States has been helping Ukraine over the last three years, and we want it (the conflict) to end, but it’s not our war,” Rubio said.”We need to figure out here now, within a matter of days, whether this is doable in the short term, because if it’s not, then I think we’re just going to move on,” he told reporters at the Le Bourget airport outside Paris.”We have other priorities to focus on as well.”Rubio said European officials had been “very helpful and constructive with their ideas” during talks in Paris on Thursday, which he attended with US envoy Steve Witkoff.”We’d like them to remain engaged… I think the UK and France and Germany can help us move the ball on this,” he said, ahead of a similar meeting planned for “early next week” in London.- ‘European sanctions’ -Ukraine said Friday that its prime minister would visit Washington next week for talks with US officials aimed at clinching a long-fraught minerals and resources deal.Trump wants the deal as compensation for aid given to Ukraine by his predecessor, Joe Biden.An agreement would be designed to give the United States royalty payments on profits from Ukrainian mining of resources and rare minerals.Rubio had said late Thursday in a phone call with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that “peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement”, the US State Department said.Rubio said he hoped European nations would consider lifting sanctions against Russia over the war.”Many of them are European sanctions that we can’t lift, if that were ever to be part of a deal,” he said.European countries last month agreed to ramp up rather than scale down sanctions on Russia.France and Britain have sought a coordinated European response to defending Ukraine during the conflict and in any ceasefire, after Trump opened talks with Putin.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the Paris talks had made a breakthrough because the United States, Ukraine and European ministers had “gathered around the same table”. He said the United States “has understood that a just and sustainable peace… can only be achieved with the consent and contribution of Europeans.”- ‘Little problem’ -Russia’s strikes, which have recently killed dozens of people including children in Ukrainian cities, have increased pressure for new diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.Witkoff said this week that Putin was open to “permanent peace” after talks with him in Saint Petersburg, their third meeting since Trump returned to the White House in January.Zelensky has accused Witkoff of “spreading Russian narratives” after the US envoy suggested a peace deal with Russia hinged on the status of Ukraine’s occupied territories.Putin last month rejected a US proposal for a full and unconditional ceasefire, after Kyiv gave its backing to the idea.Putin also suggested Zelensky be removed from office, sparking an angry response from Trump who said he was “very angry” with the Russian leader.Celia Belin, of the European Council on Foreign Relations, said Rubio’s latest comments were “not surprising”.”Trump wants to get rid of the Ukraine issue,” she told AFP.”He wants to renew a strategic partnership with Moscow and he doesn’t want a ‘little problem’ like Ukraine getting in the way.”burs-ah/jh/js

Two killed as police officer’s son opens fire at US university

Two men were killed in a mass shooting at a university in Florida allegedly carried out by the son of a local deputy sheriff with her old service weapon, police in the southeastern US state said Thursday.Five people were wounded when the gunman — identified as Phoenix Ikner — rampaged through Florida State University, shooting at students, before he was shot by local law enforcement.A sixth person was hurt trying to run away from the shooting, Chief Lawrence Revell of the Tallahassee Police Department said in a statement.The campus was locked down as gunfire erupted, with students ordered to shelter in place as first responders swarmed the site moments after the lunchtime shootings.Ikner, 20, has been hospitalized with “serious but non-life-threatening injuries,” Revell added.Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil told reporters Ikner was a student at the university and the son of a an “exceptional” 18-year member of his staff.”Unfortunately, her son had access to one of her weapons, and that was one of the weapons that was found at the scene.He added that the suspect was part of Sheriff’s Office training programs, meaning “it’s not a surprise to us that he had access to weapons.”Bystander footage aired by CNN appeared to show a young man walking on a lawn and shooting at people who were trying to get away.Witnesses spoke of chaos as people began running through the sprawling campus as shots rang out near the student union.”Everyone just started running out of the student union,” a witness named Wayne told local news station WCTV.”About a minute later, we heard about eight to 10 gunshots.”The witness said he saw one man who appeared to have been shot in the midsection.”The whole entire thing was just surreal. I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing.”Everything was really quiet, then all chaotic.”- ‘Make them take time’ -The two people who died were “adult males” who were not students, police said.The university, a public institution with more than 40,000 students, cancelled all classes and told students who did not live on campus to leave.FSU President Richard McCullough said the university was working to support those affected by the attack.”This is a tragic day for Florida State University,” he said.”We’re absolutely heartbroken by the violence that occurred on our campus earlier today.”Student Sam Swartz told the Tallahassee Democrat he had been in the basement of the student union when shooting started. “Everyone started freaking out,” Swartz said, adding he had heard around 10 shots.A group of eight people huddled in a hallway and barricaded themselves with trash cans and plywood.”I remember learning to do the best you can to make them take time,” Swartz said, adding that mass shooters are “just trying to get as many people” as they can.Footage on social media showed a stream of young adults walking through corridors with their hands in the air as they evacuated the building.Mass shootings are common in the United States, where a constitutional right to bear arms trumps demands for stricter rules.That is despite widespread public support for tighter control on firearms, including restricting the sale of high-capacity clips and limiting the availability of automatic weapons of war.President Donald Trump called the shooting “a shame, a horrible thing,” but insisted that Americans should retain unfettered access to guns.”I’m a big advocate of the Second Amendment. I have been from the beginning. I protected it,” he said, referring to the part of the US Constitution gun advocates say protects firearm ownership.”These things are terrible, but the gun doesn’t do the shooting — the people do.”A tally by the non-profit Gun Violence Archive shows there have been at least 81 mass shootings — which it defines as four or more people shot — in the United States so far this year.

