WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. Department of Justice&#8217;s Civil Rights Division filed a lawsuit against the University of California, Los Angeles on Tuesday, claiming it tolerated a hostile educational environment for Jewish and Israeli students.
In its complaint, the Justice Department accused UCLA of violating Title VI &#8211; a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance &#8211; &#8220;through its deliberate indifference to this pervasive on-campus antisemitism.&#8221;
The lawsuit pointed to an encampment that was built on the university&#8217;s campus in April 2024. The Justice Department described the move as illegal and said that Jewish students were attacked.
&#8220;Universities have an obligation to maintain safe and inclusive campuses for all students,&#8221; said Bill Essayli, the first assistant U.S. attorney for the Central District of California.
&#8220;Universities that violate our nation’s civil rights laws by repeatedly failing to shield Jewish students from antisemitism will be held accountable.&#8221;
UCLA REJECTS ALLEGATIONS
UCLA Chancellor Julio Frenk rejected the allegations, saying the university had taken concrete steps to combat antisemitism on campus.
&#8220;Let me be direct: the suggestion that UCLA has been passive in the face of antisemitism is simply wrong,&#8221; Frenk said in a statement. &#8220;Combating antisemitism is a moral imperative — one rooted, for me, in personal history that makes indifference unthinkable.&#8221;
Frenk said the university had recruited an associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, reorganized its civil rights office, appointed a Title VI officer, and strengthened policies to protect free expression and campus safety.
Frenk had introduced a campus-wide initiative to combat antisemitism, which issued a report in May outlining a roadmap to address campus antisemitism and bigotry.
In February 2025, the university suspended two leftist student groups, Students for Justice in Palestine and Graduate Students for Justice in Palestine, over their involvement in a protest at the home of University of California regent Jay Sures. The following month, the university recommended revoking SJP&#8217;s status and suspending GSJP for four years.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CRACKDOWN ON ANTISEMITISM
The Justice Department announced the lawsuit shortly after a federal appeals court earlier on Tuesday partially upheld an injunction that required it to restore grants awarded to the University of California that the Trump administration had terminated last year because it perceived they supported diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI.
The lawsuit is the latest legal action taken by the Trump administration to crack down on what it has described as antisemitism at U.S. universities in the wake of Hamas&#8217; October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.
The 2023 attack, which resulted in the deaths of more than 1,200 people, launched the Israel-Gaza war.
Hundreds of students across the United States and Europe held demonstrations in the wake of the war, calling for a ceasefire to end it. In some cases, students occupied campus buildings.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Jasper Ward in Washington; Editing by Caitlin Webber and Sonali Paul)

Police Clear Student Encampment on UCLA Campus

Trump DOJ Sues UCLA Over Treatment Of Jewish Students

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WASHINGTON, May 22 (Reuters) &#8211; The Internal Revenue Service is debating whether to require taxpayers to disclose their citizenship status on next year&#8217;s tax forms, according to three people familiar with the situation, as the Trump administration intensifies its attempts to link federal agencies to its sprawling immigration enforcement and anti-fraud drive.
IRS officials are considering two versions of Form 1040, the primary paperwork individuals use to report earnings and claim tax benefits, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of professional reprisals.
The first version contains minor updates to reflect changes in tax laws. The second includes those updates and a check-box labeled: &#8220;Check this box if you are a non-U.S. citizen or have dual citizenship.&#8221;
Representatives from the Treasury Department &#8211; the IRS&#8217;s parent agency &#8211; declined to comment on Friday.
Immigrants, including those in the United States illegally, are required to file taxes and use the same IRS forms as tax filers with citizenship. Paying taxes has long been seen as a key factor for illegal immigrants to obtain legal status.
&#8220;It’s just an effort to once again terrorize people with certain immigration statuses, and it’s another step of turning the IRS into an agency that collaborates with immigration authorities rather than being an agency that enforces and administers the tax laws,&#8221; said Nina Olson, executive director of the Center for Taxpayer Rights, an advocacy and low-income tax assistance organization.
The Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security spent much of 2025 attempting to collaborate, sharing confidential taxpayer data with immigration officials to assist in the Trump administration&#8217;s deportation campaign.
Olson&#8217;s organization filed a lawsuit, and a federal judge blocked the IRS from disclosing that data in November. The federal government has appealed the ruling.
In February, the IRS admitted to the court that it had erroneously shared the data of more than 42,000 taxpayers with DHS.
Disclosing a taxpayer&#8217;s personal information &#8212; including a name or address &#8212; outside of narrow legal exceptions carries stiff penalties, including jail time. President Donald Trump recently dropped a lawsuit against the IRS seeking $10 billion in damages after a tax agency contractor leaked his tax returns to media outlets. The contractor, Charles Littlejohn, is serving a five-year prison sentence.
In exchange for dropping the suit, the Justice Department created a nearly $1.8 billion fund to pay supposed victims of &#8220;government weaponization.&#8221; As part of the settlement, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche signed an agreement permanently barring the IRS from pursuing tax claims against Trump, his family or his businesses.
The Trump administration has sought to aggressively police government benefits awarded to non-citizens. Federal law already prohibits undocumented immigrants from many entitlement programs, including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other benefits covering education and housing. Non-citizens, though, pay into those programs through income, payroll and sales taxes.
Tax preparers nationwide reported encountering clients who said they were frightened to file their taxes in 2025 due to the IRS&#8217;s collaboration with immigration enforcement. That fear has fiscal consequences for the United States government. The Yale Budget Lab estimated that lower tax compliance rates among immigrant communities could lead to a $313 billion loss in federal revenue over the next decade.
The IRS is considering other methods of determining a taxpayer&#8217;s citizenship status. Non-citizens can file taxes using a nine-digit &#8220;individual tax identification number&#8221; in place of a Social Security number. Tax officials have discussed differentiating codes to denote a filer&#8217;s immigration status, the people said. The New York Times first reported those deliberations.
(Reporting by Jacob Bogage; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Rosalba O&#8217;Brien and Nick Zieminski)

