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September 2025

55 entries from September 2025.

Sep 29

E&E News investigation reveals Energy Department banned 'climate change,' 'decarbonization,' and other terms from EERE work products

The Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy directed employees to avoid approximately a dozen scientific and policy terms — including "climate change," "decarbonization," "clean energy," and "energy transition" — in all work products, including the agency website, internal reports, and federal funding opportunity descriptions. E\&E News first reported the directive on September 29; NPR independently obtained an internal email confirming it, contradicting DOE\'s public denial that any such ban applied to those terms. EERE is the federal government's largest funder of clean energy technology, with a $3.46 billion annual budget and a statutory mission under the Energy Policy Act to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy research.

DOJ eliminated its Community Relations Service, the "Peacemakers" civil-rights mediation office, via mass layoff notices

On Sept. 29, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice issued reduction-in-force notices eliminating its Community Relations Service, the 1964 civil-rights-era "Peacemakers" conciliation office, as a standalone unit. The department's budget documents said CRS would close all its offices by the end of fiscal 2025, citing a mismatch with "law enforcement and litigating priorities." A federal judge later declined to block the layoffs while finding civil-rights groups suing over the cuts likely to prevail on their claim that only Congress may eliminate a congressionally created agency.

DHS reinstated ICE officer who shoved Ecuadoran woman on video, three days after calling conduct 'unacceptable'

On September 29, 2025, DHS quietly reinstated an ICE officer who had been placed on administrative leave after video captured him shoving an Ecuadoran woman to the ground outside Manhattan's immigration court. The reinstatement came three days after DHS publicly declared the officer's conduct "unacceptable and beneath the men and women of ICE" and announced a "full investigation," and followed only a "preliminary review." No public statement accompanied the decision; DHS instead deflected follow-up by attacking the character of the detained woman's husband.

Oglethorpe County school district threatened to fire teacher Michelle Mickens unless she resigned over Charlie Kirk Facebook post

On September 29, 2025, the Oglethorpe County School System in Georgia informed English teacher Michelle Mickens, through her union representative, that she would be terminated unless she voluntarily resigned, after placing her on administrative leave over a personal Facebook post that quoted assassinated activist Charlie Kirk and explicitly condemned political violence. The Southern Poverty Law Center and Georgia Association of Educators sued the district in federal court on First Amendment grounds; the parties reached a confidential settlement paying Mickens roughly $270,420 plus $17,080 in attorney fees, announced July 3, 2026.

Sep 28

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed GOP-drawn congressional map targeting Rep. Cleaver's Kansas City seat

Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe signed a new congressional map into law on September 28, 2025, following a special legislative session called at President Trump's request. The map divides the Kansas City-area 5th District held by Democratic Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, aiming to shift the state's eight-seat U.S. House delegation from six Republicans and two Democrats to seven Republicans and one Democrat, and prompted at least four lawsuits challenging the new lines.

Sep 27

FEMA cut $242 million in security grants to Democratic-led states over immigration cooperation

On September 27, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA cut $242 million — a 49 percent reduction — from Homeland Security Grant Program funding due to a coalition of Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., reallocating the money to states the administration deemed more compliant with its immigration-enforcement priorities. A dozen state attorneys general sued, and a federal court found the cuts unlawful and ordered the funding restored, a ruling that stood after DHS's own appeal failed. Nearly a year later, New York officials said $87 million of the money owed the state still had not been delivered.

Trump federalizes Oregon National Guard over Gov. Kotek's explicit objection, orders 200 troops to Portland ICE facility

On September 27, 2025, President Trump invoked Title 10 to federalize 200 Oregon National Guard members, placing them under Pentagon command and ordering them to Portland to protect an ICE detention facility under protest — over the explicit objection of Governor Tina Kotek. Trump announced the action on social media, calling Portland "war-ravaged" and authorizing troops to use "full force" against protesters he called domestic terrorists.

