has been charged in the U.S. with , nearly three months after the Trump administration mistakenly deported him to his native El Salvador.
The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia.
Also Friday, it was the final day for active duty transgender service members to the military voluntarily, while the National Guard and Reserve have until July 7. Lawmakers and conservative figures urged d茅tente between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, from a prolonged feud. And the administration asked Supreme Court to allow Education Department layoffs.
Here's the latest:
Kilmar Abrego Garcia appears at court hearing in Tennessee
Abrego Garcia wore a short-sleeved, white, button-down shirt during his appearance after being returned from El Salvador.
Asked if he understood the charges against him, he told the judge: 鈥淪铆. Lo entiendo.鈥� An interpreter then said: 鈥淵es. I understand.鈥�
Federal Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes in Nashville determined that he will be held in custody until at least next Friday, when there will be an arraignment and detention hearing.
Plaintiffs criticize Supreme Court decision on DOGE access to Americans鈥� Social Security data
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit at the center of the case called the decision 鈥渁 sad day for our democracy and a scary day for millions of people.鈥�
鈥淓lon Musk may have left Washington, D.C., but his impact continues to harm millions of people,鈥� the plaintiffs said.
X users were glued to the Musk v. Trump blowup. Could this be good for the platform?
The of the United States and the world鈥檚 richest man has played out on social media in real time, the latest, perhaps ultimate example of how X has become Elon Musk鈥檚 personal platform, his own reality show where anyone can tune in to watch the mercurial twists and turns of his unpredictable personality.
And tune in they did.
has birthed countless memes, hot takes and speculation, with some X users bringing out the popcorn emojis while rejoicing that the site has returned to its 鈥渇un鈥� roots 鈥� back when it was called Twitter. While it鈥檚 not yet clear if the feud will have any permanent effects on X鈥檚 audience size or advertising business, its owner late Thursday suggesting that, at least for now, it was good for getting active users to tune into the platform.
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Trump once opened the door to the LGBTQ+ community. Now activists say he鈥檚 their top threat
When he first ran for office, the president appeared to be a new kind of Republican when it came to gay rights.
Years earlier he overturned the rules of his Miss Universe pageant to let a transgender contestant compete. He said Caitlyn Jenner could use any bathroom at Trump Tower that she wanted. And he was the first president to name an openly gay person to a Cabinet-level position.
But since returning to office this year, Trump has engaged in what activists say is an unprecedented assault on the LGBTQ+ community.
鈥淚 am deeply concerned that we鈥檙e going to see it all be taken away in the next four years,鈥� said Kevin Jennings, who leads the advocacy group Lambda Legal.
Trump鈥檚 defenders insist he has not acted in a discriminatory way, and they point to public polling that shows widespread support for policies like restrictions on transgender athletes.
鈥淗e鈥檚 working to establish common sense once again,鈥� said Ed Williams, executive director of the Log Cabin Republicans.
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Trump says China has agreed to restart exports of rare earth minerals and magnets to the US
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, he said that during his call Thursday with Xi Jinping, the Chinese president agreed to restore the exports.
China had slowed them amid the countries鈥� trade war, threatening a range of U.S. manufacturers that relied on the critical materials.
The was no immediate confirmation from China.
Sheetz racial discrimination case is on the chopping block as Trump rewrites civil rights
Federal authorities moved Friday to drop against the Sheetz convenience store chain, part of a broader effort by the administration to halt the use of a key tool for enforcing civil rights laws.
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the top federal agency for enforcing workers rights, filed a court motion to dismiss the lawsuit, citing Trump鈥檚 directing federal agencies to deprioritize the use of 鈥渄isparate impact liability鈥� in civil rights enforcement.
Disparate impact liability holds that policies that are neutral on their face can violate civil rights laws if they impose artificial barriers that disadvantage different demographic groups. The concept has been used to root out practices that close off minorities, women, people with disabilities, older adults or other groups from certain jobs, or keep them from accessing credit or equal pay.
In the Sheetz case, filed in 2024 under the Biden administration, the EEOC had claimed that the company鈥檚 policy of refusing to hire anyone who failed its criminal background checks discriminated against Black, Native American and multiracial job applicants.