FILE PHOTO: The Internal Revenue Service building is seen in Washington

Trump IRS Considers New Requirement As Immigration Crackdown Expands

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May 15 (Reuters) &#8211; Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis granted clemency on Friday to former county elections clerk Tina Peters, a Trump ally who was convicted of tampering with voting machines as she pursued concerns that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen.
Polis wrote in his clemency letter to Peters that he was commuting her nine-year prison sentence to time already served and ordering her release on parole effective June 1. Prior to gaining clemency, Peters, 70, would not have been eligible for release until November 2028.
&#8220;Thank you Governor Polis,&#8221; Peters posted on X. &#8220;I have learned and grown during my time in prison and going forward I will make sure that my actions always follow the law, and I will avoid the mistakes of the past.&#8221;
Peters was one of 44 individuals to whom Polis granted clemency on Friday.
&#8220;The Clemency power is a serious responsibility, and not one that I take lightly,&#8221; Polis <a href="https://governorsoffice.colorado.gov/governor/news/governor-polis-announces-clemency-actions">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;This power has the ability to change lives &#8211; help grant a second chance for someone who has made grave mistakes &#8211; and it comes with great consideration, and sometimes even controversy.&#8221;
Peters, a Republican, was an outspoken supporter of President Donald Trump&#8217;s claims that he lost the 2020 White House race to Democrat Joe Biden because of widespread election fraud.
Peters was the clerk of Mesa County when she was indicted in 2022, following an election security breach at her office that led to the posting of voting equipment passwords on a political blog. She denied wrongdoing but was convicted in 2024 on seven charges, including three counts of attempting to influence a public servant. She was acquitted on three other charges.
Last year, President Trump ordered the Department of Justice &#8220;to help secure the release&#8221; of Peters, saying she was prosecuted &#8220;for political reasons.&#8221; He said Peters was an &#8220;innocent American&#8221; whose incarceration was &#8220;unjust.&#8221; In December, Trump pardoned her, but a Colorado court ruled that he had no authority to do so since she was convicted on state charges. Trump lashed out at Polis that same month, accusing the governor of being beholden to transnational gangs.
&#8220;The governor of Colorado is a weak and pathetic man who was run by Tren de Aragua,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;The criminals from Venezuela took over sections of Colorado. And he was afraid to do anything, but he puts Tina in jail for nine years because she caught people cheating.&#8221;
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Steve Gorman; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Bill Berkrot)