Sep 26

DOJ obtained an order empaneling a Fort Pierce, Florida grand jury to investigate Crossfire Hurricane and Brennan

On September 26, 2025, Chief U.S. District Judge Cecilia Altonaga signed an administrative order authorizing an additional federal grand jury to sit in Fort Pierce, Florida beginning January 12, 2026, which ABC News later reported was sought at the Trump administration's request. Conservative activist Mike Davis, an informal adviser to Attorney General Pam Bondi who said he had "pushed very hard" for it, publicly described the jury as reopening a decade-old "conspiracy" investigation reaching former CIA Director John Brennan and other officials tied to the 2016 Russia inquiry, and Brennan's own attorney confirmed by December 2025 that Brennan had been formally named a target.

FBI Director Patel fires about 15 agents for kneeling during 2020 George Floyd protests, reversing predecessor's no-violation finding

On September 26, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel fired approximately 15–20 career FBI agents for being photographed kneeling during a racial justice protest in Washington, D.C., in June 2020 following George Floyd's killing. Then-Director Christopher Wray had reviewed the incident at the time and found no policy violation. Under Patel, the FBI reopened the matter earlier in 2025, initially demoting the agents before proceeding to terminations.

Sep 25

Trump signs NSPM-7 directing DOJ and FBI to investigate political beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators

On September 25, 2025, President Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 (NSPM-7), directing the Department of Justice, FBI, and Joint Terrorism Task Forces to investigate and disrupt individuals based on political speech and ideology—designating "anti-Christian," "anti-American," and "anti-capitalist" beliefs as domestic terrorism indicators. The directive authorized pre-crime investigation of citizens before any violent act occurs and directed the IRS and Treasury to trace funding of target organizations. FBI Director Kash Patel publicly pledged to pursue political targets "like the domestic terrorists that they are."

DOJ sued six states including Pennsylvania to force disclosure of sensitive voter data

On September 25, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice sued six states — California, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania — demanding they turn over sensitive personal voter data including full names, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and the last four digits of Social Security numbers. The DOJ invoked the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, claiming the states were violating federal law by refusing to produce unredacted voter registration rolls. Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican, characterized the demand as a "concerning attempt" to consolidate federal control over state election administration, emphasizing that "in the United States of America, it's the states who run elections, not the federal government."

Sep 24

Arkansas AG Griffin pressured university into firing Black law professor Felicia Branch over Charlie Kirk posts

On September 24, 2025, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's Bowen School of Law fired assistant professor Felicia Branch over Facebook posts about Charlie Kirk's killing, days after Attorney General Tim Griffin issued a press release demanding her immediate termination. Branch, who is Black, had been suspended with pay since September 16; Dean Colin Crawford's termination letter cited "disruption" caused in part by complaints from Griffin, Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge.

Tempe Police Department obtained 10 search warrants to unmask anonymous Facebook critics, arrested one over protected GIF comment

On September 24, 2025, Tempe, Arizona police arrested Tucson political consultant Kathleen Tierney and recommended felony computer-tampering and misdemeanor charges over a Game of Thrones GIF she posted to a city councilman's Facebook page, capping a monthlong investigation that treated the post as a potential bomb threat and shut down an August 28 City Council meeting. During that investigation, Tempe Police Department detectives obtained ten search warrants covering Facebook accounts, email, texts and call logs to identify Tierney and separately unmask pseudonymous city-hall critic "Konner Culver," publicly naming him in a released police report despite finding he had no connection to the post or any threat. The Maricopa County Attorney's Office later declined to prosecute Tierney, citing insufficient evidence.

Sep 23

Attorney General Bondi fired Miami prosecutor Rosenzweig over years-old anti-Trump blog posts, part of DOJ purge of critics

Attorney General Pam Bondi fired federal prosecutor Will Rosenzweig from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida in Miami on September 23, 2025, less than three hours after conservative commentator Natalie Winters publicized years-old blog posts Rosenzweig had written as a private citizen criticizing Donald Trump. Rosenzweig, a five-year veteran of the office, was two weeks from trying a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case at the time; his firing was part of what reporting described as a broader personnel purge inside the Justice Department of prosecutors and agents seen as insufficiently loyal to the administration.

