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Trump administration, for 1st time, returns wrongly deported migrant to US

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — A wrongly deported Guatemalan man has been returned to the United States, marking the first time the Trump administration has brought back a deportee based on a judge’s order.

The man, who was wrongly deported to Mexico, was returned to the U.S. on Wednesday, according to his lawyer.

The return of the man, identified in court filings as O.C.G., is the first instance in which the Trump administration, in the midst of a sweeping immigration crackdown, has brought a deportee back to the U.S. after a judge ordered their return.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy ordered the Trump administration to “take all immediate steps” to return O.C.G. after he was “placed on a bus and sent to Mexico,” a country where he said he was previously held for ransom and raped, according to court filings.

O.C.G., according to court documents, illegally entered the U.S. in March 2024 and was deported. After he subsequently reentered the United States. O.C.G. attested during immigration proceedings that he was afraid of being sent to Mexico, leading a judge to grant him a withholding of removal to that country.

Judge Murphy found that O.C.G. was likely to succeed in showing that “his removal lacked any semblance of due process.”

“No one has ever suggested that O.C.G. poses any sort of security threat.” Murphy said in his order in May. “In general, this case presents no special facts or legal circumstances, only the banal horror of a man being wrongfully loaded onto a bus and sent back to a country where he was allegedly just raped and kidnapped.”

After O.C.G. was sent to Mexico, authorities removed him to Guatemala, where he said he had to remain in hiding until his return, according to court filings.

O.C.G. is one of the original plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit filed in Massachusetts that challenges removals to third countries.

Aftermath of Ukraine drone strike on Russian airfields shown in satellite imagery

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(LONDON) — An analysis by multiple experts of new video and satellite images suggests that at least 11 Russian bomber aircraft and one large transport plane were badly damaged or destroyed in Ukraine’s drone attack on Sunday.

Video released on Wednesday by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) gives more details on the attack, the full extent of which has been unclear.

Ukraine’s government said over 40 aircraft were destroyed in an attack on at least four air bases on Monday.

On Wednesday, two United States officials said around 10 planes had been destroyed and a total of around 20 were targeted in the attack.

The video from the SBU released Wednesday opens with a view of the Olenya air base with multiple drones landing on Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers and an An-12 transport plane. Explosions from other drones and burning planes can be seen in some of the clips.

At Olenya, according to the defense intelligence firm Janes, a company using open-source information to provide intelligence, four Tu-95 bombers and one An-12 were destroyed. Janes said they based their analysis on video and multiple satellite images.

Analysts with the private intelligence firm MAIAR wrote in a report, provided to ABC News, that no significant damage was visible at the base and that imagery suggested eight A-50s remained in the same position as seen in earlier images.

Two A-50 aircraft are seen at Russia’s Ivanovo air base in a video posted by SBU on June 4.

After the appearance of the A-50s in the video from Ukraine’s SBU released Wednesday, a series of clips shows drones landing on and around large airplanes at Russia’s Dyagilevo air base.

Scorch marks on the ground suggested Russia’s Dyagilevo air base was likely targeted in the attack, according to Janes, but there was no visible evidence of damage to aircraft there.

MAIAR’s analysts also pointed to ground scarring near areas where aircraft had been stored.

After reviewing the SBU’s video, the open-source intelligence analyst Brady Africk told ABC News the video pointed to evidence of damage to at least one Tu-22.

According to Africk, a damaged Tu-22 bomber is seen at Russia’s Dyagilevo air base.

The video from Ukraine’s SBU closes with a series of clips from the Belaya air base, where several smoke plumes and fires are seen as drones target multiple planes.

There, the wreckage of three Tu-95 and four Tu-22 bombers could be seen in a June 4 image from Planet Labs, according to an analysis by Janes.

MAIAR’s analysts reached the same conclusion, highlighting evidence in the satellite imagery of ground scarring and burned grass in two areas of the base.

Africk, the open-source intelligence analyst, told ABC News that destroyed Tu-95 and Tu-22 bombers could be seen at the base.

Both types of bombers have been used in long-range strikes on Ukraine, Africk told ABC News.

Bill Clinton stands by assessment Biden’s mind was ‘clear’ on ABC’s “The View”

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Former President Bill Clinton, on ABC’s “The View” on Thursday, said he didn’t have concerns about former President Joe Biden’s mental sharpness amid a slate of reports that allege a decline in Biden’s acuity during the 2024 campaign and at the end of his presidency.

“Well, I think you have to pay attention to them,” Clinton said when asked about the accounts. “But all I can say is whenever I was around him, his mind was clear, his judgment was good and he was on top of his brief.”

Clinton went on to question decisions made by the White House in the lead-up to the CNN debate in June 2024 between Biden and Donald Trump, including Biden’s overseas travel in the days prior to his standoff with Trump on stage.

“He was 80 years old. What the heck is he doing that for?” Clinton said. “Why was that allowed to happen?”

