CNBC: Most Trump tariffs ruled illegal in blow to White House trade policy

  • A federal appeals court ruled that most of President Donald Trump’s global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy.
  • Trump is all but certain to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that most of President Donald Trump‘s global tariffs are illegal, striking a massive blow to the core of his aggressive trade policy.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in a 7-4 ruling held that the law Trump invoked when he granted his most expansive tariffs does not actually grant him the power to impose those levies.

Trump is all but certain to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. The appellate court paused its ruling from taking effect until Oct. 14, in order to give the Trump administration time to ask the Supreme Court to take up the case.

The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment on Friday’s ruling, which is the second straight loss for Trump in the make-or-break case.

The Trump administration has argued that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, empowers the president to effectively impose country-specific tariffs at any level if he deems them necessary to address a national emergency.

The U.S. Court of International Trade in late May rejected that stance and struck down Trump’s IEEPA-based tariffs, including his worldwide “reciprocal” tariffs unveiled in early April. But the Federal Circuit quickly paused that ruling while Trump’s appeal played out.

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/08/29/trump-trade-tariffs-appeals-court-ieepa.html

Knewz: Trump fall viral video called into question

An image shared on X appeared to show a blurry Trump lying in the grass following an apparent fall. The post racked up more than 1.8 million views, with many users believing it was real. In the bottom-left corner, a caption read, “Trump is in the Epstein files.” Some users replied with AI-generated videos made using Grok, depicting Trump crawling across the grass — but those, too, were fake.

This isn’t the first time Trump has been the subject of AI-generated misinformation during his second term. Despite being a frequent target, Trump has publicly supported AI and even shared altered content himself — including a fake video of former President Barack Obama being arrested. 

While the lawn video is fake, Trump did suffer a real stumble earlier this year ….

We can always hope ….

https://knewz.com/trump-fall-viral-video-called-into-question

Raleigh News & Observer: Trump Suffers Major Legal Blow in Illinois

U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman has dismissed a lawsuit from the Trump administration that sought to block Illinois’ Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act. The administration argued the state law conflicted with federal immigration enforcement regarding the E-Verify program. The court upheld Illinois’ authority over employment regulation, reinforcing state power in this area.

Coleman argued Illinois has authority over employment and that federal immigration law weakens state powers. The Trump administration has claimed Illinois’ law violates the 1986 IRCA by sanctioning employers of unauthorized workers.

Coleman wrote, “The federal government’s broad interpretation of its power to regulate matters of immigration would swallow the historic powers of the states over employment-related issues.”

Coleman added, “A person’s immigration or work authorization status is irrelevant to determine whether an employer has violated any of the provisions of the act.”

Coleman dismissed the administration’s claims. She claimed the government’s position is “simply too speculative a basis on which to rest a finding of pre-emption.”

Coleman added that the law “is not expressly preempted by IRCA and does not intrude upon the federal government’s constitutional powers in the space of immigration and foreign affairs.”

The ruling dealt a setback to Trump’s immigration policy, affirming state authority over employment and potentially spurring similar laws elsewhere. The administration reportedly plans to appeal to the Seventh Circuit.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-suffers-major-legal-blow-in-illinois/ss-AA1Lldgs

Politico: Gavin Newsom: ‘I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election’

The California governor painted a bleak picture of the state of American democracy under President Trump.

Gavin Newsom warned the country is on the precipice of tipping into authoritarianism, predicting that President Donald Trump does not want to leave office after his term ends and accusing federal immigration officials of acting as “the largest private police force in history.”

The California governor, speaking at POLITICO’s “The California Agenda: Sacramento Summit” on Wednesday, repeatedly urged the audience to “wake up” to dangers he said are posed by the president. He cast Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, as well as Border Patrol agents, as acting in Trump’s interests instead of the general public.

“When they’re done with this — all that funding and that ‘big beautiful betrayal’ allows more resources for this private police force that increasingly is showing a tendency not to swear an oath to the Constitution, but to the president of the United States,” Newsom said.

Newsom — stating that “the rule of law is being replaced by the rule of Don” — predicted the federal agents would be sent to voting booths and polling places across the country. But he later questioned whether there would be future democratic elections at all.

“I don’t think Donald Trump wants another election,” he said, adding he has two dozen “Trump 2028″ hats sent to him by the president’s supporters. He suggested that people dismissing talk of a third term were naive.

Newsom described a moment during his 90-minute Oval Office meeting with Trump in February when the president pointed to a painting of former President Franklin D. Roosevelt — which he interpreted as a nod to Trump’s desire to serve a third term.

Trump said this month he would “probably not” run for a third term, which would be in violation of the Constitution.

