Desi Weekly News Digest 

NATIONAL

Federal Court Declares Tariffs Unconstitutional: Tariffs on Hold for 90 Days: The ruling — issued by a panel of judges in the U.S. Court of International Trade — halted the sweeping 10% tariffs Mr. Trump assessed on virtually every U.S. trading partner on "Liberation Day" last month, with higher tariffs threatened for dozens of countries. However, just a day later, a federal appeals court temporarily reinstated the tariffs , saying that the government needed time to appeal the earlier ruling. CBS NEWS REUTERS

Elon Musk leaving Trump administration, capping turbulent tenure: Elon Musk is leaving the Trump administration after leading a tumultuous efficiency drive, during which he upended several federal agencies but ultimately failed to deliver the generational savings he had sought. REUTERS

State Department plans reorganization with bigger cuts to programs and staff: The reorganization is intended to reduce staff and eliminate programs — particularly those related to refugees and immigration, as well as human rights and democracy promotion. The focus will shift from facilitating immigration into the country to deporting illegal immigrants and immigrants in trouble with the law. AP NEWS

Crisis at the Department of Veterans Affairs: The Department of Veterans Affairs, the nation’s largest integrated healthcare system, has been plunged into crisis amid canceled contracts, hiring freezes, resignations, layoffs and other moves by the Trump administration. THE GUARDIAN

Cuts to public safety grants leave police and nonprofits scrambling: The Justice Department has drastically scaled back its support for anti-crime initiatives across the country, leaving law enforcement agencies and private groups scrambling to try to replace the money. The cuts were announced in late April, and the Council on Criminal Justice estimates 373 grants were terminated, totaling about $500 million. NPR

DOGE Finds Almost No Fraud in Social Security: Procedures implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency suggested that just two out of 110,000 calls to the Social Security Administration this spring had a “high probability” of being fraudulent. That is a far cry from the 40 percent figure that was parroted by Elon Musk. YAHOO

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

US loses last perfect credit rating amid rising debt: In lowering the US rating from 'AAA' to 'Aa1', Moody's noted that successive US administrations had failed to reverse ballooning deficits and interest costs. BBC

DESI NEWS

Indian-origin Faizan Zaki Wins the Scripps National Spelling Bee: On the 100th anniversary of the spelling bee, Indian=Americans dominated once again as the 13-year old from Dallas, Texas won with the word “eclaircissement.” AP NEWS

IMMIGRATION

Alabama worker says ICE dragged him from job despite being US citizen: A construction worker in south Alabama says he was forcibly detained Wednesday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who claimed his proof of U.S. citizenship was fake. AL.COM

DOGE Is Building a Master Database to Surveil and Track Immigrants: DOGE is knitting together data from the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and IRS that could create a surveillance tool of unprecedented scope. WIRED (paywall)

ICE Gets Quota of 3000 Immigrants to Arrest Per Day: The Trump administration has set aggressive new goals in its anti-immigration agenda, demanding that federal agents arrest 3,000 people a day – or more than a million in a year. THE GUARDIAN

U.S. Visa Freeze Hits Indian Students: The Trump administration has ordered US embassies worldwide, including in India,  to stop processing visas while the social media handles of the students are checked. This decision could affect the prospects of thousands of students and damage the reputation of the US as a destination for higher education. BUSINESS STANDARD

CORRUPTION ALERT

Trump Pardons More White Collar Criminals Who Supported Him: Mr. Trump said he would pardon reality TV stars Todd and Julie Chrisley, who were imprisoned after being sentenced in 2022 on bank fraud and tax evasion charges. The couple, who starred on "Chrisley Knows Best," submitted false financial statements to obtain more than $30 million in personal loans, which they spent on luxury cars, designer clothes, real estate and travel, the Justice Department said. CBS NEWS

CONSUMER SAFETY

Trump’s EPA Plans to Stop Collecting Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data From Most Polluters:  The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to eliminate long-standing requirements for polluters to collect and report their emissions of the heat-trapping gases that cause climate change. PRO PUBLICA

Trump Admin Lifts Ban on Controversial Rapid-Fire Gun Triggers:  The Trump administration will allow the sale of forced-reset triggers, which make semiautomatic rifles fire more rapidly, with the federal government ending a long-standing ban as part of a settlement that also requires it to return seized devices. GV WIRE

Trump budget would cut ocean data and leave boaters, anglers and forecasters at Sea: President Donald Trump wants to eliminate all federal funding for the observing system’s regional operations. Scientists say the cuts could mean the end of efforts to gather real-time data crucial to navigating treacherous harbors, plotting tsunami escape routes and predicting hurricane intensity. AP NEWS

Join us as we make an all out push to get Democrats out to vote in the Virginia elections this year. Write to us at tsbmarcomm@gmail.com with the subject line “Virginia Task Force.”