Newsweek: McDonald’s manager detained by ICE agents before company picnic

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A manager at a McDonald’s outlet in New York was detained by immigration authorities earlier this week, despite reportedly holding a valid U.S. work visa and just before the restaurant’s annual company picnic.

Christian Rodriguez, who has worked at the branch in Oceanside, Long Island, for several years, reportedly possesses a Social Security number, according to Newsday.

A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson told Newsweek: “Christian Emmanuel Rodriguez Torrealba, a criminal illegal alien from Venezuela, entered the U.S. on a B-2 tourist visa that required him to leave the U.S. by June 3, 2016. Nearly 10 years later, he is still illegally in the U.S. Rodriguez’s criminal history includes convictions for battery and property damage crimes. ICE arrested this illegal alien on August 21, 2025.

“President [Donald] Trump and Secretary [of Homeland Security Kristi] Noem have been clear: criminal illegal aliens are not welcome in the United States.”

Newsweek has contacted McDonald’s for comment.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has directed his administration to remove millions of migrants without legal status to fulfill his campaign pledge of mass deportation. The White House has maintained that anyone living in the country unlawfully is considered to be a criminal by the incumbent administration.

What To Know

A co-worker who requested anonymity told Newsday that Rodriguez taken into custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents after attending a hearing regarding his immigration application, in Bethpage, New York, on August 21, according to the outlet.

He had previously appeared at another hearing on August 7, which colleagues believed went favorably, the outlet reported.

On the day of the second hearing, at around 2 p.m.—the time he was expected at a company picnic—Rodriguez sent a text to a co-worker saying his application had been denied and that ICE had arrested him, per the outlet.

Rodriguez was transported to Central Islip, where ICE appears to be taking detainees to the federal courthouse, according to Newsday.

A resident of the neighboring town of Baldwin, Rodriguez came to the United States in December 2015 on a tourist visa, per the outlet, which reported that Rodriguez’s immigration “notice to appear” stated that he faced possible removal from the United States for staying past the period permitted on his tourist visa.

Concerns have been raised over the economic impacts of the president’s mass removal policy. Immigrants, documented or undocumented, made up 20 percent of U.S. workers at the beginning of the year, but by June that share had fallen to 19 percent, a decrease of more than 750,000 workers, according to the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

What Happens Next

Rodriguez will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

McDonald’s manager detained by ICE agents before company picnic
The man was arrested after attending a hearing regarding his immigration application at a U.S. immigration office in Bethpage, New York.

https://www.newsweek.com/manager-arrested-ice-immigration-agents-company-picnic-2120819

Raw Story: ‘Legally debated’: Experts say Trump’s ‘midnight’ move is ‘first step toward a shut down’

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Donald Trump just made a “legally debated” move that will put us on the course toward a shut down next month, according to political experts.

The conservative New York Post reported in a “midnight scoop” that Trump had scrapped $5 billion in foreign aid in a “rare” action called a “pocket rescission.” According to Post reporter Steven Nelson, it is a “legally debated maneuver that hasn’t been used in 48 years.”

“President Trump is moving to cancel nearly $5 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid and peacekeeping spending in a rare ‘pocket rescission,’ The Post has learned — making use of a legally debated maneuver that hasn’t been done in 48 years,” Nelson reported. “Trump on Thursday night notified Congress of his request to cancel the funds, which had been tied up in a court case until earlier in the day.”

The report notes, “A pocket rescission is a request that’s presented to Congress so late in the fiscal year — which ends Sept. 30 — that it’s made regardless of whether Congress acts.”

But reporters were quick to sound an alarm.

Punchbowl News founder Jake Sherman flagged the news over night going into Friday, saying, “This would be the first step toward a shutdown next month.”

Co-founder John Bresnahan agreed, writing, “This could very well lead to a shutdown.”

