SCOTUS Greenlights Trump's Deportation Push, but Raises Due Process Concerns

What's Happening

Immigration

SCOTUS Greenlights Trump's Deportation Push, but Raises Due Process Concerns

What's going on: Yesterday, the Supreme Court cleared the way for the Trump administration to restart deportations of Venezuelan migrants with alleged gang ties. In a 5-4 decision, the Court overturned a lower ruling that temporarily blocked the removals but added a caveat: Detainees must be given due process. That part is already under scrutiny. One man, Kilmar Armando Abrego García, was deported to El Salvador last month without ever seeing a judge — which immigration officials admitted was an “administrative error.” Abrego García, who has protected legal status and no criminal record, is now being held in a notorious mega-prison. His lawyers have denied he has any gang ties, and the Justice Department hasn’t provided any evidence linking him to one. But the administration has signaled they have no plans to bring him back — even as the Supreme Court debates whether they’re required to.

What it means: The Supreme Court’s ruling on Venezuelan migrants is a major win for the Trump administration. Still, migrants will be allowed to present their case to judges in Texas, who will make the final call. As the White House looks to increase the pace of its deportations, Trump has said he’s focused on removing undocumented migrants with criminal records. But proving such allegations can be tricky, and in practice, deportations often happen without sufficient evidence, leaving some individuals vulnerable to persecution. 60 Minutes recently reported that only a small fraction of the 238 Venezuelans deported to El Salvador were actually convicted of any crimes.

Related: The State Department Is Revoking All Visas for South Sudanese Passport Holders (AP News)

Economy

Are Cracks Within the GOP Showing?

What's going on: As Wall Street and global markets continue to experience volatility, President Donald Trump is facing growing pushback on his tariffs — this time from within his own party. Republican lawmakers like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), conservative allies and donors like Elon Musk, and even major Republican influencers like Dave Portnoy and Joe Rogan are questioning Trump’s strategy to reset the global markets and level the tariff playing field. Bill Ackman, the billionaire investor who endorsed Trump in 2024, grimly put it: “We are heading for a self-induced, economic nuclear winter, and we should start hunkering down.” Meanwhile, the New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA), a legal nonprofit that’s backed by billionaire Charles Koch, has filed a complaint arguing Trump doesn’t have the power to impose these new tariffs — one of many legal challenges in the works.

What it means: Conservatives’ public rebuke against Trump’s tariffs is showing a fracture within the Republican Party. While some GOP lawmakers have spent the last few days defending the tariffs as necessary, at least a dozen of them have backed legislation aimed at curtailing the president’s ability to impose levies. Trump’s economic policy is even raising concerns that the tariffs could cost the Republican Party in the 2026 midterms, with Sen. Cruz saying the GOP could see a “bloodbath.” In the meantime, the White House says the president is acting within his authority, while one trade advisor told Fox News there’ll be “no recession” (although some CEOs say we’re in one right now). As for Trump: He’s doubling down on his strategy and threatening new 50% tariffs against China.

Related: The Error That Sent the Stock Market Soaring for a Brief Moment (NBC News)

Education

America's Lowest-Scoring Students Are in Freefall. Who's Paying Attention?

What's going on: Once upon a time, America’s lowest-performing students were making real progress. They weren’t catching up to the top scorers, but they were steadily improving on national tests alongside their higher-achieving peers. But since around 2013, these students have been falling even further behind, with sharp declines in math and reading. Researchers blame a tangle of culprits: lingering impacts of the Great Recession, reduced school accountability (especially after “No Child Left Behind” was phased out), and the rise of smartphones, which some studies link to worsening cognitive performance, even in adults. Of course, there’s also the pandemic’s lasting impact on learning, but that’s just one piece of the puzzle. While higher-performing students have started to bounce back post-COVID — the most vulnerable ones are still sliding.

What it means: A US education system that once looked out for lower-performing students is now failing them. Understanding what’s happening with these kids isn’t just about test scores. It’s about the country’s future — economically and politically. The more students struggle, the less prepared they are to thrive in any job, especially technical and high-paying ones, according to education experts. This trend could also hurt the US on the global stage, as other countries are finding ways to support both low- and high-performing students. The situation is also becoming harder to track. Last month, Trump gutted the Department of Education, axing staff behind the only national student test. With less oversight and fewer data points, more struggling kids could fall through the cracks — unseen and unaided.

Related: This Memoir Just Topped the List of Most-Challenged Books (NPR)

Your Political Briefing

The week in political chaos.

Stamp of approval: “He looks like a movie star” — President Donald Trump on the LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani. 

On the books: President Donald Trump said the White House is preparing to hold “direct” talks with Iran on Saturday. Trump has previously threatened Iran with military strikes if it doesn’t reach a new nuclear deal with the US.

Speaking out: Second Lady Usha Vance is opening up about what she thinks people don’t understand about her husband in an interview with The Free Press.

Deal or no deal?: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) says House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has agreed to reinstate vote pairing, which allows lawmakers to cast votes even if they can't be there in person — including for childbirth. But some Democrats are saying not so fast.

Tell Us

Do you think the US is already in a recession?

Extra Credit

Stream

The end is here: The Handmaid’s Tale’s sixth and final season premieres on Hulu today (the first three episodes are available to stream now). The last installment of the Emmy-winning dystopian drama picks up where season five left off — with June (Elisabeth Moss) coming face-to-face with Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski) on a train of Gilead refugees headed to Vancouver. From there, things get...complicated, as June continues her fight to take down Gilead, Luke (O-T Fagbenle) and Moira (Samira Wiley) join the resistance, and Serena joins forces with Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) in a "propulsive final season" that "recaptures the urgency and watchability of its early episodes." Praise be.