Tina Peters

Blue State Governor Commutes Prison Sentence Of Pro-Trump Election Official

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WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for Alabama Republicans to pursue a congressional voting map more favorable to the GOP ahead of November&#8217;s midterm elections, the latest fallout from the court&#8217;s seismic voting rights ruling.
The justices lifted a lower court&#8217;s decision that had blocked state Republicans&#8217; preferred map as racially discriminatory and for illegally diluting the voting power of black Alabamians.
Federal courts had previously ruled Alabama&#8217;s map likely violated the Voting Rights Act by failing to create a second majority-black district in the state.
The Supreme Court said the lower courts must reconsider previous rulings in light of the high court&#8217;s recent decision in the Voting Rights Act case, Louisiana v. Callais, which struck down a majority-black district in that state as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling limited how race can be used in drawing congressional districts under the Voting Rights Act. President Donald Trump called on states to redraw maps after that decision.
Alabama is expected to revert to a map passed in 2023, which would reduce the number of districts where black voters comprise a majority or near-majority from two to one of the state&#8217;s seven U.S. House districts.
<a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/supreme-court-clears-path-alabama-redraw-congressional-map/">According</a> to CBS News, the ruling &#8220;appears to be 6 to 3.&#8221; Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by fellow liberal Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, broke with the majority in a written dissent, arguing the lower court&#8217;s conclusion that Alabama deliberately discriminated against black voters should remain in place. Sotomayor was the only justice to disclose their vote publicly, The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/5873190-supreme-court-alabama-redistricting/">reported</a>.
The ruling could reshape control of the U.S. House by allowing states to redraw maps to reduce minority-opportunity districts.
Alabama is one of several red Southern states attempting to redraw its congressional map before the November midterms.
Tennessee lawmakers approved a congressional map expected to hand Republicans control of all nine of the Volunteer State&#8217;s congressional districts. The map, signed by Republican Gov. Bill Lee, spreads out the heavily Democratic population centers in Memphis and Nashville across multiple Republican-favorable districts and is likely to eliminate the state&#8217;s lone Democratic seat, currently held by Rep. Steve Cohen of Memphis.
In Florida, Republicans led by Gov. Ron DeSantis passed new congressional district boundaries projected to give the GOP four additional House seats.
Lawmakers in Louisiana, South Carolina, and Mississippi are also reviewing potential redistricting plans that could further shift seats to Republicans.
Before the Supreme Court decision last week, Alabama had been required to maintain one majority-black district and a second with a near-majority black population under an interpretation of the Voting Rights Act that has now been ruled an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. After the ruling, Attorney General Steve Marshall, a Republican, <a href="https://www.alabamaag.gov/attorney-general-marshall-applauds-momentous-supreme-court-redistricting-decision/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> the state would move quickly to ensure its maps “reflect the will of the people, not a racial quota system the Constitution forbids.”
“The Court rightly acknowledged that the South has made extraordinary progress, and that laws designed for a different era do not reflect the present reality,” Marshall stated.
&nbsp;
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Rally over voting rights and redistricting outside the state capitol in Montgomery

Supreme Court Move Puts Alabama Redistricting Back In Play

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NEW YORK, May 7 (Reuters) &#8211; The U.S. trade court on Thursday ruled against President Donald Trump&#8217;s latest 10% global tariffs, finding across-the-board tariffs were not justified under a 1970s trade law.
The U.S. Court of International Trade ruled in favor of small businesses that challenged the tariffs, which took effect on February 24. The ruling was 2-1, with one judge saying it was premature to grant victory to the small business plaintiffs.
The small businesses had argued the new tariffs were an attempt to sidestep a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that struck down the Republican president&#8217;s 2025 tariffs ​imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
In his February order, ​Trump invoked Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which allows for duties for up to 150 days to correct serious &#8220;balance of payments ​deficits&#8221; or head off an imminent depreciation of the dollar.
Thursday&#8217;s court ruling found the law was not an appropriate step for the kinds of trade deficits that Trump cited in his February order.
“This decision is an important win for American companies that rely on global manufacturing to deliver safe and affordable products. Unlawful tariffs make it harder for businesses like ours to compete and grow,” said Jay Foreman, CEO of toymaker Basic Fun!
“We are encouraged by the court’s recognition that these tariffs exceeded the President’s authority. This ruling brings needed clarity and stability for companies navigating global supply chains,&#8221; he said in a statement.
The Trump administration had argued that a serious balance-of-payments deficit existed in the form of a $1.2 trillion annual U.S. goods trade deficit and a current account deficit of 4% of GDP. But some economists and trade lawyers argue the U.S. is not on the cusp of a balance-of-payments crisis, making the new duties vulnerable to a legal challenge.
(Reporting by Dietrich Knauth; Editing by Chris Reese and Sonali Paul)

