Category: Breaking the Law

Trump Violates War Powers Resolution, Attacks Congress

President Donald Trump violated the War Powers Resolution by refusing to seek congressional authorization for his military operations against Iran, which exceeded the mandatory 60-day deadline on May 1st, 2026. The 1973 resolution explicitly requires presidential termination of military deployments after 60 days unless Congress authorizes continued action, a requirement Trump dismissed as “totally unconstitutional” despite the law’s plain language and decades of precedent.

Trump falsely claimed that no president has sought congressional approval for military operations and that other countries do not follow such procedures, contradicting historical fact and his own responsibility under U.S. law. He attacked critics demanding compliance with the War Powers Resolution as “unpatriotic” and “losers,” characterizing lawful constitutional oversight as illegitimate while deploying private envoys to negotiate ceasefire terms, suggesting he recognized the conflict’s instability.

Trump invoked an unsubstantiated ceasefire claim to justify extending his authority beyond the statutory deadline, a maneuver that contradicts the resolution’s explicit 30-day extension provision, which requires him to seek congressional authorization regardless. The Senate rejected multiple Democratic attempts to advance legislation requiring Trump to comply with the War Powers Resolution, leaving the executive unchecked in his abuse of power and enabling continued military operations without constitutional authorization.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth characterized the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign as a “gift to the world,” reinforcing Trump’s militaristic posture while the Pentagon circulated proposals to punish NATO members who refused to support the Iran war, exposing the authoritarian nature of Trump’s demand for absolute loyalty from allied governments.

Trump’s refusal to comply with the War Powers Resolution demonstrates his systematic dismantling of constitutional checks on executive power, replacing legislative oversight with unilateral military authority justified by baseless claims and attacks on those demanding lawful governance.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-wildly-claims-seeking-congressional-approval-for-iran-war-is-totally-unconstitutional-these-are-not-patriotic-people-that-are-asking/)

Trump’s ATF Rule Forces Trans Gun Buyers Into Felony Trap

The Trump administration’s proposed changes to federal gun purchase forms would require all new gun owners to list their sex assigned at birth, rather than their current gender identity. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives confirmed to The Independent in April 2025 that it is updating ATF Form 4473 to comply with Trump’s January 2025 executive order, which eliminated federal recognition of transgender identities. Firearms policy experts warn this rule creates a mechanism to identify and compile lists of transgender gun owners based on name-to-sex mismatches.

The proposed requirement places transgender people in an unconstitutional “Catch-22,” according to Second Amendment advocates and civil liberties experts. If a trans person lists their gender identity on the form, they risk federal felony charges for false statements punishable by up to ten years in prison, since it would contradict their birth sex designation. Conversely, listing their sex assigned at birth could also trigger false statement charges, because it no longer matches their appearance, legal documents, or official identity in most states. Patrick G. Eddington of the Cato Institute called the rule a “felony trap” designed to chill lawful firearms purchases by a vulnerable population already facing increased violence.

The Trump administration has pursued multiple concurrent efforts to restrict transgender people’s access to firearms and to surveil transgender populations. The Department of Justice is weighing rules to declare transgender Americans inherently mentally unfit to possess guns, while the Department of Homeland Security scrapped safeguards against spying on people based solely on gender identity. The Justice Department has subpoenaed hospitals for information about transgender patients, and Republican-led states continue compiling lists of transgender individuals through medical records and driver’s license data. Conservative media figures and activists have called for transgender people to be institutionalized or designated domestic terrorists, claims senior administration officials have declined to reject.

Despite the administration’s targeting of transgender gun ownership, membership in LGBT-focused gun clubs has surged since Trump’s 2024 reelection. Pink Pistols chapters increased 68 percent from November 2024 to April 2025, while the Liberal Gun Club’s membership nearly doubled following Trump’s return to office. Erin Palette, national coordinator of Pink Pistols, stated the proposed ATF rule change is “not about safety or identification” but “targeting a minority for being a minority,” violating constitutional protections. The spike reflects widespread fears among marginalized communities, including transgender people, people of color, and progressives, following rising anti-LGBT hate crimes, federal immigration enforcement killings, and Trump administration rhetoric.

The ATF has not yet formally published the proposed rule in the Federal Register, and Form 4473 has not been updated as of late April 2025. The formal rule-making process, which includes public comment periods, must occur before implementation. Both transgender gun advocates and conservative Second Amendment supporters, including Eddington, argue the rule is facially unconstitutional and represents abuse of power by an administration indifferent to legal constraints on executive authority.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-atf-transgender-gun-owners-rules-b2965843.html)

Trump Promotes ‘Secure’ White House Ballroom After Shooting

President Trump used a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, 2026, to advance his $400 million White House Ballroom project. In a Truth Social post the morning after the incident, Trump claimed the ballroom’s military-grade security features would have prevented the shooting and demanded immediate construction without further legal delay.