US senator meets wrongfully deported Salvadoran migrant

American Senator Chris Van Hollen said Thursday he had met with a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported to his home country by the Trump administration, in a case that has sparked outrage in the United States.Van Hollen had earlier said he had been denied access to the prison where Washington has paid President Nayib Bukele millions to lock up nearly 300 migrants it says are criminals and gang members — including 29-year-old Kilmar Abrego Garcia.”I said my main goal of this trip was to meet with Kilmar. Tonight I had that chance,” Van Hollen later posted on X with a photo of him sitting at what appeared to be a restaurant table with Abrego Garcia.The dour-faced deportee is shown wearing a short-sleeved check shirt and a baseball cap.Van Hollen added that he would offer “a full update upon my return” to the United States.Abrego Garcia was detained in Maryland last month and expelled to El Salvador along with 238 Venezuelans and 22 fellow Salvadorans who were deported shortly after President Donald Trump invoked a rarely-used wartime authority. Trump administration officials have claimed he is an illegal migrant, a gang member and involved in human trafficking, without providing evidence. Abrego Garcia had enjoyed a protected status in the United States, precluding his deportation to El Salvador for his own safety. A federal judge has since ordered he be returned, later backed up by the Supreme Court.But the administration — despite admitting an “administrative error” in his deportation — contends he is now solely in Salvadoran custody. – ‘Staying in El Salvador’ -Bukele, who met Trump in Washington on Monday, said he does not have the power to send the man back.The Salvadoran leader posted to X late Thursday that Abrego Garcia was “sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador.”The deportee in fact appeared to have a cup of coffee and glass of water on the table in front of him.”Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody,” Bukele added in another post.Van Hollen, on the second day of his trip to El Salvador, had earlier tried to make his way to the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) outside the capital San Salvador to see Abrego Garcia. The car he was traveling in was stopped by soldiers, he said, about three kilometers (1.8 miles) from the complex holding thousands of Salvadoran gangsters, and now also hundreds of migrants expelled from the United States. “We were told by the soldiers that they had been ordered not to allow us to proceed,” the senator later told reporters. – Cots without mattresses -He said the goal had been to check on the health and well-being of Abrego Garcia, who had been “illegally abducted” and was now the subject of “illegal detention” in the same prison built to hold members of gangs who had previously threatened his family.On Wednesday, Salvadoran Vice President Felix Ulloa had denied Van Hollen permission to see the prisoner or even talk to him by telephone. Asked why Abrego Garcia was being held at all, Ulloa told him “that the Trump administration is paying El Salvador, the government of El Salvador, to keep him at CECOT,” the senator recounted.Bukele had built the CECOT to hold gang members rounded up in an iron-fisted anti-crime drive welcomed by most Salvadorans but widely denounced for violating human rights. CECOT inmates are confined to their cells for all but 30 minutes a day, denied visits, forced to sleep on stainless steel cots without mattresses, and subsist on a diet of mostly beans and pasta. 