One X user, District of Aluminum, added, “Vainglorious Russ Vought has decided to jeopardize a government shutdown with a $5 Billion ‘Pocket Rescission’ of foreign aid. He should have worked with Congress through appropriations. The villainy lies in his certainty that he alone knows the soul of America.”

‘Legally debated’: Experts say Trump’s ‘midnight’ move is ‘first step toward a shut down’

https://www.rawstory.com/legally-debated-trump-shutdown-rescission

Slingshot News: ‘Certainly Inefficient’: Billionaire Linda McMahon Insults American Education Workers For ‘Failing’ To Push MAGA In House Hearing

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‘Certainly Inefficient’: Billionaire Linda McMahon Insults American Education Workers For ‘Failing’ To Push MAGA In House Hearing
Education Secretary Linda McMahon insulted American education workers for ‘failing’ to push the MAGA agenda in their classrooms during a recent appearance before the House of Representatives.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/certainly-inefficient-billionaire-linda-mcmahon-insults-american-education-workers-for-failing-to-push-maga-in-house-hearing/vi-AA1LtFir

UPI: Judge blocks Trump’s attempt to fire VOA [Voice of America] director

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A federal judge has prohibited the Trump administration from dismissing Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz, handing President Donald Trump a defeat in his effort to dismantle the government-run and federally funded international news organization.

In his ruling Thursday, Judge Royce Lamberth of the U.S. District Court for the District of D.C. stated that the Trump administration cannot fire Abramowitz without approval of the International Broadcasting Advisory Board.

“The applicable statutory requirements could not be clearer: the director of Voice of America ‘may only be removed if such action has been approved by a majority of the vote,'” Lamberth wrote.

“There is no longer a question of whether the termination was unlawful.”

Trump has sought to dismantle Voice of America, a decades-old soft-power tool for the United States that broadcasts news internationally, since returning to the White House in January, stating the broadcaster creates anti-Trump and “radical propaganda.”

On taking office, Trump fired six of the seven International Broadcasting Advisory Board members, and then in March placed Abramowitz and 1,300 other Voice of American employees on administrative leave.

On July 8, the U.S. Agency for Global Media informed Abramowitz that he was being reassigned as chief management officer to Greenville, N.C., and if he did not accept the position, he would be fired.

Before the end of the month, Abramowitz sued.

Then on Aug. 1, USAGM sent Abramowitz a letter stating he would be fired effective the end of this month if he did not accept the Greenville transfer.

The government had argued before the court that Abramowitz’s claims are not valid because he has not yet been fired, and that the rule dictating advisory board approval for hiring and firing a VOA director interfered with Trump’s executive authority.

In response, Lamberth, a President Ronald Reagan appointee, countered that whether USAGM fired Abramowitz or transferred him, he would still be removed from his position without the board’s approval, and if the Trump wished to have a vote on the matter, he could replace the board members he removed.

“To the extent the Board’s current lack of quorum institutes a practical barrier to removing Abramowitz, the Broadcast Act gives the President a straightforward remedy: replacing the removed members,” he wrote.

“The defendants do not even feign that their efforts to remove Abramowitz comply with that statutory requirement. How could they, when the board has been without a quorum since January?”

Judge blocks Trump’s attempt to fire VOA director – UPI.com
A federal judge has prohibited the Trump administration from dismissing Voice of America director Michael Abramowitz.

https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2025/08/29/Trump-VOA/6481756449616

Independent: Pentagon is reinstalling portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee that includes a slave

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An Army spokesperson said that under the revived instructions of President Trump, they were not prepared to ‘erase’ history

A portrait of Confederate general Robert E Lee that includes a slave guiding his horse is set to be reinstated in the Pentagon.

The 20-foot-tall painting, which was on display at the United States Military Academy for 70 years, will be hung in the West Point library under President Trump’s instruction despite a congressionally mandated commission that ordered its removal back in 2020.

“At West Point, the United States Military Academy is prepared to restore historical names, artifacts, and assets to their original form and place,” said the Army’s communications director, Rebecca Hodson, to the New York Times. “Under this administration, we honor our history and learn from it — we don’t erase it.”