Hegseth disbands 74-year-old Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services, citing 'divisive feminist agenda'

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth formally disbanded the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) on September 23, 2025, ending a Pentagon advisory panel established in 1951. A Pentagon spokesperson justified the termination by stating the committee "is focused on advancing a divisive feminist agenda that hurts combat readiness." The disbanding was carried out pursuant to a disestablishment memo Hegseth signed on September 17.

FEMA opened investigation into employees who wrote Congress warning of leadership risks; ordered non-disclosure agreements

On September 23, 2025, at least seven FEMA employees who had signed the Katrina Declaration — a letter warning Congress that the agency's political leadership threatened effective emergency management — received emails from the DHS Office of Professional Responsibility ordering them to sign non-disclosure agreements and submit to investigative interviews. The employees had already been placed on paid administrative leave in August after the letter became public. Attorneys for the employees characterized the investigation as illegal retaliation for protected whistleblower disclosures and protected congressional communications.

Miami-Dade College board transferred downtown land to Trump library foundation without public notice

On September 23, 2025, Miami-Dade College's Board of Trustees held an emergency meeting with no public notice and voted to transfer a 2.63-acre downtown Miami parcel -- appraised at $67 million and potentially worth up to $300 million -- into a state fund controlled by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which then routed the land to the Donald J. Trump Presidential Library Foundation. The college received no compensation for the land and has faced up to $300,000 in its own legal fees defending the transfer against a Sunshine Law lawsuit.

North Carolina auditor's elections liaison guided GOP county boards on removing their nonpartisan elections directors

On September 23, 2025, Dallas Woodhouse -- the elections liaison in Republican North Carolina State Auditor Dave Boliek's office -- emailed Republican-majority election board members in New Hanover and Anson counties a step-by-step guide, including a template removal petition, for firing their nonpartisan elections directors, bypassing the normal channel through the state elections director's office. New Hanover County director Rae Hunter-Havens abruptly retired on October 7, 2025, two weeks later, citing health reasons; records obtained by WECT nearly a year later showed board members privately describing her departure as a firing. Woodhouse acknowledged in an interview that his advice "could be deemed as putting a thumb on the scale."

Sep 22

USDA cancelled 30-year Household Food Security Report; placed ERS researchers on leave for disclosing decision

The U.S. Department of Agriculture cancelled its annual Household Food Security Report — the federal government's primary 30-year measure of hunger and food insecurity — on September 22, 2025, and then placed approximately a dozen Economic Research Service economists, researchers, supervisors, and administrators on indefinite paid administrative leave, citing an "unauthorized disclosure." The employees placed on leave were among those present at meetings where the decision to cancel the report was discussed. The report had been used annually since 1995 by policymakers, academics, and advocates to evaluate federal nutrition programs including SNAP, WIC, and school meals.

Trump designates Antifa a domestic terrorist organization by executive order, directing all federal agencies to investigate and disrupt the movement

President Trump signed a presidential order on September 22, 2025, formally designating "Antifa" as a domestic terrorist organization and directing all executive departments and agencies to use all applicable authorities to investigate, disrupt, and dismantle operations by anyone claiming to act on behalf of Antifa. The order describes Antifa as a domestic terrorist organization engaged in political violence to suppress lawful political activity, despite Antifa being a decentralized political stance rather than a formal membership organization. The U.S. has no statute authorizing domestic terrorist organization designations equivalent to the foreign terrorist organization framework, making the order a purely executive — and constitutionally contested — designation.

Texas enacted SB 8 requiring birth-sex use of restrooms in government buildings, schools, and prisons

On September 22, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8, the "Texas Women's Privacy Act," passed during the 89th Legislature's second special session. The law requires people to use restrooms, locker rooms, and other sex-designated spaces in government buildings — including K-12 schools, public universities, and prisons and jails — according to the sex on their birth certificate, bars transgender inmates from being housed by gender identity, and creates civil penalties of $25,000 for a first violation and $125,000 for subsequent ones, enforceable through complaints to the Texas Attorney General. The measure took effect December 4, 2025.

