Highlights from April 24, 2025
- President Donald Trump issued a rare rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin after Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine overnight. He later said he believed Putin would listen to his plea to halt Russian strikes on Ukraine and expressed optimism about a potential peace deal.
- Trump said at an Oval Office meeting with the prime minister of Norway that members of his administration met with Chinese officials today to discuss tariffs, a day after China said the two sides “have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations regarding tariffs.”
- Trump signed an executive memorandum aimed at investigating ActBlue, the leading Democratic fundraising platform.
Coverage of this live blog has ended. For the latest news, click here.
Wisconsin residents hold town hall without lawmaker
There was a town hall tonight in Wisconsin’s 1st Congressional District but no lawmaker to field questions.
Rep. Bryan Steil, a Republican, was not expected to attend the event, whose organizers included a former Democratic candidate for the State Assembly. Still, many showed up at the Franklin Public Library to speak out.
“I wanted to share my anger over Rep. Steil,” said Jane Willard, of Rochester. “He’s working for me and for the rest of the Wisconsin citizens in District 1, and I keep reminding him that if he doesn’t do his job, he’s going to lose his job.”
Steil said in a statement that he looks forward to hearing from constituents during his “frequent stops” throughout the state and added he plans to hold a telephone town hall later this month.
“My priority is to be available and accessible to my constituents,” he said. “I will continue to hold town halls of all types, as I have done throughout my time in office.”
Republican lawmakers have largely avoided town halls during the current congressional recess. The head of the National Republican Congressional Committee advised members this year to avoid the in-person events after backlash from voters led to several viral encounters.
Judge extends order blocking Trump from deporting migrants under the Alien Enemies Act
U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez extended a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from transferring, relocating or deporting any person in his South Texas district under the Alien Enemies Act.
The judge first barred the administration from deporting Venezuelans in his district affected by Trump's Alien Enemies Act proclamation this month, but that order expired last night.
Rodriguez is now extending his block on the administration to May 2 to prevent the removal of the immigrants, citing due process concerns, as "no Immigration Court has issued a final order of removal" against some of the immigrants named in the suit.
"The Court finds that the removal of any individual by the United States based on the Proclamation and the Alien Enemies Act would cause immediate and irreparable injury to the removed individuals, as they would be unable to seek habeas relief," the judge wrote.
In addition, the judge noted in his ruling that if he allowed the United States to remove people under the Alien Enemies Act amid the litigation, "a substantial likelihood exists that the individual could not be returned to the United States," specifically referring to the forced removal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
Florida Democrat suggests Laken Riley Act has led to an increase of migrants at ICE facility
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., said staff members are struggling to keep up with an increased flow of detainees at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center she visited today because of the recently enacted Laken Riley Act.
Wilson said she spoke to detainees at the detention center in Krome, Florida, who described conditions at the "crowded" facility.
"Every time this facility gets crowded, in order to stay in compliance, they’re going to have to build another one," Wilson said. "What they said to us is as new detainees come in, they try to ship people out, but they can’t keep up with the pace because of the Riley Act. The Laken Riley Act has caused an increase in detainees."
The Laken Riley Act, which Trump signed in January, requires ICE to detain undocumented immigrants who are arrested on suspicion of, charged with or convicted of burglary, theft, larceny or shoplifting. The Republican-authored bill gained the support of 46 Democrats in the House and a dozen in the Senate.
Wilson said today that slow processing times at the ICE facility could lead to extended periods of detention.
"These are people who have — you could’ve been here forever, and just for some crazy little thing: walking across the street, jaywalking, shoplifting. And they will detain you and bring you right here," she said.
She called on Congress to pass immigration reform legislation and urged voters to call lawmakers and demand that they support the effort.
"I’ve been giving out the phone numbers to the House of Representatives and to the Senate. It’s one number, that number you call, and you threaten them and you say: ‘This is wrong. This is not America. This is not what we stand for. We need a change.’"
"We need the people. We need an uprising," Wilson said, adding that people are protesting in the streets, making phone calls and writing letters. "That's what we need."
Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo says he's leaving Democratic Party, steps down as minority leader
Florida state Senate Minority Leader Jason Pizzo said he is leaving the Democratic Party in remarks on the Senate floor today.
"The political party system here in Florida is nearly dead, like the infighting, power struggles, corruption and decline of civic virtue that pervaded and eventually ushered in the fall of Rome. So, too, are we players, or perhaps props, in the mess that is bottom partisanship," he said.
Pizzo, who is considered a potential candidate for governor next year, said he had mailed a voter registration form to change his party affiliation to "no party affiliation."
State Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried said in a statement that the state party was "more united without him.”
“Jason Pizzo is one of the most ineffective and unpopular Democratic leaders in recent memory, and his resignation is one of the best things to happen to the party in years,” Fried said. “His legacy as leader includes continually disparaging the party base, starting fights with other members, and chasing his own personal ambitions at the expense of Democratic values."
Fried also wrote on X that the caucus had elected Sen. Lori Berman as their new leader.
Berman did not immediately respond to a request for comment this evening.
Trump signs order designed to make it easier to fire federal probationary workers
Trump signed an executive order today aimed at empowering federal agency heads to more easily fire probationary employees as the administration remains embroiled in litigation over efforts to dismiss government workers.