Trump’s post attacked the legal challenge to the ballroom, dismissing the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s lawsuit as frivolous and brought by “a woman walking her dog” with “absolutely No Standing.” He demanded the “ridiculous” lawsuit be “dropped immediately” and insisted nothing should interfere with construction, which he claimed was “on budget and substantially ahead of schedule.”

District Judge Richard Leon halted construction in March, ruling that Trump lacks statutory authority to proceed without express congressional authorization. The Trump administration had demolished the White House East Wing in October 2025 to make room for the ballroom, a project that has sparked constitutional and preservation concerns as Trump previously attacked the court ruling blocking the ballroom.

Trump’s invocation of security threats to bypass judicial oversight and congressional approval reflects a pattern of using crises to justify abuse of power and consolidation of executive authority, weaponizing a tragedy to advance a vanity project that violates constitutional checks on presidential power.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-promotes-large-safe-and-secure-ballroom-after-shooting/)

Trump ICE Detention Crisis Forces Federal Judges to Issue Sanctions

Federal judges across California are confronting a crisis in immigration detention created by the Trump administration’s mandatory detention policy. Since July 2025, the Department of Homeland Security has ordered all arrested immigrants held without bond, a dramatic expansion from the previous policy that applied only to those caught at the border. This change followed Trump’s signing of a spending bill allocating $45 billion to expand federal immigrant detention facilities.

The surge in detentions has overwhelmed California’s federal courts, particularly the Eastern District, which received over 2,700 habeas corpus petitions since January 2026 compared to fewer than 500 the previous year. Chief Judge Troy Nunley declared a judicial emergency in the district and sanctioned a Department of Justice attorney $250 for repeatedly violating court orders to release detained immigrants. Many detainees are longtime U.S. residents with no criminal records who were arrested during routine immigration check-ins, including an Afghan who supported American military efforts and a Cambodian grandmother who fled the Khmer Rouge.

Habeas corpus petitions, once reserved for death row inmates and suspected terrorists, have become the only recourse for immigrants seeking release. Judge Nunley stated that “the majority of the cases that we see are cases where people should not be detained” and emphasized that detainees are entitled to the same due process protections as any other person. However, some government lawyers have argued that the Fifth Amendment does not apply to detained immigrants, contradicting constitutional guarantees of due process.

The Trump administration’s policy has created procedural chaos across federal districts. Judge Sunshine Sykes of California’s Central District issued a decision describing the administration’s enforcement as inflicting “terror against noncitizens,” though the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals blocked her order requiring bond hearings. Federal judges unprepared for the volume of immigration cases are working nights to process emergency motions, while government attorneys claim they are overwhelmed by more than 300 cases assigned in three months.

Nationwide, nearly a quarter of approximately 30,000 active habeas petitions are filed in California courts, with half concentrated in Nunley’s Eastern District. Legal experts anticipate the dispute over mandatory detention will reach the Supreme Court as challenges progress through multiple appellate circuits. Judges across the country have expressed frustration that the Trump administration’s enforcement blitz has created a system that denies detainees the opportunity to gather evidence or consult with lawyers while forcing them to file emergency constitutional petitions instead of receiving standard bond hearings.

(Source: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2026-04-19/trump-doj-habeas-corpus-immigration-detention)

Trump Demands No Judge Stop His Military Ballroom

President Donald Trump posted inflammatory messages on Truth Social attacking Judge Richard Leon’s ruling on his $400 million White House ballroom project, characterizing the structure as militarily essential and declaring “no Judge can be allowed to stop” its construction. Trump’s posts came after Leon issued a revised order allowing underground construction of bunkers, bomb shelters, and military installations while prohibiting Trump from finalizing the above-ground ballroom design without Congressional approval, which the project still lacks.

Trump accused Leon of undermining national security and engaging in “illegal overreach,” claiming the ballroom is vital for presidential safety during events, inaugurations, and global summits. In his lengthy Truth Social rant, Trump detailed the ballroom’s purported military features, including missile-resistant steel, drone-proof ceilings, blast-proof glass, and military-grade venting, framing these specifications as necessary for protecting future presidents and world leaders.

Trump insisted the underground and above-ground portions are inseparable, claiming the underground sections serve no purpose without the upper structure and that the entire project is “tied together as one big, expensive, and very complex unit.” He further asserted that material worth hundreds of millions of dollars has already been ordered and partially paid for, suggesting the court order threatens investments already committed to the construction.

The ballroom remains funded through private donations and Trump’s personal cash rather than taxpayer money, yet Trump has framed judicial oversight as obstructing national defense. Trump previously attacked the court halt, and his administration appointed an unqualified receptionist to the Commission of Fine Arts, illustrating his pattern of circumventing institutional expertise and oversight on the project.