Sep 21

FBI Director Patel and Deputy AG Blanche confirmed closure of Homan bribery sting probe, called it 'baseless investigation'

On September 21, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche jointly confirmed to ABC News that the Department of Justice had closed a federal bribery probe into Tom Homan, the White House's border enforcement czar. The investigation, inherited from the Biden administration, had been predicated on undercover FBI recordings of Homan allegedly accepting $50,000 in cash from agents posing as contractors seeking government contracts. Patel and Blanche publicly labeled the probe a "baseless investigation," stating it had found "no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing."

Sep 19

Hegseth issued Pentagon press policy requiring reporters to sign pre-publication approval agreements

On September 19, 2025, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveiled a 17-page Pentagon press policy requiring all credentialed journalists to sign agreements stipulating that Department of Defense information — including unclassified material — must receive government approval before publication, and authorizing the Pentagon police to revoke credentials for "unprofessional conduct" short of conviction. The policy marked the first time reporters risked losing their 24/7 Pentagon access badges for gathering information without prior official clearance, which the National Press Club and Freedom of the Press Foundation characterized as an unconstitutional prior restraint.

JTF Southern Spear killed 3 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean Sea; 3rd strike, ~17 campaign deaths

On September 19, 2025, U.S. forces struck an alleged drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean Sea in a joint operation with the Dominican Republic, killing three men. President Trump announced the strike on social media but provided no location, victims' identities, or evidence of trafficking. The Dominican Republic independently disclosed that the vessel was approximately 80 nautical miles south of Beata Island and later recovered 1,000 kilograms of cocaine from the wreck.

Trump signs EO 14351 establishing Gold Card pay-to-play immigrant visa, bypassing congressional immigration criteria

President Trump signed Executive Order 14351 on September 19, 2025, creating the "Gold Card" program, which directs the Secretaries of Commerce, State, and Homeland Security to treat a $1 million "unrestricted gift" to the Department of Commerce as evidence of eligibility for EB-1, EB-2, or national interest waiver immigrant visas — categories Congress designed for merit-based immigration, not financial payments. The order was published in the Federal Register on September 24, 2025. The program bypasses the EB-5 investor visa framework Congress established at 8 U.S.C. § 1153(b)(5), which requires demonstrated job creation and minimum investment thresholds; the Gold Card requires neither.

Trump publicly demands removal of EDVA U.S. attorney Siebert, who refused to indict Letitia James; Siebert resigns

President Trump publicly stated on September 19, 2025 that he wanted Erik Siebert, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Virginia, removed from his post; Siebert confirmed his resignation the same day. Siebert had reportedly informed senior Justice Department officials that he found insufficient evidence to charge New York Attorney General Letitia James — a Democrat who had successfully prosecuted Trump for civil fraud — with mortgage fraud. His top deputy, First Assistant Maya Song, also departed, and James was subsequently indicted on October 9, 2025, after new leadership took over.

Iowa licensing board solicited complaints against teachers over their Charlie Kirk social-media posts

On September 19, 2025, Michael Cavin, executive director of the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, sent a letter on board letterhead to superintendents across Iowa referencing educators' "comments regarding the assassination of Charlie Kirk" and stating that "administrators are encouraged to file a complaint with the board," specifying the licensing violations to cite. Following the letter, superintendents filed licensing complaints against teachers Katherine Mejia (West Delaware Community School District) and Jennifer Smith (Johnston Community School District) over their personal Facebook posts about Kirk. Mejia and Smith sued the board and Cavin in federal court, alleging the solicitation amounted to viewpoint discrimination and a First Amendment violation.