Memorials to General Lee, former commander of the Confederate army and a slave owner, have long proven controversial. Multiple monuments to Confederate leaders like Lee have been taken down in recent years by campaigners who see them as a celebration of white supremacy.

The law that led to the painting’s removal was passed during Trump’s first term, when a key Senate committee passed a $741 billion defense policy plan in defiance of the president.

Proposed by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, it required the Department of Defense to remove all names, symbols, displays, monuments, and paraphernalia that honored or commemorated the Confederate States of America, as well as any person who served voluntarily with the Confederate States of America.

Against Trump’s wishes, the Pentagon was forced to scrub names from monuments and paraphernalia honoring the Confederacy and its leaders from military bases and assets.

Since returning to the White House, Trump has moved to reverse a number of those decisions.

Speaking at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, in June, Trump said he would also be restoring the names of Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort AP Hill, as well as Fort Robert E. Lee.

In 2023, Fort Lee was redesignated Fort Gregg-Adams to commemorate African American veterans Lt. Gen. Arthur J. Gregg and Lt. Col. Charity Adams, following earlier proposals for the name change.

“Over the course of United States history, these locations have taken on significance to the American story and those who have helped write it that far transcends their namesakes,” Trump said.

He slated Congress’s 2020 directive as a “politically motivated attempt to wash away history and to dishonor the immense progress our country has fought for in realizing our founding principles.”

Pentagon is reinstalling portrait of Confederate General Robert E. Lee with slave
An Army spokesperson said that under the revived instructions of President Trump, they were not prepared to ‘erase’ history

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/robert-e-lee-portrait-pentagon-confederacy-b2816481.html

Slingshot News: ‘We Did Not’: Secretary Linda McMahon Stomps Her Feet, Refuses To Admit The Truth About Illegal Activity In House Hearing

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‘We Did Not’: Secretary Linda McMahon Stomps Her Feet, Refuses To Admit The Truth About Illegal Activity In House Hearing
Billionaire Secretary Linda McMahon stomped her feet, refusing to admit the truth about her many illegal acts during a recent House hearing.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/we-did-not-secretary-linda-mcmahon-stomps-her-feet-refuses-to-admit-the-truth-about-illegal-activity-in-house-hearing/vi-AA1LttFN

Reuters: Trump cancels $4.9 billion in foreign aid, escalating spending fight with Congress

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  • Trump bypasses Congress with ‘pocket rescission’ tactic
  • Funds earmarked for foreign aid, UN peacekeeping, democracy efforts
  • Republican Senator Collins calls action illegal, urges bipartisan process

President Donald Trump has moved to unilaterally cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid authorized by Congress, escalating the fight over who controls the nation’s spending.

In a letter posted online late Thursday, Trump told House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson that he plans to withhold funding for 15 international programs.

The U.S. Constitution grants funding power to Congress, which passes legislation each year to fund government operations.

The White House must secure Congress’ approval if it does not want to spend that money. Congress did this in July when it approved the cancellation of $9 billion in foreign aid and public media funding.

The latest move — known as a “pocket rescission” — bypasses Congress entirely.

Trump budget director Russell Vought has argued that Trump can withhold funds for 45 days, which would run out the clock until the end of the fiscal year on September 30. The White House said the tactic was last used in 1977.

According to a court document filed on Friday, the money at issue was earmarked for foreign aid, United Nations peacekeeping operations, and democracy-promotion efforts overseas. Most of that had been handled by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump’s administration has largely dismantled.

“This is going to make our budget situation or liquidity situation that much more challenging, but we will follow up with U.S. authorities to get more details,” U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Friday.

Democrats say the administration froze more than $425 billion in funding overall.

Most Republican lawmakers have said they support spending cuts in any form even if it erodes Congress’ authority.

But Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine, who oversees spending legislation as chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said the action is illegal.