Trump’s assertion that judges cannot stop the project defies judicial authority and the requirement for Congressional approval, establishing a precedent for executive defiance of court orders. His characterization of legitimate legal review as “Trump Hating” and a “mockery to our Court System” exemplifies his broader pattern of attacking judicial independence when rulings oppose his interests.

(Source: https://www.mediaite.com/politics/trump-drops-wild-post-about-his-militarily-imperative-ballroom-no-judge-can-be-allowed-to-stop-it/)

Trump DOJ Seeks to Vacate Seditious Conspiracy Convictions

Trump’s Department of Justice, led by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, filed motions on Tuesday to vacate convictions against members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys who were convicted of seditious conspiracy and related crimes for their roles in the January 6 Capitol attack. The filing seeks to erase convictions for Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes, militia members Kelly Meggs, Kenneth Harrelson, and Jessica Watkins, and Proud Boys members Ethan Nordean, Joseph Biggs, Zachary Rehl, and Dominic Pezzola. This escalates Trump’s earlier mass pardons and commutations issued on his first day in office.

Stewart Rhodes, convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 18 years in prison, had his sentence commuted to time served by Trump in January. Enrique Tarrio, former Proud Boys leader also convicted of seditious conspiracy and sentenced to 22 years, was similarly pardoned. The remaining defendants had their sentences commuted to time served, though convictions technically remained until these new motions. Federal prosecutors argue that continuing prosecution is not in the interests of justice, according to the filed motions.

Rhodes founded the Oath Keepers anti-government militia group in 2009 and coordinated extensive preparations for armed conflict before January 6, including weapons caches and encrypted messaging discussions about a violent response to the 2020 election. Similarly, Proud Boys members including Nordean, Biggs, and Rehl were convicted after evidence demonstrated they orchestrated a violent plot to stop the peaceful transfer of power. Rehl called for “firing squads” for election “traitors,” and Pezzola was filmed using a stolen Capitol riot shield to break windows during the assault.

The Trump administration is systematically dismantling accountability for the January 6 attack through mass pardons, sentence commutations, and now attempted erasure of convictions. Stewart Rhodes appeared at Trump’s Las Vegas rally in January following his sentence commutation. Additionally, the administration has targeted federal prosecutors involved in January 6 cases and is identifying FBI agents involved in investigations while removing evidence and public statements about the attack from government websites.

Convicted rioters are now suing the federal government alleging excessive force by law enforcement, and the Justice Department has already settled with the family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot by Capitol police. Trump pledged to review the shooting decision. At least one rioter who called for police to be killed now works for the Trump administration, and a newly launched White House website attributes blame to law enforcement for “deliberately escalating tensions” during the Capitol breach.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jan-6-oath-keeper-proud-boys-doj-b2957740.html)

Trump Pushes Automatic Draft Registration After Five Dodges

Trump, who evaded the military draft five times during the Vietnam War era through student deferments and a bone spur diagnosis at age 22, is now directing his administration to implement automatic draft registration for 18-year-old males. The Selective Service System has proposed eliminating voluntary self-registration and instead automatically populating its lists from federal databases, a policy Trump approved in December and which awaits regulatory review.

The automatic registration proposal arrives as Trump pursues aggressive military expansion abroad, contradicting his 2024 campaign promises and his self-styled “President of Peace” branding. He has launched wars against Iran and Venezuela, threatened military action against U.S. allies including Mexico, Colombia, Panama, and Greenland, and stated intentions to erase Iran’s “whole civilization.” These actions signal potential reliance on emergency draft measures unused since the 1973 end of the Vietnam War.

Trump has a documented pattern of disrespect toward military personnel, reportedly calling veterans “losers” and “suckers” in private conversations. Additionally, he is exploring whether to award himself the Congressional Medal of Honor, which would make him the first recipient since its 1861 establishment to receive the honor without military service. Despite attending the New York Military Academy, a military-style boarding school, Trump never served in any capacity in the armed forces.

The hypocrisy is stark: the president who avoided mandatory military service five times now seeks to bind teenagers to automatic enrollment in a draft system he himself circumvented. This policy deepens the double standard inherent in forcing working-class youth to assume obligations the wealthy and politically connected have historically evaded.

(Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/draft-dodging-peace-president-donald-trump-to-register-boys-for-military-draft-at-18/)

Trump Threatens Iran War Crimes, Falsely Blames Media for Pilot Leak

During a Monday White House briefing, Trump used a press conference ostensibly about a successful pilot rescue to threaten extensive war crimes against Iran, including attacks on civilian infrastructure like bridges, power plants, and desalinization facilities. Trump falsely claimed that American journalists had revealed the downed pilot's location to Iran, when an Israeli journalist citing Iranian state media actually broke the story first, then demanded the identification and prosecution of the supposed leaker.