Gustavo Dudamel: the superstar conductor building bridges to pop

As the full moon rose, conductor Gustavo Dudamel’s signature theatrics were projected with a front-facing view to a spellbound audience, his baton whipping his orchestra into Richard Wagner’s legendary “Ride of The Valkyries.”It was perhaps an unlikely spectacle at Coachella, but one that generated a huge, enthusiastic crowd — and was befitting of a maestro who has become a bona fide celebrity.”WERK!” shouted one young audience member at Dudamel, as he and the Los Angeles Philharmonic began what was seen as one of the festival’s most memorable performances.Under Dudamel’s direction for the past 17 years, the LA Phil has cultivated an air of cool, fostering a relationship with pop and celebrity especially during the ensemble’s summer series at the Hollywood Bowl.So it was only natural that the 44-year-old take his act to California’s Coachella, one of the world’s highest-profile music festivals that in recent years has gained a reputation for buzzy surprises and eclectic line-ups.The orchestra delivered, launching into a mesmerizing set that included classics like Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, film themes like John Williams’ “Imperial March” from “Star Wars,” and a genre-spanning array of guests including country star Maren Morris, Icelandic jazz-pop singer Laufey, LA’s own Becky G and EDM DJ Zedd.The grand finale saw Dudamel’s baton conjure bars from one LL Cool J, a genre-blending pas de deux that mirrored a rap battle.”This place represents a culture,” Dudamel said of the festival in a backstage interview with AFP, ahead of his and the Phil’s first performance, which they will reprise on Saturday during Coachella’s final weekend. “This is what I believe is the mission of art, this identity,” he explained. “The identity of a new generation, hungry for beauty.”- ‘Catharsis’ -Over the years, some observers have marveled over — or criticized — Dudamel’s ties with Hollywood and his efforts to unite the classical world with music of the Hot 100 variety.But for the conductor — whose talent was shaped by Venezuela’s illustrious “El Sistema” musical education program — working across genre is “the most natural thing,” he said. In his youth, “my father had a salsa band, and I grew up listening to that and going to the orchestra, and it was always very natural to just enjoy music — whatever it was, a bolero, a rock band,” Dudamel recalled.”There are different styles of music, but music is one.”Johanna Rees, the vice president of presentations at the LA Phil, one of the most prestigious orchestras in the United States, says cross-genre collaborations are in part about drawing in fresh audience members.”It could be considered an entry point,” she said, “exposing the orchestra to these younger, newer audiences so they can come back and check out more things and discover orchestral concerts on their own.”A lot of audience members at Coachella, she predicted, were “seeing an orchestra for the very first time.””It’s quite awesome, in the most literal sense of that word, to see how everybody can come together and make this music completely without the genre.”Some in the classical music world have balked at this notion, considering it a dilution, or cheapening, of the art form.But such criticism misses the expansive possibilities ingrained in the process of collaboration, Rees said: “We’re not creating orchestral wallpaper behind a band.””It’s hearing the music in a different way. It’s not dumbing it down,” she added. “It’s just making it another version of itself.”The prime sunset slot at Coachella serves as a capstone ushering in Dudamel’s final year of his nearly two-decade run in Los Angeles — the product of “years of dreaming, and breaking walls, and connecting more not only with styles of music but with different people’s identities,” he said.It’s an ethos the maestro aims to bring to the eminent New York Philharmonic when he officially assumes his post as that company’s next director in the 2026-27 season.And it’s vital, he said, in a moment of boiling political turmoil.”We need these spaces of catharsis,” he said, to “connect to the power of a tool of humanity that is music.”

