The battle with the Trump administration over illegal immigration continues, with Newark mayor Ras Baraka saying he would fight his arrest in court.
The mayor was arrested on Tuesday after joining three members of Congress at a protest and press conference outside a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) detention facility in Newark called Delaney Hall. The mayor was released about five hours later and charged with trespassing.
Baraka has pushed back against the construction and opening of Delaney Hall, a 1,000-bed detention center, arguing that it should not be allowed to open because of building permit issues.
Here are the key stories at a glance:
New Jersey mayor to continue fight against Ice detention center after arrest
Speaking out after his arrest on Tuesday, Ras Baraka said his city would continue its fight in court against the company that runs an immigration detention facility in New Jersey.
“I know there are some protests that other people are planning and if I feel obligated to be there, I will,” Newark’s mayor told the Rev Al Sharpton on MSNBC Saturday afternoon. “This doesn’t stop the city’s contention with the Geo Group, and we’re going to continue in court with them.”
Pentagon orders military to pull books related to DEI and ‘gender ideology’
Military leaders and commanders at the Pentagon were ordered on Friday to go through their libraries and review all books that were related to diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the US military’s latest anti-DEI move.
Leaders were ordered to “promptly identify” materials that promote “divisive concepts and gender ideology [that] are incompatible with the department’s core mission”, according to a memo sent to leaders that was seen by the Associated Press. The department gave leaders until 21 May to remove the books.
‘From all sides’: universities in red states face attacks from DC and at home
Days after the University of Michigan president, Santa Ono, announced he was leaving his post to lead the University of Florida, his name was quietly removed on Wednesday from a letter signed by more than 600 university presidents denouncing the Trump administration’s “unprecedented government overreach and political interference” with academic institutions.
Daughter of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard arrested at Columbia University
The daughter of actors Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard was among those arrested at the latest Columbia University protests, marking the latest development in the anti-war demonstrations that also led to the temporary suspension of student journalists.
Judge orders White House to temporarily halt sweeping government layoffs
Donald Trump’s administration must temporarily halt its sweeping government overhaul because Congress did not authorize it to carry out large-scale staffing cuts and the restructuring of agencies, a federal judge in California said on Friday.
US district judge Susan Illston in San Francisco sided with a group of unions, non-profits and local governments in blocking large-scale mass layoffs known as “reductions in force” for 14 days.
What else happened today:
A 4.1-magnitude earthquake in Tennessee woke up families and rattled homes as far away as Atlanta as it spread tremors across portions of the southern US on Saturday morning. No injuries or major damage were immediately reported.
Google has agreed to pay $1.375bn in a settlement in principle reached with the state of Texas over allegations the company violated users’ data privacy, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, said on Friday.
A recently introduced bill, if it passes, would allow research on cannabis despite its schedule I status, which some experts say could help policymakers “craft effective” legislation in the future.
Catching up? Here’s what happened on May 9.
