Highlights from Sept. 18, 2025
- TRUMP RETURNS FROM THE U.K.: President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a joint news conference after their bilateral meeting and answered questions about their efforts to end the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a new U.S.-U.K. tech partnership. Trump and first lady Melania Trump have returned to the United States.
- TRUMP GOES TO SCOTUS: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court today to allow Trump to fire Federal Reserve board member Lisa Cook, whom he has sought to replace as he tries to reshape the independent agency.
- D.C. MAYOR TESTIFIES: Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and other city officials testified before the House Oversight Committee about crime in the nation's capital and oversight of the district. Trump recently threatened to federalize the city's police force again if it didn't cooperate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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Judge blocks deportation of Guatemalan children
A federal judge today blocked the Trump administration from deporting Guatemalan children after he rejected the Department of Homeland Security’s claim that it was reuniting the youngsters with their parents, who had asked for their return.
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly said the administration’s assertion of reuniting children and parents “crumbled like a house of cards” because “there is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return” to Guatemala.
Kelly temporarily barred the administration from transferring, repatriating, removing or otherwise facilitating the transport of any of the 76 Guatemalan children immigration authorities had tried to deport in the middle of the night over the Labor Day weekend.
D.C. Council member to challenge Eleanor Holmes Norton in congressional primary
A three-term D.C. Council member said today that he will launch a bid for the House seat held by fellow Democrat Eleanor Holmes Norton, who has been Washington’s nonvoting delegate in Congress since 1991.
In a video on social media, council member Robert White said that he is “ready to take this torch” and that the city needs “our best fighters right now. I have never seen my city more vulnerable than we are right now.”
At 88, Norton is the oldest member of the House. She and her office have given mixed messages about whether she will seek re-election next year.
‘Deserve to die’: Texas man indicted over series of violent threats to Zohran Mamdani
A Texas man has been charged with making phone and written threats to New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, warning the self-described democratic socialist to “go back to Uganda” before someone shoots him in the head, the Queens district attorney said today.
Jeremy Fistel was arraigned on a 22-count grand jury indictment charging him with making a terroristic threat as a hate crime, aggravated harassment and related counts. Prosecutors allege he started sending the messages to Mamdani’s office in June and continued to do so through July.
According to the charges, Fistel left an anti-Muslim message June 18 saying Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, wasn’t welcome in New York and warning him to watch his back and his family’s backs. He called him a terrorist.
Thune takes first step to consider Mike Waltz nomination for U.N. ambassador
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., made an additional move on the Senate floor this afternoon before he left for the day: starting the process to vote on Mike Waltz’s nomination to be U.N. ambassador individually, not as a part of the newest large bloc of nominees he also filed.
The move, called filing cloture, sets in motion consideration of Waltz’s nomination, but he’s not expected to get a vote this week before senators leave town. That means that when Waltz is confirmed will depend largely on when the Senate returns from the Rosh Hashanah recess.
The current plan is for the Senate to return on Sept. 29, but there are discussions they could return as early as Sept. 25 if government funding has not been settled.
Waltz’s confirmation will end what has been a nine-month-long drama to fill the U.N. ambassador’s position after Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., was nominated but withdrew her nomination because Republicans needed her vote in the razor-thin House Republican majority.
CDC advisory panel recommends restricting access to the MMRV vaccine
A closely watched advisory panel to the CDC voted today to tweak recommendations for a measles vaccine that includes protection against the varicella, or chickenpox, virus.
The new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices suggests the vaccine, called MMRV, shouldn’t be recommended for children under age 4 because of a small risk for febrile seizures in that age group. The seizures can be prompted by fevers associated with viruses or, sometimes, vaccines. They usually last for a few minutes and, while they are scary for parents to witness, are generally harmless, doctors say.
The panelists voted 8-3 in favor of the change. One member, Dr. Robert Malone, abstained because of a conflict of interest.
Doctors have known about the increased risk of febrile seizures in young children for years. It’s why the CDC already suggests that younger kids get the varicella vaccine separately, unless a parent or a caregiver prefers the MMRV shot.
Trump suggests FCC could revoke licenses over negative coverage
Speaking with reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump opened the door to the Federal Communications Commission's revoking licenses of television networks over negative coverage, suggesting that many late-night hosts appearing on those networks are "against me" and that "they give me only bad publicity, press."
"I mean, they’re getting a license. I would think maybe their license should be taken away. It will be up to Brendan Carr," Trump said, referring to the chairman of the FCC. "I think Brendan Carr is outstanding. He’s a patriot. He loves our country, and he’s a tough guy, so we’ll have to see.”
Trump also said of evening shows on network TV: "All they do is hit Trump. They’re licensed. They’re not allowed to do that. They’re an arm of the Democrat Party."
Trump last night lauded ABC for indefinitely pulling "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" over comments its host made about Kirk's assassination, writing in part on social media, "Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done," and naming other hosts he wanted booted.
Trump administration faces hurdles in targeting left-wing groups, experts say
A White House vow to dismantle left-wing organizations may be easier issued than implemented, according to experts.
“There’s not a lot of federal law on this,” said Scott Walter, president of the Capital Research Center, a Washington-based nonprofit organization that tracks progressive groups and is influential in conservative circles. “Frankly, the states and localities should be doing a better job [of prosecuting criminal activity], as they did in the 1960s. They have enormously more manpower.”
His point hints at the challenge administration officials have as they try to respond to anger over the Sept. 10 assassination of prominent conservative activist Charlie Kirk with a concrete plan of action.
White House officials, including Trump, Vice President JD Vance and deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, have accused left-wing groups of fomenting political violence in the wake of a killing that shocked the nation and left the president’s MAGA base with a mix of grief, fear and fury.
Trump returns to the U.S. after completing U.K state visit
Trump landed at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, at 7:52 p.m. ET.
Kamala Harris posts about an 'outright abuse of power' by Trump administration following Kimmel controversy
Former Vice President Kamala Harris expressed frustration on X about what she called an “outright abuse of power” by the Trump administration.
Harris said: “This administration is attacking critics and using fear as a weapon to silence anyone who would speak out. Media corporations — from television networks to newspapers — are capitulating to these threats. We cannot dare to be silent or complacent in the face of this frontal assault on free speech. We, the People, deserve better.”
Her post comes amid controversy over ABC's decision to pull “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” off the air.
Pete Buttigieg enters the redistricting fight, slamming the GOP’s efforts in Indiana
Pete Buttigieg, the former U.S. transportation secretary and potential 2028 presidential candidate, slammed Indiana Republicans today for considering a mid-decade redistricting plan.
At a rally at the Statehouse in Indianapolis, Buttigieg, a former mayor of South Bend, vowed to help Democrats fight any redistricting push in the state, casting blame on Trump for pressuring state Republicans to pass new maps that would boost the party in next year’s midterm elections.
“We are here because Indiana Republicans are being pressured by Washington Republicans to do something that they know in their hearts is wrong,” Buttigieg said. “They are being pressured to change the rules so that voters don’t have a say anymore. And they know that that is wrong. And we know why they’re doing it ... because the agenda of Washington Republicans is so unpopular that even here in Indiana, they are afraid of losing if they have to run on a fair map.”
Buttigieg called mid-decade redistricting efforts “cheating” and vowed that “if they do the wrong thing, we will be here to hold them politically accountable.”