Pacific Container Terminal in Long Beach, California

Court Moves Against Trump Trade Agenda In Major Ruling

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LOS ANGELES, May 7 (Reuters) &#8211; The White House called &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; star Mark Hamill &#8220;one sick individual&#8221; on Thursday after an AI-generated image of President Donald Trump in a shallow grave was posted on one of the actor&#8217;s social media accounts.
&#8220;If Only&#8221; was inscribed on the image of Trump lying with his eyes closed adjacent to a gravestone, surrounded by daisies, with the inscription &#8220;Donald J. Trump 1946-2024.&#8221; The image was posted on Hamill&#8217;s verified Bluesky account.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/MarkHamill?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MarkHamill</a> is one sick individual.
These Radical Left lunatics just can’t help themselves.
This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President. <a href="https://t.co/daJqcyssm7">pic.twitter.com/daJqcyssm7</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2052389711159632330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 7, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the classic &#8220;Star Wars&#8221; films that debuted in 1977, wrote that Trump &#8220;should live long enough to witness his inevitable devastating loss in the midterms, be held accountable for his unprecedented corruption, impeached, convicted &amp; humiliated for his countless crimes.&#8221;
&#8220;Long enough to realize he&#8217;ll be disgraced in the history books, forevermore,&#8221; the actor added.
The White House responded on X, calling Hamill &#8220;one sick individual.&#8221;
&#8220;These Radical Left lunatics just can&#8217;t help themselves,&#8221; a post from the White House press team said. &#8220;This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President.&#8221;
Hamill later removed the gravestone image and sought to clarify his remarks.
&#8220;Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate,&#8221; he wrote on Bluesky.
Last month, a man stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the White House Correspondents&#8217; Dinner in what authorities said was an attempt to assassinate Trump.
Trump was shot in the ear in 2024 at a rally in Pennsylvania. The shooter was killed by the Secret Service.
Also in 2024, a man was found hiding in bushes with weapons close to where Trump was golfing. He was convicted of attempted assassination in February.
(Reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles, Editing by Rosalba O&#8217;Brien and Matthew Lewis)

FILE PHOTO: Film Independent Spirit Awards at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles

White House Rips ‘Star Wars’ Star As ‘Sick’ Over Disturbing Post

GENEVA/MADRID, May 6 (Reuters) &#8211; A luxury cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak and marooned since Sunday off the coast of Cape Verde left for Spain on Wednesday, a Reuters witness said, after three people, two of them seriously ill, were evacuated.
The MV Hondius, with nearly 150 people on board, is expected to dock in Spain&#8217;s Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, within three days, Spain&#8217;s Health Minister Monica Garcia said, adding that those still on board were not presenting any symptoms of the disease.
Once in Tenerife, if they are still healthy, all non-Spanish citizens will be repatriated to their countries, Garcia told a press conference in Madrid.
The 14 Spanish passengers will be quarantined in a military hospital in Madrid, she said. The duration of the quarantine will depend on when they potentially had contact with the virus, she said, adding that it has a 45-day incubation period.
Three people &#8211; a Dutch couple and a German national &#8211; have died in the outbreak.
A total of eight people &#8211; including a Swiss citizen who has returned home and is being treated in Zurich &#8211; are suspected to have contracted the virus, with three of them confirmed by laboratory testing, the World Health Organization said.
Argentina&#8217;s health ministry will carry out rodent trapping and analysis in the southern city of Ushuaia, the origin point of the cruise ship hit by the outbreak, it said in a statement.
Officials are reconstructing the itinerary of the Dutch citizens who traveled in Argentina and Chile and later developed hantavirus symptoms on the cruise, the statement said.
No associated cases have been found in Argentina.
EVACUATIONS
South Africa confirmed it had identified among the victims the Andean strain of the virus, which can, in rare cases, spread among humans through very close contact. Argentina&#8217;s health ministry said it would send Andes virus RNA and guidelines for diagnosis and treatment to laboratories in Spain, Senegal, South Africa, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
&#8220;This is the only (hantavirus) strain that is known to cause human-to-human transmission, but such transmission is very rare and &#8230; only happens due to very close contact,&#8221; South Africa&#8217;s health ministry said.
Nevertheless, some Tenerife residents said they were worried about the ship docking there. &#8220;People are scared,&#8221; said Margarita Maria, 62, adding that the boat should go elsewhere in Spain.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a post on X that the three people evacuated from the ship on Wednesday were on their way to the Netherlands.
The Dutch Foreign Ministry said these people included a Dutch person, a German, and a Briton, and that they would be transported to specialized hospitals in Europe.
One of the aircraft transporting two patients from Cape Verde to Amsterdam was scheduled to refuel in Morocco, but Morocco refused to allow the aircraft to land, and the plane was refueled at the airport in Gran Canaria, Spain&#8217;s health ministry said.
While in Gran Canaria, the on-board doctor reported a problem with the patient’s life support system, and the patient is now connected to the airport&#8217;s electrical supply, awaiting the arrival of a new aircraft to continue the journey, the ministry said.
Two of those evacuated presented acute symptoms, the ship&#8217;s operator, Oceanwide Expeditions, said. The third person was closely linked to the German passenger who died on the ship on May 2. The Dutch ministry said that person was possibly infected with the virus.
The ship set off from the southern tip of Argentina on April 1 and traveled to some of the most remote places on earth, including the British island of Saint Helena.
The Dutch government said in a letter to parliament that around 40 people disembarked at Saint Helena, including the Swiss national who has since developed symptoms.
Cape Verde had been intended as the ship&#8217;s final destination, but the archipelago nation off West Africa has not allowed the passengers to come ashore because of the outbreak.
&#8216;VERY, VERY DIFFERENT TO COVID&#8217;
Since the start of the outbreak, the WHO has said the risk to the wider public from a virus usually transmitted by rodents is low, and it stressed on Wednesday that this remained the case.
&#8220;So when we say close contact (for human-to-human transmission), we mean very close physical contact, whether it&#8217;s sharing a bunk room or sharing a cabin, providing medical care, for example, (that is) very, very different to COVID and very different to influenza,&#8221; Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO director of epidemic and pandemic management, told Reuters.
Van Kerkhove said the WHO was working with countries to follow up with passengers who left the boat at Saint Helena in the south Atlantic, before it reached Cape Verde.
South Africa has identified 65 people who have been in contact with confirmed or suspected hantavirus cases, and other countries have identified 12, the WHO&#8217;s South Africa representative, Shenaaz El-Halabi, told Reuters.
&#8216;OUR DAYS HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO NORMAL&#8217;
Passenger Kasem Hato told Reuters the ship&#8217;s captain was keeping passengers updated and that those on board had been advised to limit close contact with other passengers and use hand sanitizer regularly.
&#8220;People are taking the situation seriously but without any panic, trying to keep social distancing and wearing masks to be safe,&#8221; he said.
&#8220;Our days have been close to normal, just waiting for authorities to find a solution, but morale on the ship is high and we’re keeping ourselves busy with reading, watching movies, having hot drinks, and that kind of things.&#8221;
(Reporting by Sfundo Parakozov, Nellie Peyton, Tim Cocks in Johannesburg, Emma Pinedo and David Latona in Madrid, Bart Meijer and Charlotte Van Campenhout in Amsterdam, Madeline Chambers in Berlin, Makini Brice in Paris, Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva, Catherine Cartier, Jennifer Rigby in London, Javi West Larranaga in Gdansk, Leila Miller in Buenos Aires; Writing by Ingrid Melander and Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Robbie Corey-Boulet, Gareth Jones, Deepa Babington, Rod Nickel)