“There’s a lot of questions. I don’t know,” Clinton continued. “All I know is I think we should think less about that, more about the future.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

9-year-old accidentally shoots, kills 5-year-old sister: Police

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(PHOENIX) — A 9-year-old boy allegedly shot and killed his 5-year-old sister by accident in their Phoenix home, police said.

The 5-year-old girl was pronounced dead at a local trauma center after the incident on Tuesday night, Phoenix police said.

The rifle used in the shooting belonged to the children’s father, 33-year-old Irvin Ramos-Jimenez, police said. Ramos-Jimenez has been arrested for possession of a weapon by a prohibited person, police said.

It was not immediately clear where the rifle used in the Phoenix shooting was stored.

“We ask all gun owners to ensure that all guns are stored in a location, preferably a secured safe, out of reach of all children in the home or who may visit,” Phoenix Police Sgt. Robert Scherer told ABC News via email. “No family should ever have to endure the loss of a child in circumstances like these.”

Guns are the leading cause of death for children in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Each year, hundreds of kids in the U.S. access loaded firearms and accidentally shoot themselves or someone else, according to Everytown for Gun Safety. The worst year on record was 2023, when there were more than 400 unintentional shootings by kids, Everytown said.

So far this year, kids have carried out at least 66 unintentional shootings, resulting in at least 30 deaths, according to Everytown.

Supreme Court blocks lawsuit against gun manufacturers filed by Mexican government over cartel gun violence

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Thursday in favor of U.S. gun manufacturers and blocked a liability lawsuit brought by the government of Mexico, which sought to hold the companies accountable for the trafficking of their weapons south of the border to fuel violence by the cartels.

The government argued in its historic lawsuit that American firearms manufacturers including Smith & Wesson, Glock, Beretta and Colt, were “aiding and abetting” the illicit flow of weapons across the border.

Mexico sought $10 billion in damages, court-mandated safety mechanisms and sales restrictions for U.S.-made guns.

The high court had not taken up the issue of the sweeping gunmaker immunity found in a 2005 federal law aimed at protecting the industry.

In her opinion, Justice Elena Kagan ruled that the Mexican government’s complaint “sets a high bar.”

“The complaint does not pinpoint, as most aiding-and-abetting claims do, any specific criminal transactions that the defendants (allegedly) assisted. It does not say, for example, that a given manufacturer aided a given firearms dealer, at a particular time and place, in selling guns to a given Mexican trafficker not legally permitted to buy them under a specified statute,” she wrote.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Supreme Court sides with Ohio straight woman who alleged ‘reverse discrimination’ by gay employer

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled in favor of an Ohio woman who wants to bring an employment discrimination claim against the state, alleging she was passed over for a job on the basis of her heterosexual orientation.

Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson delivered the opinion.

The plaintiff, Marlean Ames, alleges her employer, the Ohio Department of Youth Services, denied her a promotion and later demoted her, in both cases selecting gay candidates instead who were less qualified. Her supervisor at the time was also gay.

Ames had worked for the Department for more than 15 years and received sterling performance reviews.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and sexual orientation.

In order to bring a case in federal court, plaintiffs must initially present a prima facie case — Latin for “on the face of it” — a legal term to indicate that there are sufficient facts to support a claim.

Justice Jackson, writing for the court, said that Ames had been unfairly held to a higher legal standard as a member of a majority group.

“The question in this case is whether, to satisfy that prima facie burden, a plaintiff who is a member of a majority group must also show ‘background circumstances to support the suspicion that the defendant is that unusual employer who discriminates against the majority,'” Jackson wrote, quoting the decision from the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

“We hold that this additional ‘background circumstances’ requirement is not consistent with Title VII’s text or our case law construing the statute. Accordingly, we vacate the judgment below and remand for application of the proper prima facie standard.”

The ruling means Ames’ lawsuit can move forward, but it does not necessarily mean she will succeed in her case against her former employer.

Trump and China’s Xi speak amid trade war, Chinese state media reports

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the phone Thursday amid a trade war between the two countries, according to Chinese state media.

The call happened at Trump’s request, Chinese State News Agency Xinhua reported.

Their conversation is a significant development amid the trade war between the U.S. and China, the world’s two largest economies.

It comes after Trump accused China of violating a deal negotiated by top officials in Geneva last month to roll back high tariff rates for 90 days. The agreement saw the U.S. drop the rate on Chinese goods coming to the U.S. from over 145% to 30%. China lowered its levy on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%.

Trump, last Friday, said China had breached the temporary truce though didn’t provide details.

“So much for being Mr. NICE GUY!” he wrote on his conservative social media platform.

Beijing pushed back on Monday, saying it “firmly rejects unreasonable accusations” and that it was the U.S. that “unilaterally provoked new economic and trade frictions.”

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett, during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday, had said the expectation was for Trump and China’s Xi to talk this week.

Hassett said “the two of them will talk about the Geneva agreement, which we’re all very favorably inclined towards, thinking this is a huge step forward. But then what happened is that people had to — in China — had to give us licenses for things, and the licenses, we believe, have been slow rolled is something that the presidents want to talk about this week.”