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Musk could lose billions of dollars depending on how spat with Trump unfolds
between Elon Musk and the president could mean Tesla鈥檚 plans for self-driving cars hit a roadblock, SpaceX flies fewer missions for NASA, Starlink gets fewer overseas satellite contracts and the social media platform X loses advertisers.
Maybe, that is. It all depends on Trump鈥檚 appetite for revenge and how the dispute unfolds.
Joked Telemetry Insight auto analyst Sam Abuelsamid, 鈥淪ince Trump has no history of retaliating against perceived adversaries, he鈥檒l probably just let this pass.鈥�
Turning serious, he sees trouble ahead for Musk.
鈥淔or someone that rants so much about government pork, all of Elon鈥檚 businesses are extremely dependent on government largesse, which makes him vulnerable.鈥�
Trump and the federal government also stand to lose from a long-running dispute, but not as much as Musk.
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Transportation chief seeks to weaken fuel economy standards, calls Biden-era rule 鈥榠llegal鈥�
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Biden-era for gas-powered cars and trucks were illegal and moved to reverse them.
Combined with Senate language in the pending budget bill to eliminate penalties for exceeding standards regulating how far vehicles must travel on a gallon of fuel, automakers could come under less pressure from regulators to reduce pollution. Ultimately the nation鈥檚 use of electric vehicles could be slowed.
The moves align with the administration鈥檚 ongoing efforts to slash federal support for EVs. Trump has pledged to end what he called referring incorrectly to former President Joe Biden鈥檚 goal for half of all new vehicle sales to be
No federal policy has required auto companies to sell 鈥� or car buyers to purchase 鈥� EVs, although California and other states have imposed rules requiring all new passenger vehicles sold in the state to be .
Education Department weighs bringing back hundreds of laid-off employees
The department says it is 鈥渁ctively assessing how to reintegrate鈥� the workers after a judge blocked the agency鈥檚 sweeping downsizing.
A department email told workers on leave that they will not be terminated June 10 as originally planned. It asked them to share whether they have gained other employment, saying that request aims to 鈥渟upport a smooth and informed return to duty.鈥�
The Trump administration on Friday to pause a court order blocking the layoffs. A department spokesperson said the agency is complying with the order but intends to win its legal battle over the downsizing.
The department laid off about 1,300 employees in March, reducing its staff by about half. Workers have been on paid leave since then, and none have been asked to return to their jobs, according to their union.
A federal judge in Boston in May in response to two lawsuits.
Lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia confident he will be cleared of charges
鈥淭here鈥檚 no way a jury is going to see the evidence and agree that this sheet metal worker is the leader of an international MS-13 smuggling conspiracy,鈥� Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.
Even if he were to be convicted, the Trump administration would still have to return to immigration court if it wants to deport him to El Salvador.
Sandoval-Moshenberg also expects Abrego Garcia鈥檚 case in Maryland to continue as a judge there considers whether the administration has obeyed her orders.
NFL and others cheer Trump鈥檚 order on drone use
Cathy Lanier, the chief security officer of the National Football League, applauded , saying more and more drones have flown into restricted airspace during games.
She called the order, which could train law enforcement agencies to respond in real time, 鈥渢he most significant step taken to address the issue.鈥�
U.S. drone makers also praised the order, which prioritizes drones made domestically over foreign ones, for helping ensure the country will lead in the industry.
Amazon Prime Air said it welcomes the fact that rules would be expedited to let companies use drones beyond operators鈥� line of sight, or farther away.
Lawyer for Abrego Garcia says it will be 鈥榠nteresting to hear鈥� his account of treatment in El Salvador lockup
Kilmar Abrego Garcia is one of the first, if not the first, person to be released from a notorious prison in El Salvador, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 going to be very interesting to hear what he has to say about the way in which he was treated in that prison by the Salvadoran authorities,鈥� he said.
Lawyer for Kilmar Abrego Garcia decries 鈥榩reposterous鈥� charges
鈥淲hat happened today is an abuse of power,鈥� said Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, an attorney for Abrego Garcia. He said he plans to meet with him soon and will 鈥渧igorously defend鈥� him against the new charges.