Sick passengers evacuated by boat from Cruise Ship in Cape Verde’s port

Hantavirus Scare Triggers Evacuations On Cruise Ship As It Heads To Next Port

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WASHINGTON, May 2 (Reuters) &#8211; Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Saturday he does not think the government needs to bail out low-cost airlines that have sought $2.5 billion in government relief because of high jet fuel prices, following the collapse of Spirit Airlines.
&#8220;At this point, I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s necessary. They do have access to cash. If they want to come to the U.S. government, we would be a lender of last resort. If they can find dollars in the private markets &#8211; I think that&#8217;s better for them,&#8221; Duffy said at a press conference at Newark airport.
He said the prospect of a Spirit bailout was seen by some other airlines as an opportunity to get money &#8220;not necessarily based on need, but based on opportunity.&#8221;
On Monday, a group of U.S. budget airlines, including Frontier and Avelo, said it had proposed exchanging warrants that could be converted into equity ​stakes for $2.5 billion in U.S. government assistance.
The Association of Value Airlines confirmed it asked President Donald Trump&#8217;s ​administration to create a $2.5 billion liquidity pool, used exclusively to offset incremental fuel ​costs, &#8220;as a necessary and targeted measure to stabilize operations and keep airfares ⁠affordable during this period of volatility.&#8221;
They have also asked Congress to suspend the 7.5% federal excise tax ​on airline tickets and the $5.30 per segment tax. Waiving the fees would ​offset about one-third of the incremental cost of higher jet fuel.
JET FUEL SURGE DOUBLES COSTS
The pitch highlights one of the unintended consequences of the U.S.-Israeli war ​with Iran: a surge in jet fuel prices that has roughly doubled costs, squeezing margins and pushing ‌weaker airlines ⁠closer to the brink.
The chief executives of ‌several low-cost carriers met with Duffy and Federal Aviation Administration chief Bryan Bedford in Washington last week to discuss the proposal.
The group arrived at the $2.5 billion figure by estimating how much more it expects to spend on jet fuel this year ​compared with earlier forecasts.
Airlines for America, which represents major U.S. passenger airlines, opposed a bailout for budget carriers, saying &#8220;government intervention on behalf of those airlines would punish other airlines that have engaged in self-help in order to deal with increased costs and reward airlines who haven’t made those tough decisions. That’s not a level playing field.&#8221;
The group added that in the long term, sustaining businesses unable to earn their cost of capital harmed competition and consumers by making it more difficult for other airlines to compete and attract private-sector capital.
The Association of Value Airlines rejected the criticism from Airlines for America, saying government policy had favored major carriers and &#8220;the current surge in jet fuel prices is not the result of poor decision-making or a lack of discipline by value airlines. It is an uncontrollable, extraordinary external shock that disproportionately impacts business models built on offering consistently affordable fares to price-sensitive travelers.&#8221;
(Reporting by David Shepardson, Editing by William Maclean, Rod Nickel)

Spirit Airlines announces it is ceasing operations following an impasse in talks on a government bailout plan

After Airline Collapse, Duffy Addresses Bailout Question

In a Palm Sunday homily treated by legacy media as a direct moral indictment of President Trump’s foreign policy — and possibly a criticism of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth — Pope Leo XIV declared on Sunday that God &#8220;does not listen&#8221; to leaders who wage war while claiming His name.
Speaking to tens of thousands in St. Peter’s Square amid the ongoing war between Iran and a joint coalition of the United States and Israel, the first American Pope <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/pope-leo-says-god-rejects-prayers-leaders-who-wage-wars-2026-03-29">said</a> that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them, saying: &#8216;Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen: your hands are full of blood,&#8217;” citing a biblical passage.
The Pope did not specifically name any world leaders, but he has been ramping up criticism of ​the Iran war in recent weeks. 
During an appeal at the end of Sunday&#8217;s celebration, the pope lamented that ‌Christians ⁠in the Middle East &#8220;are suffering the consequences of an atrocious conflict&#8221; and may not be able to celebrate Easter.
President Trump has framed the intervention in Iran as a necessary defense of Western civilization.
Earlier this month, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, a devout Christian, said at a press conference:
<blockquote>
My 13-year-old son popped into my office last night while I was editing these remarks. He asked about the war and the families I met at Dover. And I looked at him and I said, &#8220;They died for you, son, so that your generation doesn&#8217;t have to deal with a nuclear Iran.&#8221; It&#8217;s the truth, and they did  &#8230;  So to the families who said &#8220;Finish this,&#8221; we will. And I say the same to every American who wants peace through strength: May Almighty God continue to bless our troops in this fight. And again, to the American people, please pray for them every day, on bended knee, with your family, in your schools, in your churches, in the name of Jesus Christ. To the troops:  Keep going. And Godspeed. 
</blockquote>
Sunday was not the first time the pontiff addressed the hostilities against Iran.
Just <a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2026-03/pope-leo-xiv-angelus-appeal-peace-middle-east-iran.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com">after</a> the United States launched Operation Epic Fury against the intransigent Iranian regime, Pope Leo stated, “Stability and peace are not built with mutual threats, nor with weapons, which sow destruction, pain, and death, but only through a reasonable, authentic, and responsible dialogue.”
The Trump administration has said that its decision to strike was made after it determined that the Iranian regime was not negotiating in good faith.