Sep 18

DOJ filed emergency SCOTUS petition to remove Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, challenging independent-agency firing protections

On September 18, 2025, Solicitor General D. John Sauer filed an emergency application with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to lift lower-court injunctions blocking President Trump's August 25 firing of Federal Reserve Board Governor Lisa Cook. Two courts had found Cook likely to succeed on the merits, ruling that the Federal Reserve Act's "for cause" removal protection shielded her position. The DOJ argued the injunctions were "untenable" and asked the Court to intervene before the Federal Open Market Committee's scheduled September meeting.

Trump threatened TV broadcast license revocations; FCC chair targeted The View's news-program status

On September 18, 2025, President Trump publicly threatened to revoke broadcast licenses of television networks he deemed biased, and FCC Chair Brendan Carr questioned whether ABC's daytime talk show The View still qualified as a "bona fide news program" — a reclassification that would subject ABC affiliates to the FCC's equal-opportunity rule, requiring equal airtime for any political candidate appearing on the show. Trump explicitly deferred to Carr to determine whether licenses "should be taken away," and the FCC's lone Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, characterized the agency's conduct as a "campaign of censorship and control."

RFK Jr.-appointed ACIP panel voted 8-3 to delay routine MMRV childhood vaccine, first change to immunization schedule

On September 18, 2025, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — its entire prior membership of 17 independent scientific experts having been dismissed and replaced by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — voted 8-3 to delay routine administration of the MMRV combination vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella) from the standard 12–15 months to age 4. It was the first change to the childhood immunization schedule under Kennedy's HHS and the first ACIP meeting of his hand-picked panel, which observers and STAT News described as "rocky" amid procedural irregularities, complaints about insufficient review time, and a postponed hepatitis B vote.

SEC dismissed civil fraud cases against Trump clemency recipients Devon Archer and Carlos Watson

On September 18, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission moved to dismiss with prejudice its civil fraud enforcement actions against Devon Archer and Carlos Watson (and Ozy Media, Inc.), two men President Trump had granted clemency for related criminal fraud convictions. The dismissals, entered by separate joint stipulations filed the same day, ended years of SEC efforts to recover funds tied to their conduct. The Commission issued no public explanation, stating in each filing only that it had "exercised its discretion."

World Liberty Financial sold crypto tokens to buyers linked to sanctioned Iranian and Russian networks, prompting a Senate probe request

Watchdog group Accountable.US reported on September 18, 2025 that World Liberty Financial (WLFI), the Trump family's crypto venture, sold tokens to wallets with prior ties to Iran's largest crypto exchange and a Treasury-sanctioned ruble token; a separate North Korea link the report alleged was later disputed by independent researchers as a false positive. Senate Democrats Warren and Reed cited the report in a November 2025 letter asking Treasury and DOJ to investigate WLFI's compliance and national-security exposure.

Sep 17

FCC Chair Carr threatened ABC license action over Kimmel's Charlie Kirk comments; ABC indefinitely suspended Kimmel

On September 17, 2025, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr publicly threatened ABC affiliates with regulatory consequences if they did not act against late-night host Jimmy Kimmel over Kimmel's recent comments about Charlie Kirk. Within hours, Nexstar and Sinclair Broadcast Group — both with transactions pending FCC approval — announced they would preempt Kimmel's show, and ABC suspended Jimmy Kimmel Live! indefinitely that same day. Former FCC senior official Gigi Sohn called it "the most blatant" use of the FCC's bully pulpit to intimidate a major network in the history of the agency.

Sep 16

Trump signed a fourth executive order directing DOJ not to enforce the PAFACA TikTok divestment law, suspending the statute through December

President Trump signed EO 14350 on September 16, 2025, directing the Department of Justice to take no enforcement action under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act through December 16, 2025 — the fourth consecutive executive order suspending a congressionally enacted, SCOTUS-upheld statute without legislative authorization.