Trump has moved in recent months to fire tens of thousands of probationary employees, who are not afforded many of the job protections as permanent civil servants, as he seeks to drastically cut the federal workforce.
Probationary employees are government workers who are employed for predetermined trial periods before they are hired on as tenured federal employees. Recently promoted workers can also be classified as probationary.
Several lawsuits accuse the administration of not following proper procedure in firing the workers, particularly by failing to provide written notice stating the legitimate reason for the terminations and the effective dates.
Last month, federal judges in California and Maryland ordered the administration to rehire thousands of probationary workers, citing its failure to follow proper protocol. An appeals court and the Supreme Court later struck down those rulings, clearing the way for firings to resume.
Trump's order seeks to change the steps involved in firing probationary workers by requiring agency approval before the probationary employees become tenured federal employees. If workers don't receive agency approval, they will automatically be fired at the end of their probationary periods.
Trump signs executive order to boost American development of critical minerals and resources
Trump signed an executive order today aimed at increasing U.S. production of critical and rare-earth minerals, describing the effort as "a core national security and economic interest."
"The United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges in securing reliable supplies of critical minerals independent of foreign adversary control. Vast offshore seabed areas hold critical minerals and energy resources," the order read.
The order aims to spur domestic exploration, collection and processing of seabed minerals through streamlined permitting, additional investment in deep sea science and technology and the creation of a "robust domestic supply chain for critical minerals."
Trump explicitly calls the directive an effort to counter China's growing influence over mineral resources.
Trump throughout his second term has routinely discussed his aim to increase American access to critical and rare-earth minerals. He has sought an agreement with Ukraine that would condition U.S. support for the country in its war with Russia on ownership of its ample rare-earth minerals.
Director of National Economic Council says there will be ‘positive news’ from tariff talks with China
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said there will be “positive news” soon about tariff talks with China.
“The bottom line is that everybody wants this to move forward in a positive way, and I expect that there’ll be lots of positive news to break on that soon,” Hassett said on Fox Business.
China has denied that such talks are taking place even though Trump said yesterday the two countries are in direct conversation. Asked about the discrepancy between the countries’ accounts, Hassett said, “The president was correct in what he said, of course.”
The United States has placed a 145% tariff on Chinese goods, and China has responded with a 125% tariff in kind.
Trump pardons former Las Vegas City Council member Michele Fiore
Trump has pardoned former Las Vegas City Council member Michele Fiore, who was due to be sentenced on wire fraud charges, according to a copy of the pardon her lawyer posted on the docket in connection with her case.
In a motion, her attorney sought to vacate her sentencing hearing, which is set for May 14.
The pardon is not listed on the website of the Justice Department’s pardon attorney. The case involved the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Unit, whose staff has been slashed since the beginning of the Trump administration.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Fiore’s pardon.
A federal jury found Fiore guilty of conspiracy and wire fraud last year, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Federal prosecutors accused her of using tens of thousands of dollars of funds she had raised through a charity and a political action committee on rent, plastic surgery and her daughter’s wedding.
In a statement to NBC News, Fiore said she was “vindicated” and thanked Trump for the pardon, adding that she planned to resume her job as a justice of the peace next week.
“Today, I stand before you — not just as a free woman, but as a vindicated soul whose prayers were heard, whose faith held firm, and whose truth could not be buried by injustice. I am deeply and eternally grateful to President Donald J. Trump for granting me a full and unconditional pardon,” she said.
NATO secretary general says Russia needs to step up in peace deal talks
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte suggested to reporters after today's meeting with Trump and several U.S. other officials that the success of efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war depends on President Vladimir Putin, casting Ukraine as being more willing to "play ball."
"It’s something on the table now, I think, where the Ukrainians are really playing ball, and I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court now," Rutte said.
The comments contrast with remarks yesterday by Trump, who told reporters that it has been "harder" to negotiate with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy than Putin. Trump also accused Zelenskyy of derailing the peace talks.
Rutte declined to weigh in on what the specifics of a potential framework to end the war would look like, including whether Ukraine should agree to concede parts of its territory to Putin — a prospect American officials have signaled is likely.
However, he said talks in London have been effective, though top Trump officials notably pulled out of that meeting and warned that the United States is prepared to "move on" from negotiations if more progress isn't made.
Rutte told reporters he's confident the United States will remain a central figure in the push to end the war.
"I think when you look at the outcome of the meeting yesterday in London, we can be quite positive on where we are. So I’m not seeing a situation where the U.S. is walking. I’m seeing a situation where under President Trump’s leadership, this could be brought to a positive end, and that’s very important," he said.
Judge blocks Trump bid to halt federal funding for 'sanctuary' cities
A federal judge in California issued an injunction today blocking Trump’s efforts to halt federal funds from going to several cities and counties considered sanctuary jurisdictions.
“The challenged sections in the 2025 Executive Orders and the Bondi Directive that order executive agencies to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funding apportioned to localities by Congress, violate the Constitution’s separation of powers principles and the Spending Clause,” U.S. District Judge William Orrick wrote in his ruling, referring to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
“They also violate the Fifth Amendment to the extent they are unconstitutionally vague and violate due process,” while Trump’s executive orders “violate the Tenth Amendment because they impose coercive condition intended to commandeer local officials into enforcing federal immigration practices and law,” Orrick wrote.