Trump and Italy’s Meloni talk up EU tariff deal hopes

Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni hit an optimistic note about a possible US-EU tariffs deal Thursday as the far-right Italian prime minister mounted a charm offensive at the White House.Casting herself as the only European who can de-escalate Trump’s trade war, Meloni highlighted their conservative common ground and said she wanted to “make the West great again.””There will be a trade deal, 100 percent,” Trump said during her visit. Meloni said she was “sure” they could reach a deal.The two leaders struck a warm tone during a working lunch and a meeting in the Oval Office, with Trump hailing the 48-year-old Italian premier as “fantastic.”Meloni is the first leader from Europe to visit the Republican since he slapped 20 percent tariffs on EU exports, which he has since suspended for 90 days.The Italian leader said Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Rome in the “near future” and that he might also meet European leaders there.”Even if we have some problems between the two shores of the Atlantic, it is the time that we try to sit down and find solutions,” she said.Meloni highlighted their shared views on immigration and “woke” ideology and added: “The goal for me is to make the West great again, and I think we can do it together.” – ‘Get smart’ -But while Trump expressed confidence about an eventual deal with the 27-nation bloc he accuses of trying to “screw” the United States, he said he was in “no rush.””Everybody wants to make a deal — and if they don’t want to make a deal, we’ll make the deal for them,” Trump added.Trump also returned to his administration’s familiar criticisms of Europe, saying it needed to “get smart” on immigration and boost defense spending on NATO.The US leader said separately that superpower rival China had “reached out” about a possible deal to end the bitter trade war between the world’s biggest economies.Trump has slapped eye-watering 145 percent tariffs on Chinese goods after it retaliated to his worldwide “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement on April 2.”I think we’re going to make a very good deal with China,” he added.Russia’s war in Ukraine meanwhile remained a touchy subject between the US and Italian leaders.Meloni has been a staunch ally of Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky since Russia’s invasion of the country in 2022, most recently calling Moscow’s Palm Sunday attack on the city of Sumy “horrible and vile.” Trump however has stunned allies with a pivot toward Moscow and repeated attacks on Zelensky, whom he berated in an Oval Office meeting in February.The US leader said with Meloni beside him that “I don’t hold Zelensky responsible but I’m not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started,” adding that he was “not a big fan” of the Ukrainian.- Uncertainty -Meloni had earlier acknowledged the uncertainty weighing on her trip as Europe reels from repeated blows from a country that has been the continent’s defender for decades.”I am aware of what I represent and I am aware of what I am defending,” Meloni said Tuesday.Italian newspapers reported that one of the goals of Meloni’s visit was to pave the way for a meeting between Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.Meloni’s decision to personally intercede with Trump has caused some disquiet among EU allies, who are concerned that her visit could undermine bloc unity.”If we start having bilateral discussions, obviously it will break the current dynamic,” France’s Industry Minister Marc Ferracci warned last week. A European Commission spokeswoman said that while the EU alone could negotiate trade agreements, Meloni’s “outreach is very welcome” and was coordinated with Brussels.Following Thursday’s meeting with Trump, Meloni will fly back to Rome on Friday in time to host US Vice President JD Vance, with whom she has a meeting planned.Trump’s threatened tariffs could have a major impact on Italy, the world’s fourth-largest exporter, which sends around 10 percent of its exports to the United States.

First US ‘refugee scientists’ to arrive in France in weeks: university

The first researchers fleeing US spending cuts imposed by President Donald Trump will start work at a French university in June, officials said Thursday.Aix Marseille University said its “Safe Place for Science” scheme received a flood of applicants after announcing in March it would open its doors to US scientists threatened by cuts.Of 298 applications, 242 were deemed eligible and “are being studied” for  some 20 available posts, the university said in a statement. It added that 135 of the applicants were US citizens, and 45 were dual citizens.University president Eric Berton said he wanted to see a new status of “refugee scientist” be created, and for more US researchers to be welcomed in France and Europe.A bill establishing such a status was presented in the French parliament on Monday by former president Francois Hollande, now a deputy.Aix Marseille University has previously brought in 25 scientists from Ukraine, Yemen, Afghanistan and the Palestinian territories under another programme for researchers under threat.The university has set aside a budget so that each researcher taken in receives between 600,000 and 800,000 euros ($680,00-$910,000) over three years to continue their work.It said the applicants from a variety of US institutions, including Johns Hopkins, NASA, Yale, Stanford, Columbia and the University of Pennsylvania. A selection panel will meet next Wednesday, followed by remote interviews before the first scientists arrive in early June.

