Trump deals major blow to legal migration, forcing most green-card seekers to leave US

The Trump administration has announced a new policy that requires most people seeking permanent residency in the U.S. return to their home countries to apply, one of the biggest blows President Donald Trump has dealt to legal migration since returning to the White House.

In a memo issued Thursday, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told its officers that “adjustment of status is a matter of discretion... not designed to supersede the regular consular processing.” Adjustment of status is the process that people in the U.S. , including those on temporary visas, go through to get green cards without leaving the United States.

That means the spouses and relatives of U.S. citizens, professionals and students already legally here will have to go abroad to apply for lawful permanent residency through U.S. consulates unless they meet very narrow exceptions. Consular processing of visas and green cards can take months to years to complete. It will separate families and force workers to leave their jobs.

“We’re returning to the original intent of the law to ensure aliens navigate our nation’s immigration system properly,” said USCIS spokesman Zach Kahler. “Nonimmigrants, like students, temporary workers, or people on tourist visas, come to the U.S. for a short time and for a specific purpose. Our system is designed for them to leave when their visit is over. Their visit should not function as the first step in the green card process.”

—Miami Herald

Prediction markets put under spotlight by House Oversight panel

WASHINGTON— Prediction markets are under new scrutiny from Congress as lawmakers mull a ban on members betting on the platforms.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee officially launched an investigation Friday into insider trading on the platforms, spurred by suspicious bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and the war in Iran.

Committee Chairman James R. Comer, R- Ky., sent letters to Kalshi and Polymarket requesting information on how the companies verify users’ identities, their geographic restriction policies, procedures related to suspicious trades and records of specific trades related to Venezuela and the war in Iran. The letters come after Comer indicated in an interview on Fox Business last week that the committee would begin an investigation.

In an interview with CNBC on Friday, Comer signaled his support for banning people within Congress and the government from trading on prediction markets. He’d previously seemed open to the idea but unsure of current law.

“We want to not only launch the investigation to see how widespread this has been thus far, but also to prove a case that we’ve got to pass some type of legislation,” Comer said. “And I think it wouldn’t be too much to ask, to say members of Congress can’t participate in the predictions market, nor can government employees or people in the president’s administration.”

—CQ-Roll Call

LA mayor's race: Pratt raised nearly 10 times more in contributions than Bass in latest filing period

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt raised nearly 10 times more in contributions than Mayor Karen Bass in the latest campaign finance reporting period, new statements show.

Pratt reported raising $2.72 million between April 19 and May 16, the statements show, compared with $283,000 for Bass.

Pratt, the former reality TV star, reported a total of $3.26 million in contributions, edging him ahead of Bass with $3.13 million.

Council member Nithya Raman reported a total of more than $931,000 through the May 16 filing period, and nearly $401,000 since April 19. Of that haul, $60,000 came in the form of a loan from Raman to her campaign.

Pratt’s strong showing in contributions indicate he has a good chance of garnering enough votes in the June 2 primary to make a November runoff, said Mike Murphy, a longtime political consultant and former chief adviser to Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Opinion polls show Bass leading the race, but not by a big enough margin to avoid a runoff. If no candidate wins a majority next month, the top two vote-getters will face off in the Nov. 3 general election. Pratt is in a close race for second place with Raman, polls show.

—Los Angeles Times

Kilmar Abrego Garcia's human smuggling case dismissed by Tennessee judge

A federal judge in Tennessee dismissed the human smuggling case against Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran migrant, after concluding the government had brought the case as retaliation for his legal fight against being deported.

U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw Jr. said in his 32-page ruling Friday the evidence showed the government “would not have brought this prosecution” if Abrego Garcia hadn’t filed a successful lawsuit challenging his removal to El Salvador.

Crenshaw already found evidence that high-level U.S. Justice Department officials may have played a role in the charges being filed.

Abrego Garcia became a key figure in the U.S. crackdown on immigration after he filed a high-profile lawsuit in March 2025 challenging his accidental deportation to a notorious prison in El Salvador, part of a broader program of controversial mass deportations.

—Bloomberg News

Cuba tells its citizens to prepare for war as US targets Castro

MEXICO CITY — In recent days, the U.S. Navy stationed an aircraft carrier off the coast of Cuba, the White House expanded sanctions on Havana's leaders and federal prosecutors charged former Cuban President Raúl Castro with murder.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking to reporters, said what to many is becoming obvious: that the likelihood of a "negotiated and peaceful agreement" with Cuba's communist government is "not high."

Months into a punishing oil blockade that has triggered widespread blackouts on the island, the Trump administration has ratcheted up its pressure campaign against Havana even further, raising questions about whether Cuba will be the next U.S. target after Venezuela and Iran. The U.S. overthrew Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January and a month later killed Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Officials in Cuba, who slammed the indictment against Castro as "a political action" to build the case for an invasion, say they are preparing for war.

—Los Angeles Times