GAO found FEMA illegally withheld food, shelter, and detention housing funds; sixth ICA violation in 2025

On September 16, 2025, the Government Accountability Office published its sixth finding that the Trump administration violated the Impoundment Control Act, concluding that FEMA illegally withheld or delayed congressionally- appropriated funds for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program — which supplements food and shelter services for homeless people — and the Shelter and Services Program, which funds temporary housing to relieve overcrowding in immigration detention. GAO determined that FEMA's delay in issuing a funding notice for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program constituted an "impermissible withholding," and that FEMA's complete failure to issue any notice for the Shelter and Services Program established "intent to impermissibly defer or preclude the obligation of budget authority." The Trump administration did not comply with the GAO's findings; the funds remained withheld.

DOJ sued Oregon to compel release of unredacted, sensitive voter roll data

On September 16, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division sued Oregon and Secretary of State Tobias Read, seeking to compel disclosure of the state's complete unredacted voter registration list, including birth dates, driver's-license numbers, and partial Social Security numbers, and alleging violations of the National Voter Registration Act, the Help America Vote Act, and the Civil Rights Act of 1960. The suit was part of a broader DOJ campaign that went on to demand voter data from dozens of states. A federal judge dismissed the Oregon suit on January 26, 2026, after Attorney General Pam Bondi sent Minnesota's governor a letter suggesting the data would be used to advance the administration's immigration-enforcement agenda.

U.S. Agency for International Development adopted blanket "still interested" FOIA policy, threatening to close pending public-records requests

On September 16, 2025, the U.S. Agency for International Development published a Federal Register notice requiring requesters with FOIA requests filed before January 20, 2025 to reconfirm continued interest by October 31, 2025 or have their requests administratively closed. American Oversight warned USAID on October 31, 2025 that the policy exceeded the agency's statutory authority, and renewed the demand after an August 5, 2026 federal court ruling vacated the Department of Energy's nearly identical policy. It remains undocumented whether USAID has closed any requests under the policy.

Sep 15

Trump signed memo deploying National Guard and federal agents to Memphis over mayor's objection

On September 15, 2025, President Trump signed a presidential memorandum titled "Restoring Law and Order in Memphis," deploying Tennessee National Guard troops alongside FBI, ATF, DEA, ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, and U.S. Marshals to Memphis for crime enforcement. Mayor Paul Young — who had not requested the deployment and represented a city where crime had reached a 25-year low — publicly objected. The deployment came weeks after a federal court ruled Trump's Los Angeles military deployment violated the Posse Comitatus Act, the longstanding federal law prohibiting military forces from performing domestic law enforcement.

JTF Southern Spear killed 3 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in Caribbean; 2nd strike, ~[N] campaign deaths

On September 15, 2025, President Trump announced a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean killing three men aboard a vessel he alleged was trafficking drugs. Colombian President Gustavo Petro subsequently alleged that one of the three was a Colombian fisherman and that the boat was in Colombian territorial waters, not international waters as Trump claimed. Trump dismissed the allegation as "baseless."

Sen. Schiff report reveals USDA, Labor, and HHS departments spent over $55,000 in taxpayer funds on Trump tribute banners

On September 15, 2025, Sen. Adam Schiff released an oversight report revealing that the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Labor, and Health and Human Services had contracted to display large Trump-tribute banners on their Washington, D.C. headquarters, including an 88-foot HHS banner promoting Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s "Make America Healthy Again" slogan. The three contracts totaled more than $55,000 in taxpayer funds, which Schiff's report said violated the federal appropriations-law ban on spending public money for "publicity or propaganda purposes."

Sep 12

ICE agent fatally shot Silverio Villegas-González during a traffic stop in Franklin Park, Illinois

On September 12, 2025, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot and killed Silverio Villegas-González, a 38-year-old Mexican national and father of two, during a targeted traffic stop in Franklin Park, Illinois, part of the Chicago-area "Midway Blitz" enforcement surge. The Department of Homeland Security said he resisted arrest, fled, and dragged an agent, but eyewitnesses disputed that anyone was dragged and video showed agents breaking his car window before he was shot at close range. Bodycam footage showed the agent describing his own injuries as "nothing major."