Netflix earnings top forecasts despite economic turmoil

Netflix on Thursday reported quarterly earnings slightly better than analysts expected, saying it is staying focused on what it can control as the overall economy is roiled by US President Donald Trump’s trade war.The streaming television service declared itself “off to a good start in 2025″ with a profit of $2.9 billion on revenue of $10.5 billion in the first quarter of the year. Revenue grew thanks to higher subscription and ad earnings, along with the timing of some expenses, according to Netflix.Shares in the Silicon Valley-based company were up nearly three percent in after-market trades.”The will-they-or-won’t-they tariff situation is destruction to many industries and will make entertainment more expensive to produce,” said Emarketer senior analyst Ross Benes.”But Netflix is poised to withstand the strain better than most of its competitors, at least initially, due to its low reliance on ad revenues and its favorable cancellation rates compared to its peers.”Netflix is paying close attention to consumer sentiment and the direction of the broader economy, co-chief executive Greg Peters told financial analysts on an earnings call.”We remain focused on the things that we can control, and improving the value of Netflix is the big one,” co-chief executive Ted Sarandos added.”Historically, in tougher economies, home entertainment value is really important to consumer households.”Netflix does most of its spending on content in the United States, but produces original shows or films in some 50 countries, according to Sarandos.- Live programming and games -Netflix early this year increased prices in Argentina, Canada, Portugal and the United States.In a bid to boost sputtering growth, the company launched an ad-subsidized offering in late 2023 around the same time as a crackdown on sharing passwords.Netflix has been steadily improving its ad platform as viewers continue to turn away from traditional television to streaming shows on demand.”We’re executing on our 2025 priorities: improving our series and film offering and growing our ads business; further developing newer initiatives like live programming and games; and sustaining healthy revenue and profit growth,” Netflix said in a letter to shareholders.Netflix forecast revenue growth of 15 percent in the current quarter, crediting its lineup of shows and films along with improvements to its ad platform.”We remain optimistic about our 2025 slate with a lineup that includes returning favorites, series finales, new discoveries and unexpected surprises designed to thrill our members,” Netflix told shareholders.Netflix touted hits including its “Adolescence” series that has logged some 124 million views, and the Spanish-language film “Counterattack” from Mexico.Netflix said in February it would spend $1 billion over four years producing content in Mexico, in a boost to that government’s efforts to attract investment in the face of US tariff threats.Investors view Netflix as a rare haven in a stock market vexed by Trump’s stop-start tariff plans targeting dozens of trade partners.This quarter marks a shift by Netflix to stop reporting subscriber numbers along with its earnings figures.The company, considered by analysts as the leading video streaming service, finished out last year with more than 300 million subscribers.”Netflix is part of a broader industry shift away from focusing on how many new viewers are obtained to focusing on how much money viewers are bringing in,” analyst Benes said.

US Supreme Court to hear Trump birthright citizenship case next month

The US Supreme Court announced Thursday it would hear arguments next month on President Donald Trump’s push to end birthright citizenship — a principle enshrined in the Constitution for over 150 years.The Trump administration had filed an emergency application asking the justices to lift or limit lower court rulings that paused an executive order he signed on his first day in office.Under that order, which was due to take effect February 19, children born to parents in the United States illegally or on temporary visas would not automatically become US citizens, radically altering the interpretation of the Constitution’s 14th Amendment.Offering no commentary on the case, the court said it would hear oral arguments on May 15, while leaving the halts in place.When asked about the development Thursday, Trump said he was “so happy.””I think the case has been so misunderstood — that case, birthright citizenship, is about slavery,” he told reporters in the Oval Office.The 14th Amendment was one of several amendments enacted in the wake of the Civil War to guarantee rights to formerly enslaved people, and says, in part: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”Trump’s order was premised on the idea that anyone in the United States illegally, or on a visa, was not “subject to the jurisdiction” of the country, and therefore excluded from this category.The Supreme Court, in a landmark 1898 case, previously rejected such a narrow definition.District Judge John Coughenour, who heard one of the cases challenging the action in Washington state, described the executive order as “blatantly unconstitutional.””I’ve been on the bench for over four decades, I can’t remember another case where the question presented is as clear as this one is,” said Coughenour, who was appointed by a Republican president, Ronald Reagan.The birthright citizenship issue will be just one at play in the May 15 hearing, as the justices have technically been asked in the case to limit nationwide injunctions against Trump’s policies.Like the halt on his birthright citizenship order, many of his other actions have been blocked by lower courts as they work their way through the legal system.The Trump administration argues that lower courts should be limited in applying halts to policy on a national scale, saying they “gravely encroach on the President’s executive power.””This situation is intolerable,” the Trump administration wrote in its emergency request, noting that the number of such injunctions have soared under his presidency.The Supreme Court has a 6-3 conservative majority, though it is unclear if the case will break down along ideological lines.The issue has become a rallying cry for Trump and his Republican allies, who accuse the judiciary of stymying his agenda against the will of voters.Democratic opponents however point to the onslaught of actions by the Trump administration in its rampaging first few months.The Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill last week to limit judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions, though the text likely has no chance of passing the Senate.