鈥淭his administration 鈥� instead of simply admitting their mistake, they鈥檒l stop at nothing at all, including some of the most preposterous charges imageable, just to avoid admitting they made a mistake, which is what everyone knows happened in this case,鈥� he said.
How DOGE ended up at the Supreme Court
The lawsuit was originally filed by a group of labor unions and retirees represented by the group Democracy Forward. It鈥檚 one of more than two dozen lawsuits filed over DOGE鈥檚 work, which has included deep cuts at federal agencies and large-scale layoffs.
The Trump administration says DOGE needs access to Social Security systems to carry out its mission of targeting waste and fraud in the federal government, which Musk called an .
U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander in Maryland found that DOGE鈥檚 efforts at Social Security based on 鈥渓ittle more than suspicion鈥� of fraud and allowing unfettered access puts Americans鈥� private information at risk.
Her ruling did allow access to anonymous data for staffers who have undergone training and background checks, or wider access for those who have detailed a specific need. The Trump administration has said DOGE can鈥檛 work effectively with those restrictions.
An appeals court then on DOGE access, though it split along ideological lines. Conservative judges in the minority said there鈥檚 no evidence that the team has done any 鈥渢argeted snooping鈥� or exposed personal information.
The Supreme Court was also split along ideological lines, with only the three liberal judges dissenting.
5 Proud Boys sue US government over Jan. 6 prosecutions
The five members of the far-right militant group claim their constitutional rights were violated when they were prosecuted for their participation in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, according to a lawsuit filed Friday.
Proud Boys chairman Enrique Tarrio, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, Ethan Nordean and Dominic Pezzola are seeking unspecified compensatory damages plus 6% interest and $100 million in punitive damages plus interest.
The lawsuit claims the men were arrested with insufficient probable cause and government agents later 鈥渇ound鈥� fake incriminating evidence. They also claim they were held for years in pretrial detention, often in solitary confinement.
鈥淭he Plaintiffs themselves did not obstruct the proceedings at the Capitol, destroy government property, resist arrest, conspire to impede the police, or participate in civil disorder, nor did they plan for or order anyone else to do so,鈥� the lawsuit says.
Tarrio, Biggs, Rehl and Nordean were all convicted of seditious conspiracy and other crimes for their participation in the Capitol riot. Pezzola was acquitted on the conspiracy charge but convicted of stealing a police officer鈥檚 riot shield and using it to smash a window.
Trump granted pardons to nearly all the more than 1,500 people who stormed the Capitol. Tarrio received a pardon, the other four plaintiffs had their sentences commuted.
Prosecutors accuse Abrego Garcia of smuggling thousands of people and taking part in a killing
He is also accused of bringing MS-13 gang members into the U.S. from Central America and abusing women he was transporting, according to court documents. An alleged co-conspirator also said he participated in a killing in El Salvador, prosecutors wrote in papers urging a judge to keep him behind bars while he awaits trial.
鈥淟ater, as part of his immigration proceedings in the United States, the defendant claimed he could not return to El Salvador because he was in fear of retribution from the 18th Street gang,鈥� prosecutors wrote. 鈥淲hile partially true 鈥� the defendant, according to the information received by the Government, was in fear of retaliation by the 18th Street gang 鈥� the underlying reason for the retaliation was the defendant鈥檚 own actions in participating in the murder of a rival 18th Street gang member鈥檚 mother.鈥�
Administration has continued to publicize Abrego Garcia鈥檚 police interactions
Authorities in Tennessee released video of a 2022 traffic stop last month. The body camera recording shows a calm and friendly exchange between officers with the Tennessee Highway Patrol.
Officers then discussed among themselves their suspicions of human trafficking because nine people were traveling without luggage. One of the officers said, 鈥淗e鈥檚 hauling these people for money.鈥� Another said he had $1,400 in an envelope.
An attorney for Abrego Garcia, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, said in a statement after the video鈥檚 release in May that he saw no evidence of a crime.
鈥淏ut the point is not the traffic stop 鈥� it鈥檚 that Mr. Abrego Garcia deserves his day in court,鈥� Sandoval-Moshenberg said.
Supreme Court allows DOGE team to access Social Security systems with data on millions of Americans
The Supreme Court cleared the way Friday for the Department of Government Efficiency to access Social Security systems containing personal data on millions of Americans.