Missouri legislature referred amendment imposing district veto only on citizen ballot initiatives; Kehoe scheduled low-turnout August vote

On September 12, 2025, Missouri's Republican-controlled General Assembly gave final passage to Amendment 4, a legislature-referred constitutional amendment requiring citizen-initiated amendments to win majorities in all eight of the state's congressional districts while exempting amendments the legislature itself refers to the ballot. Eight months later, on May 22, 2026, Gov. Mike Kehoe scheduled the resulting referendum for the historically low-turnout August primary rather than the November general election. The measure followed a string of citizen-led ballot initiatives Republicans had opposed, including Medicaid expansion, marijuana legalization, and abortion rights.

Sep 11

SEC dismissed its civil fraud case against Nikola founder Trevor Milton after his Trump pardon

On September 11, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a joint stipulation dismissing with prejudice its civil fraud enforcement action against Nikola founder Trevor Milton in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The dismissal followed President Trump's March 27, 2025 pardon of Milton on his related criminal securities-fraud conviction, ending the SEC's remaining case against him. It paralleled the Commission's dismissals a week later of civil actions against two other Trump clemency recipients, Devon Archer and Carlos Watson.

Sep 10

United States and Liberia signed asylum protection-claims agreement

The United States and Liberia signed an "Agreement to Cooperate in the Examination of Protection Claims" via exchange of notes at Monrovia on September 10, 2025, entering into force the same day. Liberia separately agreed on October 24, 2025 to accept Kilmar Abrego Garcia "on a strictly humanitarian and temporary basis" following an October 17 meeting between Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Liberia's foreign minister; by August 18, 2026 the agreement had scaled into active use, with Liberia agreeing to accept up to 1,200 third-country deportees.

Sep 9

ICE detained Irish national Seamus Culleton, then blocked his green-card interview and reversed his court-approved bond during prolonged detention

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained Irish citizen Seamus Culleton on September 9, 2025, after running his license plate at a Home Depot in Saugus, Massachusetts, and transferred him to Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. During his ensuing detention, ICE caused him to miss at least two scheduled USCIS interviews confirming his pending marriage-based green card, and DHS successfully moved to reverse an immigration judge's $4,000 bond grant on a jurisdictional ground specific to the Visa Waiver Program he entered under.

ICE and CBP agents body-slammed 79-year-old U.S. citizen car wash owner during Van Nuys raid, held him nearly 12 hours without medical care

Masked federal agents from ICE, CBP, and DHS raided Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys, Los Angeles on September 9, 2025, and, per surveillance video and the owner's account, body-slammed and restrained 79-year-old U.S. citizen Rafie Ollah Shouhed after he tried to show them his employees' work authorization. Shouhed was handcuffed and held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles for nearly 12 hours without medical attention despite pleading that he had a heart condition, then released without charges. He suffered broken ribs, elbow injuries, and post-concussive symptoms of a traumatic brain injury.

Sep 5

Trump signed EO 14347 directing Pentagon to adopt 'Department of War' name; DoD website rebranded to war.gov

President Trump signed Executive Order 14347 on September 5, 2025, directing the Department of Defense to use the title "Department of War" in all non-statutory communications, correspondence, and ceremonies. The DoD website was immediately rebranded to war.gov. Implementation was estimated to cost approximately $2 billion, covering new signage and letterhead across the defense establishment — all without congressional authorization to rename the department as required by the National Security Act of 1947.

United States deported protected migrants to Ghana under undisclosed third-country deal

The United States deported the first group of third-country nationals to Ghana on September 5, 2025, under an arrangement the BBC reported six days later; the deal's text has never been disclosed. At least 60 people have been forcibly sent to Ghana across four confirmed flights, many with U.S.-granted humanitarian protections, and Reuters later found Ghana forcibly returned at least 22 of them to their home countries despite U.S. court orders barring exactly that.