Newsom, a likely 2028 candidate, struck an angry and pugilistic tone throughout his interview as he implored Democrats to be more assertive and “stand tall” against Trump. He repeated a piece of advice that he said he once heard from former President Bill Clinton on the rise of American populism: “‘Given the choice, the American people always support strong and wrong versus weak or not,’” Newsom recalled. “And I think our party needs to wake up.”

“We’re losing this country in real time,” he said. “It’s not bloviation, not exaggeration. It’s happening.”

Newsom himself has recently embraced a more aggressive approach on social media, mocking Trump and Republicans through his personal and press office accounts on X. He said he’s pulling few punches on that front as his team deploys more satirical memes and splashy AI-generated content.

“We have a ‘Kill Switch,’” Newsom said, responding to a question about whether he approves the posts. The governor added that he’s killing “less every day,” prompting laughter from the audience.

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/08/27/newsom-donald-trump-another-election-00532972

Fox News: Chicago Teamsters, backed by mayor, want ICE blocked without warrants in strike fight

Mayor Brandon Johnson reportedly backed the move, calling Trump a ‘dictator’

About 140 people work at the plant, which reconditions metal barrels for chemical storage, and a plurality are Latino, according to the American Prospect.

One striking worker told the outlet that he and others are concerned that ICE may target them on a racial basis even if they are able to prove legal residency.

A Chicago Teamsters local is demanding a packaging company refuse to allow federal immigration enforcement on its property without warrants as a top tenet of its overall demands.

The workers are seeking assurances from Mauser Packaging Solutions that it will require ICE to display a warrant signed by a judge before it is allowed on the property.

The strike at Mauser’s plant in the heavily Hispanic “Little Village” neighborhood has lasted more than two months, and the Teamsters Local 705 negotiator recently refused the factory’s latest offer, according to multiple reports.

About 140 people work at the plant, which reconditions metal barrels for chemical storage, and a plurality are Latino, according to the American Prospect.

One striking worker told the outlet that he and others are concerned that ICE may target them on a racial basis even if they are able to prove legal residency.

The Prospect reported the strike began over a separate issue — allegations of employee surveillance during discussions with union representatives amid contract bargaining.

The Illinois-based global company’s striking workers also collected a big-name voice in their court during that time: Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson.

Johnson, a former teachers’ union figure, is familiar with similar situations and also agreed with the union’s aversion to federal law enforcement.

“This union and this strike is leading the way to ensure that this country knows that workers run this country,” Johnson said while rallying with strikers earlier this month.

He said Mauser’s workers have the right to seek livable wages and environs “at a time in which we have a federal government coming after workers, immigrants, Brown and Black people,” according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Johnson demanded workers get protections to ensure “ICE agents do not get to run amok [or] create fear and come in and disrupt and destabilize our communities and workplaces, whether you are at work, school, church or the barbershop.”

He noted that Chicago is a “welcoming city,” a term increasing in popularity among Democratic leaders due to the political stigma now associated with “sanctuary cities.”

In his remarks, Johnson also once again referred to President Donald Trump as a “dictator.”

Updated figures from Chicago’s official crime dashboard now show 266 homicides this year, averaging more than one a day.

Fox News Digital reached out to DHS and the Teamsters for comment.

Mauser Packaging Solutions communications director Kimberly Braam told Fox News Digital later Wednesday the company “is aware of the concerns raised by members of Teamsters Local 705. We are committed to negotiating a fair and sustainable collective agreement with employees.”

When asked about the union’s demands, a DHS spokesperson criticized Johnson, saying he and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker “stand with criminal illegal aliens over the safety of American citizens.”

The spokesperson also said “shameful rhetoric” against ICE has “fueled a culture of hate against law enforcement resulting in a 1,000 percent increase in assaults against them.”

ICE’s ill-disciplined pigs & bully boys have a well-deserved, well-earned reputation. They have only themselves to blame for this achievement.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/chicago-teamsters-backed-mayor-want-ice-barred-without-warrants-strike-fight

Knewz: Trump-appointed judge delivers legal blow to president

A federal judge appointed by President Donald Trump has delivered a major legal blow to his own administration, ruling that it unlawfully withheld millions of dollars in congressionally approved funds from the National Endowment for Democracy. 

The lawsuit 

The NED filed suit against the Trump administration, arguing that the funding freeze violated the Administrative Procedure Act. According to the plaintiffs, the suspension created a “devastating” cash flow disaster that forced the organization to lay off 75 percent of its staff and suspend critical global pro-democracy programs.

The ruling

In response, the NED asked for emergency relief through a temporary restraining order and later a preliminary injunction to stop the administration from withholding the rest of its 2025 fiscal year funding. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee from 2017, granted the request. “The defendants have likely unlawfully frozen the Endowment’s funding,” Friedrich wrote in a 15-page decision.