The justices sided with the Trump administration in its first Supreme Court appeal involving DOGE, the team .
The high court halted an order from a judge in Maryland restricting the team鈥檚 access to the Social Security Administration under federal privacy laws.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia made more than 100 trips as part of smuggling ring, grand jury finds
The grand jury found that he made the trips as part of a ring that trafficked guns, drugs, children and women, Attorney General Pam Bondi said.
She said co-conspirators alleged that he abused women he was transporting and played a role in the killing of a rival gang member鈥檚 mother.
鈥淭hey found this was his full time job, not a contractor,鈥� Bondi said of the grand jury. 鈥淗e was a smuggler of humans and children and women.鈥�
Abrego Garcia returned to US to face charges related to human smuggling
, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a political flashpoint in the Trump administration鈥檚 stepped-up immigration enforcement, was being returned to the United States to face criminal charges related to what the Trump administration said was a massive human smuggling operation that brought immigrants into the country illegally.
He is expected to be prosecuted and, if convicted, will be returned to his home country at the conclusion of the case, officials said.
鈥淭his is what American justice looks like,鈥� Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday.
The charges stem from a 2022 vehicle stop in which the Tennessee Highway Patrol suspected him of human trafficking. A report released by the Department of Homeland Security in April states that none of the people in the vehicle had luggage, while they listed the same address as Abrego Garcia.
Abrego Garcia was never charged with a crime, and the officers allowed him to drive on with only a warning about an expired driver鈥檚 license, according to the DHS report. It said he was traveling from Texas to Maryland, via Missouri, to bring people to perform construction work.
State Department tells US embassies and consulates not to revoke previously issued visas
The instruction comes even as diplomatic outposts are to reject future visa applications from 12 mainly African and Middle Eastern countries starting next week under Trump鈥檚 new travel ban.
In a cable sent Friday, the department said 鈥渘o action should be taken for issued visas which have already left the consular section鈥� and 鈥渘o visas issued prior to the effective date should be revoked pursuant to this proclamation.鈥�
It suggests that there should be no entry issues for current visa holders from affected countries after the restrictions take effect June 9 at midnight ET.
However ports of entry are not controlled by State, and it will be up to the Department of Homeland Security and individual Customs and Border Patrol agents to determine if visa holders are eligible to enter.
The cable, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, says the only people who should be denied entry are those currently outside the country who do not have a valid visa on the effective date.
Trump signs executive orders on drones, flying cars and supersonic flights
The orders will help clear the way for companies to use drones beyond operators鈥� line of sight, while also imposing restrictions to help protect against terrorism, espionage and public safety threats.
Drones have a wide range of civilian uses, but the war in Ukraine has highlighted some potential threats that concern officials as the World Cup and Olympics approach in the U.S.
White House officials also say regulations have slowed development of supersonic flights and flying cars.
Trump says he鈥檚 planning a ballroom at the White House
President Donald Trump says he鈥檚 planning to build a new ballroom at the White House, posting on his social media Friday that he 鈥渋nspected the site鈥� on the grounds.
Trump pledged it would go up 鈥渜uickly鈥� and be a 鈥渨onderful addition鈥� to the complex, but provided no design details about the location, how much it would cost or who would foot the bill.
Trump has long complained that the East Room is too small for the large events he and other presidents want to host, which often necessitates the installation of tents on the South Lawn.
鈥淔or 150 years, Presidents, and many others, have wanted a beautiful Ballroom, but it never got built because nobody previously had any knowledge or experience in doing such things,鈥� Trump posted, adding 鈥淏ut I do.鈥�
US and China meet for trade talks on Monday in London
President Donald Trump says U.S. and Chinese delegations will meet in London on Monday for another round of trade talks.
Trump wrote in a social media post Friday that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer would represent the U.S. at the talks.
He previewed the meeting on Thursday after a call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but a time and location had not yet been revealed.
Yemeni Americans could make Trump pay at the polls over his travel ban, Detroit imam says
A Michigan imam who presided over a prayer service marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha says President Donald Trump鈥檚 new travel ban could backfire on the Republican Party.