BIA stripped immigration judges of bond authority, mandating detention without hearings in Matter of Yajure Hurtado

On September 5, 2025, the Board of Immigration Appeals issued a precedential decision, Matter of Yajure Hurtado, holding that noncitizens who entered the United States without inspection are "applicants for admission" subject to mandatory detention under the Immigration and Nationality Act, with no authority for an immigration judge to grant a bond hearing. The ruling reversed decades of practice under which longtime residents placed in removal proceedings could seek release on bond, and DHS and ICE began applying it to hold thousands of people without any individualized custody review.

Trump announced 2026 G20 summit at his Doral resort, directing foreign-government spending to his own property

President Trump announced on September 5, 2025, that the United States would host the 2026 G20 summit at his Trump National Doral Miami resort in Doral, Florida. The White House claimed the venue would host the event "at-cost" with no profit to Trump, but even at-cost hosting generates substantial indirect value — global media exposure, advance security expenditures, and ancillary bookings — for a property Trump personally owns. Trump abandoned an identical proposal to host the G7 at Doral in 2019 following bipartisan congressional criticism; he is now proceeding without seeking congressional consent as required by the Foreign Emoluments Clause.

Sep 4

DHS final rule granted USCIS arrest authority and deadly force, transforming civilian benefits agency into armed law enforcement arm

On September 4, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published a final rule giving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services sweeping new law enforcement powers, including the authority to carry firearms, use deadly force, make arrests, and execute warrants. USCIS will employ 1811-classified special agents — the same designation as FBI and DEA agents — despite being created by Congress exclusively as a civilian benefits-processing agency. The rule takes effect 30 days from publication, creating parallel enforcement infrastructure alongside ICE and CBP without congressional authorization.

ICE agents detained 57 workers in a Cato, NY factory raid; judge found warrants didn't authorize the detentions

On September 4, 2025, roughly 60 armed federal agents, supported by the Cayuga and Oswego County sheriff's offices, raided the Nutrition Bar Confectioners factory in Cato, New York and detained 57 of the roughly 160 workers present, though supporting affidavits named or described fewer than 10 potentially undocumented individuals. Fifty-two of the 57 were deported and five were charged with illegal re-entry; U.S. District Judge Brenda K. Sannes later found that the two warrants used authorized only the seizure of business records and the questioning of workers, not their detention, and ruled that agents violated the Fourth Amendment rights of one charged worker, Argentina Juarez-Lopez.

Sep 3

DHS Secretary Noem terminated 2021 TPS designation for Venezuela, stripping deportation protection from ~250,000 Venezuelans

On September 3, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem terminated the 2021 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Venezuela, affecting approximately 250,000 Venezuelans enrolled under the Biden-era grant. Noem cited "national interest" and determined Venezuela no longer met TPS statutory requirements, setting an effective end date of November 7, 2025. A federal court blocked the termination within three days on September 6, 2025, finding the administration likely lacked statutory authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act.

DHS opened 'Camp 57' ICE detention unit inside Angola prison's former solitary-confinement wing for civil immigration detainees

On September 3, 2025, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the opening of "Camp 57," an ICE detention facility inside Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), occupying the facility's former Camp J solitary-confinement wing — a section shuttered approximately seven years earlier after cell locks malfunctioned, dozens of weapons were found, and more than 80 staff resigned or were fired for misconduct. The facility opened with 51 civil immigration detainees and a stated capacity of 416; courts later ordered four detainees released citing conditions.

Sep 2

JTF Southern Spear killed 11 aboard suspected narcotics vessel in southern Caribbean; 1st strike, ~11 campaign deaths

On September 2, 2025, U.S. military forces conducting Operation Southern Spear struck a vessel in the southern Caribbean, killing eleven people the Trump administration labeled Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists. President Trump announced the action on Truth Social and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth posted video of the explosion, but neither provided public evidence identifying those aboard as drug traffickers or gang members. The strike was conducted without congressional authorization or judicial process and was the first publicly acknowledged U.S. military airstrike in the Americas since the 1989 Panama invasion.