Judge rebukes Trump admin

Friedrich’s ruling emphasized that Congress has authority to approve funding for the NED. At the same time, the organization’s board is responsible for compliance with the NED Act. The executive branch, she wrote, is charged with executing that funding — but instead, the Trump administration withheld it for “impermissible policy reasons.” She concluded, “The defendants have fallen woefully short of providing an ‘annual grant’ that ‘enable[s]’ the Endowment to fulfill its statutory purposes.”

Trump admin’s impact

Friedrich outlined how the funding freeze disrupted NED’s operations and undermined its mission. “It was unable to fund 226 approved grants, 124 grants recommended for approval by the Board, and 53 core institute projects,” she wrote. “These are activities that the Endowment, in consultation with Congress, has determined are ‘important and time-sensitive’ … to fulfilling the Endowment’s mission.” Friedrich concluded that the administration failed to provide the required annual grant to support NED’s obligations.

https://knewz.com/trump-appointed-judge-delivers-legal-blow-to-president

MSNBC: CDC in crisis: Director fights firing, top officials resign over RFK Jr anti-vaxx push

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cdc-in-crisis-director-fights-firing-top-officials-resign-over-rfk-jr-anti-vaxx-push/vi-AA1Lm5wh

ICE asks for access to Chicago-area Navy base to assist operations

The request followed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem’s declaration that a “strike team” of immigration enforcement agents would arrive in Chicago soon.

The Trump administration wants to use a Navy base north of Chicago as a launchpad for federal law enforcement activity against undocumented immigration, defense officials said Tuesday, as the White House contemplates also deploying thousands of U.S. troops to the nation’s third-largest city amid rising tension with the Illinois governor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/08/27/trump-chicago-ice-military

Rolling Stone: Trump Threatens Criminal Charges Against Top Democratic Donor

The president says Hungarian billionaire George Soros “should be charged”

President Donald Trump is continuing to transform the Justice Department into a tool for vengeance against his political enemies, including billionaire philanthropist and Democratic donor George Soros. 

“George Soros, and his wonderful Radical Left son, should be charged with RICO because of their support of Violent Protests, and much more, all throughout the United States of America,” Trump wrote Wednesday on Truth Social, referencing conspiracy theories claiming that Soros and his philanthropic group, the Open Society Foundation, pay money to and supply violent protesters. 

“We’re not going to allow these lunatics to rip apart America any more, never giving it so much as a chance to ‘BREATHE,’ and be FREE. Soros, and his group of psychopaths, have caused great damage to our Country! That includes his Crazy, West Coast friends. Be careful, we’re watching you!” Trump added. 

Soros has long been a boogeyman for right wingers, who have — for decades at this point — made the Jewish investor the centerpiece of antisemitic conspiracy theories, as well as other conspiracies claiming his financial support of pro-Democracy organizations is actually part of an effort to destroy “western civilization.”

In a statement to Rolling Stone, The Open Society Foundation wrote that “these accusations are outrageous and false. The Open Society Foundations do not support or fund violent protests. Our mission is to advance human rights, justice, and democratic principles at home and around the world.”

“We stand for fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution, including the rights to free speech and peaceful protest that are hallmarks of any vibrant democracy,” the organization added.

In the early months of Trump’s second administration, and especially in recent weeks, the Justice Department and other federal agencies have been weaponized to go after people Trump  perceives as enemies, and critics of his political project.  

Last week, the FBI raided the home of former national security adviser John Bolton, who has been a public critic of the president since his departure from Trump’s first administration. Last month, the Department of Justice announced that it would launch a “strike force” to investigate former President Barack Obama, and placed New York Attorney General Letitia James — who successfully prosecuted Trump and his company — under investigation. The Justice Department is also probing Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) who led the first impeachment of Trump during his first term. The investigations into both James and Schiff center around potential mortgage fraud.

During a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Trump denied he is weaponizing the government by, as a reporter put it to him, “digging into the mortgage records of officials you don’t like.” Trump responded by saying that the reporter should be the one doing the digging before quickly moving onto a different question.

During the same Cabinet meeting, Trump for the second straight day mused to reporters about the American people wanting a dictator. “I’m not a dictator, I just know how to stop crime,” Trump claimed.

But while Trump may claim he’s not an authoritarian, the way he’s transformed agencies intended to serve the public into his personal attack dogs has all the hallmarks of fascism.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/trump-threatens-charges-george-soros-1235416539

MSNBC: Will Trump leave the White House peacefully? Gov. Gavin Newsom raises the alarm

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/will-trump-leave-the-white-house-peacefully-gov-gavin-newsom-raises-the-alarm/vi-AA1LuTOu