SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A federal judge in California on Thursday barred the Trump administration from denying or conditioning the use of federal funds to “sanctuary” jurisdictions.
U.S. Judge William Orrick said a preliminary injunction was appropriate because the executive orders were unconstitutional just as they were in 2017 when President Donald Trump announced a similar order. Orrick issued the injunction sought by San Francisco and more than a dozen other municipalities that sued over a pair of executive orders the Republican president issued targeting local municipalities that limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts.
Orrick, based in San Francisco, wrote that defendants are restrained and enjoined “from directly or indirectly taking any action to withhold, freeze, or condition federal funds” and the administration must provide written notice of his order to all federal departments and agencies by Monday.
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Jonathan Turley Says Trump Has ‘Fair Amount’ Of Leeway To Fight Against Courts Who May Try To Block Terrorism Charges
George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley said Thursday that President Donald Trump has the “discretion” to fight against the courts who may dispute the terrorism charges against a Tren de Agua (TdA) gang member.
Federal prosecutors initiated terrorism charges Thursday against Jose Enrique Martinez Flores, an alleged high-ranking TdA leader, marking the first time the Trump administration has indicted a gang member with terrorism charges. Turley said that Trump has the power to define “what constitutes terrorism,” which will help the administration fight against the courts who may dispute that the gang member committed acts of terror.
“Some courts may say ‘look, this looks like drug dealing to me, the things that you are citing. But the president is allowed a fair amount of discretion in defining what constitutes terrorism,” Turley said.
Turley said some courts may state that the gang members should be charged with drug dealing, but the president is allowed to extend the definition of terrorism to remove these individuals from the U.S.
“Some courts may say ‘look, this looks like drug dealing to me, the things that you are citing. But the president is allowed a fair amount of discretion in defining what constitutes terrorism,” Turley said.
Trump designated Tren de Agua and MS-13 as terrorist organizations in a Jan. 20 executive order. Following the removal of MS-13 member Kilmar Abrego Garcia from the U.S., the Trump administration argued that his “withholding order” from 2019 was invalid due to the terrorism designation.
“President Trump has declared TdA, also MS-13, to be terrorist organizations which gives him the enhanced ability legally on a number of different fronts, including the ability to remove people out of the country without some of the usual delays,” Turley continued. “That was the case with [Kilmar Abrego] Garcia, one of the arguments of the administration was Garcia is only in this country after losing a hearing and then an appeal because the appellate court held what’s called a withholding order which meant that he wouldn’t be removed even though he was removable.”
“What the administration has said is once we declared MS-13 to be a terrorist organization, he was no longer eligible for that type of order. And that’s an example of how switching over to a terrorist designation can change the dynamic in these cases,” he continued.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is charging Flores with providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization, and international drug distribution including cocaine intended to be distributed in the United States. He faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $10 million.
“TdA is not a street gang – it is a highly structured terrorist organization that put down roots in our country during the prior administration,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said. “Today’s charges represent an inflection point in how this Department of Justice will prosecute and ultimately dismantle this evil organization, which has destroyed American families and poisoned our communities.”
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U.S. Army Intelligence Analyst Sentenced to 7 Years for Leaking Top-Secret Military Documents to Communist China
25-year-old former Army intelligence analyst Korbein Schultz was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison for conspiring to hand over America’s most closely guarded military secrets to a hostile foreign power: Communist China.
The disgraced soldier from Wills Point, Texas, pleaded guilty in August 2024 to transmitting sensitive defense intelligence, unlawfully exporting classified material, and accepting bribes — all in the service of a foreign adversary.
“This defendant swore an oath to defend the United States — instead, he betrayed it for a payout and put America’s military and service members at risk,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a statement.
She continued, “The Justice Department remains vigilant against China’s efforts to target our military and will ensure that those who leak military secrets spend years behind bars.”
From May 2022 until his arrest in March 2024, Schultz conspired with an individual from Hong Kong, whom he believed to be affiliated with the Chinese government — referred to in court filings as Conspirator A.
That individual masqueraded as a geopolitical analyst on a freelance website but quickly turned the relationship into an espionage pipeline.
For just $42,000, Schultz sold out American troops, revealing tactical and technical data, training documents, and sensitive material relating to U.S. missile defense and aerial combat capabilities.
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“This sentencing is a stark warning to those who betray our country: you will pay a steep price for it,” said FBI Director Kash Patel.
“The People’s Republic of China is relentless in its efforts to steal our national defense information, and service members are a prime target. The FBI and our partners will continue to root out espionage and hold those accountable who abandon their obligation to safeguard defense information from hostile foreign governments,” Patel added.
Perhaps even more disturbing, Schultz reportedly tried to recruit another Army intelligence analyst to expand the espionage ring — specifically targeting someone working within the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), which oversees U.S. operations near China.
Discussions between Schultz and his handler reveal a premeditated plan to expand access to highly classified Indo-Pacific strategy documents.
Brigadier General Rhett R. Cox, commander of the Army’s Counterintelligence Command, called the betrayal “a disgrace” and confirmed that Schultz’s actions put real lives at risk.
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