Trump reiterated threats to destroy Iran's civilian infrastructure after an 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline, stating "they're gonna have no bridges, they're gonna have no power plants" and describing the outcome as returning Iran to the "stone ages." When confronted about violations of post-World War II international law prohibiting attacks on civilian targets, Trump dismissed the concern and attacked the New York Times reporter who posed the question rather than address the substance of the war crimes allegation.

Trump claimed he had intercepted communications from Iranians urging the U.S. to continue bombing their neighborhoods, asserting they would "suffer that in order to have freedom" under his campaign to weaken Iran's government. He also proposed that the U.S. could charge "tolls" for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, framing such extraction as payment for a war he claimed the U.S. had already won, despite ongoing conflict.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth spent the briefing praising Trump for ordering a routine rescue mission as if it were an extraordinary achievement, with Hegseth claiming the current bombing campaign represents the "largest volume" of munitions dropped on Iran since the war began. Trump also employed a racist slur during the event, underscoring the press conference's chaotic and inflammatory tone.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei rejected a U.S. ceasefire proposal and stated that Iran is reviewing a Pakistani-authored pause plan ahead of Trump's deadline. Baghaei emphasized that negotiations are incompatible with ultimatums and threats to commit war crimes, and that Iran would release its formal response in due time.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-iran-press-conference-war-crime-threats-b2952604.html)

Trump tells DHS to pay TSA despite government shutdown after agents miss another paycheck | The Independent

President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum on Friday directing the Department of Homeland Security to pay TSA employees using undisclosed funds, following weeks of missed paychecks during a partial government shutdown. The directive covers approximately 50,000 security officers at airports and came after a six-week funding lapse that has caused excruciatingly long security lines and prompted nearly 500 TSA agents to quit while thousands more called out sick at record rates. Trump framed the action as necessary to address an “emergency situation compromising the Nation’s security,” though the source of the funds remains unclear.

The shutdown resulted from Democratic refusal to fund DHS until the Trump administration agrees to reforms for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection. Trump rejected a Senate bill passed Friday morning that would have funded most DHS functions, including TSA, because it excluded ICE and CBP funding. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer stated Democrats would not provide funding without reforms, calling the administration’s immigration enforcement tactics “lawless and deadly.”

Trump’s memorandum blamed Democrats for the shutdown while emphasizing security vulnerabilities created by depleted TSA staffing and wait times exceeding three hours at some airports. DHS announced that TSA employees would begin receiving pay as soon as Monday. The administration has faced criticism for its aggressive immigration crackdown, including a January incident in Minneapolis where immigration agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens, which the administration characterized as self-defense.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-pay-tsa-shutdown-b2947422.html)

Trump Shifts $1.7T Student Loan Portfolio to Treasury

The Trump administration is transferring the $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio from the Department of Education to the Treasury Department as part of its dismantling of the Education agency. The move initially affects approximately 10 million borrowers in default or late-stage delinquency, according to senior department officials. Education Secretary Linda McMahon characterized the shift as a “historic step” toward abolishing the Education Department, claiming Treasury’s financial expertise will end decades of alleged mismanagement.

Treasury will assume operational control of collecting defaulted federal student loan debt previously managed by the Office of Federal Student Aid. The multiphase process represents one of at least ten interagency agreements McMahon has implemented to shutter the Education Department by transferring its functions to other federal agencies including Health and Human Services, Interior, Labor, and State. McMahon has advocated for relocating the student debt portfolio to Treasury, calling it a “natural area” for the loans to reside.

Education advocates and Democratic lawmakers object to the transfer, warning it creates additional confusion and chaos for borrowers already struggling financially. Roxanne Garza, director of higher education policy at EdTrust, told ABC News that shifting the loan portfolio raises concerns about what support defaulted borrowers will receive and which agency they should contact for assistance. Ranking Member Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., questioned whether the administration intentionally seeks to create chaos for borrowers juggling student loan payments alongside rising costs for groceries, gas, child care, healthcare, and housing.

When federal loans enter default status, borrowers become eligible for mandatory debt collection, which damages credit scores, reduces future student aid eligibility, and can result in driver’s license revocation. The administration has phased out Biden-era student loan repayment plans and will introduce a new income-driven repayment option under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act beginning July 1. Department of Education officials stress borrowers should contact the Federal Student Aid office to arrange repayment, though the institutional transition creates uncertainty about which agency will handle inquiries and disputes.

Republican House Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Rep. Tim Walberg endorsed the transfer, claiming it will simplify aid delivery and reduce taxpayer costs. The Education Department announcement Thursday follows months of planning to dismantle the agency as fulfillment of Trump’s campaign pledge to abolish it, consolidating student aid administration under Treasury while the broader institutional dissolution continues across multiple federal departments.

(Source: https://abcnews.com/Politics/treasury-taking-federal-student-loans-amid-dismantling-department/story?id=131230589)

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