FILE PHOTO: Pope Leo XIV holds a general audience in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican

Pope Says God ‘Does Not Listen To The Prayers Of Those Who Wage War’

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Mexican drug lord Nemesio Oseguera, commonly known as &#8220;El Mencho,&#8221; has been killed in a military operation, a government source familiar with the operation told Reuters on Sunday.
An ex-police officer, Oseguera was the shadowy leader of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), an outfit that took its moniker from the western state of the same name that is home to Mexico&#8217;s second city, Guadalajara.
Over a relatively short period of time, the CJNG morphed into a continents-spanning criminal enterprise rivaling his former allies in the Sinaloa Cartel, the gang of captured kingpin Joaquin &#8216;El Chapo&#8217; Guzman, now in a U.S. prison.
The news of Oseguera&#8217;s death followed a federal security operation in the state of Jalisco&#8217;s city of Tapalpa, according to a post by governor Pablo Lemus Navarro on X.
After the operation, multiple vehicles were set on fire throughout Jalisco and other states, according to media outlets and officials.
Alfredo Ramirez Bedolla, the governor of the state of Michoacan, wrote on X that he had received reports of state highways being blocked as a result of the operation in Jalisco.
Oseguera&#8217;s death comes as the Trump administration has ratcheted up the fight against drug cartels and distributors in the western hemisphere. The United States, under Operation Southern Spear, has killed approximately 145 suspected drug runners in 42 strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean since September of 2025.
In January, the United States executed an operation to capture Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The operation was considered extremely successful, with zero U.S. military fatalities, according to the Trump administration. The raid also featured a weapon President Trump described as the &#8220;<a href="https://nypost.com/2026/01/24/us-news/trump-reveals-to-the-post-secret-discombobulator-weapon-was-crucial-to-venezuelan-raid-on-maduro/">discombobulator</a>,&#8221; which allegedly &#8220;made [enemy] equipment not work.&#8221; The president said he couldn&#8217;t go into further detail on the weapon.
Additionally, Oseguera&#8217;s death follows the capture of Ovidio Guzmán López, the son of infamous drug trafficker El Chapo, in 2023 by Mexican authorities. Guzmán López was eventually extradited to the United States to stand trial where he <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/joaquin-guzman-lopez-son-el-chapo-and-leader-sinaloa-cartel-pleads-guilty-federal-drug">pleaded guilty</a> to drug charges, according to the Department of Justice.
“The Sinaloa Cartel is a terrorist organization that has spent decades destroying American families through brutal violence and deadly drug trafficking,” said Attorney General Pam Bondi. “[The] guilty plea from El Chapo’s son is a major victory against the Sinaloa Cartel and underscores the Trump Administration’s historic, aggressive campaign to dismantle terrorist organizations that target the American people.”
(Reporting by Emily Green and Lizbeth Diaz; Editing by Christian Plumb)

Mexico

Mexican Drug Lord ‘El Mencho’ Killed In Military Operation

Crime

Drug Cartels

Drugs

Jan 26 (Reuters) &#8211; A powerful winter storm sweeping across much of the United States forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights and delay hundreds on Monday, as freezing rain and heavy snowfall disrupted travel and snarled transportation networks.
About 3,800 flights were canceled, and more than 1,000 were delayed as of early Monday, according to flight-tracking website FlightAware, following more than 11,000 cancellations reported on Sunday.
The number of cancellations and delays was expected to rise as the day progressed.
Low pressure south of New England is expected to move east over the Atlantic on Monday, bringing heavy snow to parts of the Northeast and freezing rain across sections of the Mid-Atlantic, the U.S. National Weather Service said.
Snow is also expected along the Appalachian region, while rain will spread along the Southeast coast as a cold front moves offshore, the agency said.
American Airlines accounted for the largest share of disruptions on Monday, with more than 600 flights canceled and about 135 delayed, followed by Republic Airways, JetBlue Airways, and Delta Air Lines.
Shares of American Airlines, Delta Air, and United Airlines fell nearly 1% each in premarket trading.
The disruptions also left thousands of travel plans in limbo. Passengers inundated carriers on social media platforms such as X seeking clarity on flight schedules.
MORE DISRUPTION LIKELY
The Federal Aviation Administration said in an advisory that weather-related constraints, including snow, freezing rain and low visibility, were affecting major hubs such as Boston and the New York-area airspace.
The agency said ground stops and delay programs could be imposed through the afternoon at airports including LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International, Philadelphia International, Newark Liberty International and Washington Dulles International if conditions worsen.
Major American carriers rolled out sweeping travel waivers and flexible re-booking options to assist passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the cancellations.
Airline operations are highly interconnected, meaning cancellations can leave aircraft and crews out of position, complicating efforts to restore normal flight schedules.
International operations were also affected by the extreme weather. Dutch carrier KLM said some of its U.S.-bound flights were disrupted over the weekend, but added that all services to the country were expected to operate normally on Monday.
ROADS BATTERED, THOUSANDS WITHOUT POWER
The storm also impeded road travel. The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned that driving conditions could become dangerous as blizzard-like conditions, strong winds, and ice spread further.
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of customers across several states, from Tennessee to the Carolinas, reported power outages, with Tennessee reporting the most cases.
More than 820,000 customers were without electricity as of early hours on Monday, according to data from PowerOutage.us.
(Reporting by Shivansh Tiwary in Bengaluru, Additional reporting by Joanna Plucinska in London; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)
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Travellers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