“Instead of this attempt to undermine the law, the appropriate way is to identify ways to reduce excessive spending through the bipartisan, annual appropriations process,” she said in a statement.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump is aiming to force a government shutdown at the end of September by indicating that he is willing to ignore any spending laws passed by Congress.

“Republicans don’t have to be a rubber stamp for this carnage,” Schumer said in a statement.

Trump cancels $4.9 billion in foreign aid, escalating spending fight with Congress
President Donald Trump has moved to unilaterally cancel $4.9 billion in foreign aid authorized by Congress, escalating the fight over who controls the nation’s spending.

https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-cancels-49-billion-foreign-aid-escalating-spending-fight-with-congress-2025-08-29

Slingshot News: ‘We’re Getting Rid Of Them’: Trump Touts His Mass Layoffs At The Department Of Veterans Affairs During Nonsensical Remarks At Bill Signing Event

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‘We’re Getting Rid Of Them’: Trump Touts His Mass Layoffs At The Department Of Veterans Affairs During Nonsensical Remarks At Bill Signing Event
During his remarks at a bill signing event at the White House last month, President Trump touted his mass layoffs at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Trump stated, “We’re getting rid of them.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/we-re-getting-rid-of-them-trump-touts-his-mass-layoffs-at-the-department-of-veterans-affairs-during-nonsensical-remarks-at-bill-signing-event/vi-AA1Lsxa0

Washington Post: Two Virginia school districts sue Education Dept. in fight over gender policies

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Arlington Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools sued the U.S. Department of Education, seeking to bar it from freezing funds to the Virginia districts amid a fight over a policy supportive of transgender students.

Arlington Public Schools and Fairfax County Public Schools filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Education on Friday, seeking to bar the federal agency from freezing funds to the districts in response to an ongoing debate over a policy supportive of transgender students.

The move is the latest in a fight between the Education Department and five Northern Virginia school districts over policies that allow students to use facilities like bathrooms and locker rooms that match their gender identity.

Earlier this month, school officials in Arlington, as well as Alexandria, Fairfax, Loudoun and Prince William counties, declined to comply with a call from the Education Department to rescind the gender policies after an investigation determined they violate Title IX, the federal law banning sex discrimination.

In response, the Education Department said it would start the process to “suspend or terminate” funding from the five districts. The following week, the department announced it placed the school districts on “high-risk” status, which would make it harder for the systems to receive future federal funds.

“States and school districts cannot openly violate federal law while simultaneously receiving federal funding with no additional scrutiny. The Northern Viriginia[sic] School Divisions that are choosing to abide by woke gender ideology in place of federal law must now prove they are using every single federal dollar for a legal purpose,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon wrote in a statement.

The new complaints from the Arlington and Fairfax school district, filed Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, seek immediate relief from the court to reverse that decision.

In a news release, Arlington schools said the federal money supports academics, counseling, and free and reduced meals for students.

Leaders from the Northern Virginia districts have stood behind policies they say satisfy state and federal antidiscrimination laws and create welcoming environments for students. Revoking their transgender student policies, the school districts argue, would put them in violation of the law.

The Education Department launched its investigations after a Title IX complaint was filed by America First Legal — a conservative group founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/08/29/virginia-school-district-sues-education-department-transgender-policy

No paywall:

Two Va. school districts sue U.S. Education Dept. in fight over gender policies

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/two-virginia-school-districts-sue-education-dept-in-fight-over-gender-policies/ar-AA1LvdIK

MSNBC: ‘Who pays the tariffs?’ Furious constituents grill GOP House member, causing him to leave

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‘Who pays the tariffs?’ Furious constituents grill GOP House member, causing him to leave
Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., exited a town hall in his home district through the back door Wednesday night after he faced relentless heckling in Baldwin County.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/who-pays-the-tariffs-furious-constituents-grill-gop-house-member-causing-him-to-leave/vi-AA1LtPd5