Hassett also said that U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s team and their counterparts in China are “talking every day trying to move the ball forward on this matter.”

Greer said on CNBC last week that China was slow-walking approval of export licenses for rare earth materials, which was also a part of the Geneva agreement.

Meanwhile, Chinese leaders said recently that they have their own concerns about U.S. restrictions on tech exports and the Trump administration’s attempt to revoke Chinese student visas.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Harvard calls Trump’s proclamation to block foreign students from attending university ‘illegal retaliatory step’

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(CAMBRIDGE, Mass.) — Harvard University is calling President Donald Trump’s proclamation to block foreign students from attending the university another “illegal retaliatory step.”

“This is yet another illegal retaliatory step taken by the administration in violation of Harvard’s First Amendment rights,” Harvard said in a statement. “Harvard will continue to protect its international students.”

Trump signed the proclamation on Wednesday afternoon, invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act to prohibit the entry of noncitizens from entering the U.S. to study at Harvard for at least six months. Trump argued the institution is “no longer a trustworthy steward” of international students.

The proclamation also directed the secretary of state to consider revoking the visas of foreign students already in the U.S. to study at Harvard.

“I have determined that the entry of the class of foreign nationals described above is detrimental to the interests of the United States because, in my judgment, Harvard’s conduct has rendered it an unsuitable destination for foreign students and researchers,” the proclamation said.

Last month, the Department of Homeland Security tried to revoke Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program — which allows the school to sponsor foreign students – but a federal judge issued a temporary order blocking the move.

Trump justified the sudden move Wednesday by claiming Harvard has refused to provide information about international students, has “extensive entanglements with foreign countries,” and has discriminated in their admissions practices. The proclamation also claimed crime rates have “drastically risen” at the school and requires the government to probe the potential misconduct of foreign students.

“These concerns have compelled the Federal Government to conclude that Harvard University is no longer a trustworthy steward of international student and exchange visitor programs,” the proclamation said.

US trade deficit narrowed significantly amid Trump’s tariff escalation

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — The U.S. trade deficit narrowed significantly in April as President Donald Trump sharply escalated tariffs before pausing a large swath of the levies, U.S. Commerce Department data on Thursday showed.

Trump touted the tariffs as an effort to slash the nation’s trade deficit, which the president has said he considers a threat to the nation’s economic prosperity. Many economists disagree, however, saying the trade deficit reflects the consumer-driven engine of the U.S. economy.

The trade gap fell by more than half in April as imports plunged, the data showed. The U.S. registered a trade deficit of about $61 billion in April, marking a sharp decline from a $140 billion trade gap a month earlier.

Imports dropped by 16% in April as some trade barriers took effect, the data showed. Imports had ticked upward a month earlier as some firms rushed to stockpile supply before the levies saddled them with additional costs.

The nation’s trade gap stands well below the $131 billion deficit recorded in January, the month Trump took office.

The outlook is murky for the Trump’s tariff policy and the wider economy.

Trump’s on-again, off-again approach to tariffs leaves in doubt their ultimate level. A pair of court rulings last week thrust Trump’s steepest tariffs into limbo, adding another layer of uncertainty as federal appeals court judges determine whether a significant number of the policies pass legal muster.

The uncertain policy environment facing businesses has coincided with an anxious moment for consumers. Consumer attitudes have soured for four consecutive months as tariffs have taken hold, according to a survey conducted by the University of Michigan.

Consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of U.S. economic activity, could weaken if shopper appetites diminish and import prices rise.

So far, key measures of the economy have largely defied fears of a downturn. The unemployment rate stands at a historically low level and job growth remains robust, though it has slowed from previous highs. In recent months, inflation has cooled, reaching its lowest level since 2021.

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD, forecast on Tuesday continued growth for the U.S. economy in 2025 and 2026, albeit at a slower pace than last year. Additionally, recession forecasts on Wall Street faded in recent weeks after Trump rolled back some tariffs.

Trump directs DOJ, White House counsel to investigate Biden’s mental state in office

June 5, 2025 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump ordered Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether former President Joe Biden’s administration sought to conspire to cover up his mental state while in office, prompting a response from Biden.

“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden said in a statement. “I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false.”

The move by the White House represents a significant escalation, as it is a directive to the Justice Department to formally investigate.

It goes beyond the review into Biden’s last-minute pardons before leaving office.

Biden responded to Trump’s memo to Bondi and the Department of Justice, calling an investigation “nothing more than a mere distraction” and defending his decision-making ability. In a statement he says any suggestion he was not in control is “ridiculous and false.”

“This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans who are working to push disastrous legislation that would cut essential programs like Medicaid and raise costs on American families, all to pay for tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy and big corporations,” Biden said in a statement sent to ABC News.

The president directed the U.S.’s top law enforcement official, in coordination with his White House counsel, to investigate “the circumstances surrounding Biden’s supposed execution of numerous executive actions during his final years in office,” according to a statement from the White House.

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