Massive Winter Storm Wreaks Havoc On Travel, Cancels Flights

Severe Weather

Wall Street ended higher on Wednesday, with the S&amp;P 500 posting its biggest one-day percentage gain in two months, as investors were buoyed by news that a framework for an agreement on Greenland had been reached and the possibility of new U.S. tariffs on European allies had been averted.
Both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq Composite also enjoyed milestone days, gaining the most in percentage terms since January 5 and December 19, respectively.
The advances stood in stark contrast to the previous day&#8217;s selloff, which had been the worst daily performance by all three benchmarks since October 10, and reflected U.S. President Donald Trump&#8217;s use of tariff threats to press his agenda before pivoting once the policy victory could be declared.
&#8220;We have formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland and, in fact, the entire Arctic Region,&#8221; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. &#8220;Based upon this understanding, I will not be imposing the Tariffs that were scheduled to go into effect on February 1st.&#8221;
Wall Street benchmarks had been trading in positive territory at the time of the announcement, but soared in its wake as investors cheered the aversion of a potential new tariff war over the future of Greenland.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think who owns Greenland has any immediate impact on anything, in terms of economics,&#8221; said Jason Pride, chief of investment strategy &amp; research at Glenmede.
&#8220;What is the economic impact is whether we all start imposing tariffs on each other,&#8221; he added.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 588.64 points, or 1.21%, to 49,077.23, the S&amp;P 500 gained 78.76 points, or 1.16%, to 6,875.62, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 270.50 points, or 1.18%, to 23,224.83.
Before the mid-afternoon Greenland announcement, Wall Street had been broadly positive, as investors responded to Tuesday&#8217;s bruising selloff. However, while initial momentum had propelled benchmarks more than 1% higher, this energy had been ebbing by early afternoon.
While light on details, Trump&#8217;s announcement allowed markets to focus on underlying strengths within the U.S. economy, including strong earnings from banks.
The latest wave of results from lenders, including some of the largest superregional names, helped send the regional banking index soaring 4.7% to its highest close since November 2024.
Citizens Financial Group surged 7.1% to a record closing high, on the back of a 31.7% jump in quarterly profit. Truist Financial Corp climbed 1.8% after recording higher interest income and fees from investment banking.
All the S&amp;P 500 subsectors rose, led by energy. It was buoyed by Halliburton, which gained 4.1% after earnings beat estimates, while EQT Corp and Expand Energy advanced 6.5% and 4.5% respectively, as natural gas prices hit a six-week high on cold weather.
United Airlines rose 2.2% after the carrier issued an upbeat outlook for the current quarter and the full year. Other airlines benefited from the positive sentiment, with Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and Southwest all gaining between 1.1% and 2.4%.
Meanwhile, Netflix dropped 2.2% after reporting a muted outlook in its latest earnings. The streaming giant&#8217;s stock was also weighed by a pause in share buybacks to help fund the purchase of Warner Bros Discovery&#8217;s studio and streaming businesses.
Kraft Heinz fell 5.7% after a regulatory filing showed Berkshire Hathaway may shed its 27.5% stake in the consumer company.
(Reporting by Sruthi Shankar and Pranav Kashyap in Bengaluru and David French in New York; Additional reporting by Johann M Cherian; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri and Shilpi Majumdar)

FILE PHOTO: Traders work on the floor of the NYSE in New York

Wall Street Ends Higher As Investors Cheer Greenland Framework Deal, Averted Tariffs

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