The travel ban announced Wednesday by the White House applies to citizens of Yemen and 11 other nations.
鈥淲e saw the price that the Democratic Party had to pay for undermining the Palestinian voice. There are many people that avoided voting altogether just because of this country鈥檚 policies toward Gaza,鈥� Imam Imran Salha told The Associated Press, referring to Trump in November becoming the first Republican presidential candidate since 2000 to win the majority-Arab city of Dearborn.
鈥淟et鈥檚 not make the same mistake,鈥� Salha said.
Salha spoke to AP on Friday, after leading the Eid service at the Islamic Center of Detroit, a mosque with a significant number of Yemeni American worshippers.
Transgender troops face a deadline and a difficult decision: Stay or go?
As transgender service members face a , hundreds are taking the financial bonus to depart voluntarily. But others say they will stay and fight.
For many, it is a wrenching decision to end a career they love, and leave units they have led or worked with for years. And they are angry they are being forced out by the Trump administration鈥檚 .
Active duty service members with gender dysphoria have until Friday to the military voluntarily, while the National Guard and Reserve have until July 7. Then the military will begin involuntary separations.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e tired of the rollercoaster. They just want to go,鈥� said one transgender service member, who plans to retire. 鈥滻t鈥檚 exhausting.鈥�
For others, it鈥檚 a call to arms.
鈥淚鈥檓 choosing to stay in and fight,鈥� a noncommissioned officer in the Air Force said. 鈥淢y service is based on merit, and I鈥檝e earned that merit.鈥�
The service members spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they fear reprisals.
World Pride鈥檚 human rights conference ends with drag show amid mounting threats to LGBTQ+ community
鈥檚 human rights conference ended Friday with a drag show featuring some of the most prominent stars from Rupaul鈥檚 Drag Race ahead of a weekend parade, rally and concerts amid over an increasingly hostile political environment for the LGBTQ+ community in the U.S.
Courtney Act, the first drag performer in the world to debut on a major label, crooned a slowed-down version of Lady Gaga鈥檚 鈥淧oker Face鈥� against a backdrop of glittering rainbow pixels. Peppermint, the first trans woman to originate a principal Broadway role, strutted in a shimmering bodysuit to Whitney Houston鈥檚 鈥淚鈥檓 Your Baby Tonight.鈥�
Bob the Drag Queen, a nonbinary comedian, actor and drag performer, belted Dionne Warwick鈥檚 鈥淚 Got Love.鈥� And TV personality and actor Mrs. Kasha Davis twirled in a sparkling black gown to Kelly Clarkson singing the words 鈥淲e are all misfits living in a world on fire. Sing it for the people like us.鈥�
Many LGBTQ+ travelers have or decided to skip due to anxieties about safety, border policies and a hostile political climate. Yet cross-national strategizing has still been central to as international attendees at the human rights conference echoed that they wanted to send a clear to U.S. officials with their presence.
鈥淭his is World Pride on Trump鈥檚 doorstep,鈥� said Yasmin Benoit, a British model and asexual activist.
鈥楽ee you in the woodchipper,鈥� ex-USAID staffers tell Musk
A social media account run by recently terminated staffers of the U.S. aid agency that Elon Musk helped destroy had Friday after his public falling-out with President Donald Trump.
鈥淲e鈥檒l see you in the woodchipper,鈥� the group, Friends of USAID, said on Instagram.
Ex-staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development began the account in the early days of the agency鈥檚 dismantling by the Trump administration and Musk鈥檚 Department of Government Efficiency.
The remark referenced Musk鈥檚 own Feb. 3 boast on X after his DOGE team helped rout USAID staffers from the agency鈥檚 headquarters and computer systems.
鈥淪pent the weekend feeding USAID into a wood chipper,鈥� Musk said then.
Musk and Trump turned on each other this week over the administration鈥檚 funding legislation this week. The dispute led Trump to threaten to yank billions of dollars in government contracts from Musk.
The sign-off to Friday鈥檚 Friends of USAID post noted DOGE鈥檚 hands-on role in cuts at USAID and other federal agencies.
鈥淪incerely, one of the 50,000 people you laid off by email.鈥�
The Associated Press
