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Trump Names Prosecutor Jay Clayton New US Intelligence Chief

Clayton is a US attorney for the Southern District of New York

US lawmakers cheer as court blocks $100K H-1B fee

A chorus of US lawmakers from across the political spectrum has come out in support of a federal court order dismantling a proposed USD 100,000 H-1B visa application fee, even as the White House prepares to challenge the judicial setback in the appeals court. Breaking ranks with the executive branch, several Republican lawmakers backed the decision by shifting the spotlight away from the information technology sector, which heavily utilises this visa category, and focusing instead on how the massive financial penalty would cripple healthcare systems and educational institutions in remote regions. These conservative representatives pointed out that employers in rural areas depend heavily on international professionals to fill severe staffing voids. Stressing the severe local impact, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski from Alaska emphasised that the issue transcended partisan politics in her state. She pointed out that the judicial intervention arrived at a pivotal juncture as academic institutions actively finalise their faculty rosters for the upcoming school term. Senator Murkowski stated, "Many school districts in rural and remote parts of the state rely on the H-1B visa programme to bring quality teachers to their communities." Unmoved by the legislative backlash, the White House strongly dug in its heels to defend the executive measure and signalled immediate plans to get the ruling overturned. White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers argued, "The H-1B programme has been abused for decades, and President Trump finally took action to fix it." Expressing absolute confidence in a legal reversal, Rogers added, "A federal judge in Washington already upheld a nearly identical order, and the administration is confident this order will be reversed on appeal." Conversely, the political opposition welcomed the court's intervention as necessary relief for critical public infrastructure. Democratic Congressman Don Beyer praised the judgment, warning that the steep executive fee would have slammed healthcare facilities already pushed to the brink by severe personnel deficits with unsustainable operational costs. Echoing this sentiment from across the aisle, Republican Congressman Mike Lawler also threw his weight behind the judicial freeze. He highlighted his own ongoing, cross-party legislative efforts to shield medical personnel from the financial burden. Congressman Lawler noted, "I have been working to exempt healthcare workers from this fee that only exacerbates the current staffing shortages in healthcare. That's why I introduced the bipartisan H-1Bs for Physicians and the Healthcare Workforce Act. While we continue to push this legislation through Congress, this ruling is welcome news." Further criticising the administration's economic logic, Congressman Sanford D. Bishop Jr. cautioned that the premium pricing would effectively slam the door on global talent, hurting domestic growth. Congressman Bishop argued, "The USD 100,000 fee for employers' H-1B applications would have discouraged the best and the brightest from coming to America and helping our economy grow and innovate." The legal architects behind the successful lawsuit also celebrated the verdict. Leading the state-level resistance, California Attorney General Rob Bonta remarked that the executive fiscal policy directly undermined the nation's capacity to import specialised professionals for sectors struggling with systemic labour deficits. Bonta stated, "This tax was an attack on America's ability to attract and retain the high-skilled talent that strengthens our economy and helps us meet critical workforce needs." Validating the multi-state legal push, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport expressed an identical view, noting that the judiciary clearly agreed that the executive branch had completely overreached its mandate by attempting to levy the financial requirement on H-1B petitioners. However, the Republican consensus on the matter remained fractured. Voices from the conservative wing, like Arizona Congressman Eli Crane, explicitly denounced the ruling. Crane, who has been aggressively pushing for restrictive immigration overhauls, bypassed the judicial roadblock to call for a definitive legislative remedy. Congressman Crane stated, "Although an activist judge blocked President Trump's reforms to the H-1B program, Congress can fix it without judicial obstruction. Urge your representative to cosponsor the End H-1B Visa Abuse Act of 2026, which halts and significantly reforms this broken system." This highly publicised judicial verdict represents a major blow to the Trump administration's broader strategy aimed at restricting employment-driven immigration channels and creating steep hurdles for US employers trying to onboard international professionals. The development has triggered significant interest in India, given that the H-1B framework serves as a vital pipeline for the Indian workforce to access lucrative professional opportunities in the US. The non-immigrant work permit enables US corporations to recruit overseas experts with niche expertise across highly technical fields, including technology, engineering, healthcare, and finance. Because of India's robust talent pool in these specialised industries, Indian citizens systematically secure the lion's share of the total H-1B allocations distributed on an annual basis, making any disruption to the fee structure a critical economic talking point for New Delhi. Structurally, the H-1B visa has long solidified its status as an essential foundation for the American guest-worker immigration model. Under the statutory guidelines, the US government caps the yearly allocation at 65,000 standard permits, while reserving an extra 20,000 slots specifically for candidates who have earned advanced graduate degrees from US institutions. Data provided by immigration advocacy group FWD.us reveals the massive scale of this demographic, noting that approximately 730,000 H-1B visa holders reside across the US, living alongside an estimated 550,000 dependents, which includes their spouses and children.

Trump nominates Blanche for attorney general

Trump Nominates Former Personal Lawyer As Attorney General

Todd Blanche has been serving as acting attorney general since Pam Bondi departed in April.

US judge strikes down Donald Trump's $100k visa fee, calls it unlawful

A US federal judge has ruled against a $100,000 fee imposed by former President Donald Trump on new H-1B visas. The judge found the fee unlawful. This fee significantly increased the cost for highly skilled foreign workers seeking to enter the United States. The ruling came after a lawsuit filed by state attorneys general.

DMK Distanced, TMC Torn Up, AAP Out: How Congress-Led INDIA Bloc Hit Existential Crisis

What was conceptualised as a unified electoral force is degenerating into regional fragments, leaving the opposition’s national ambitions highly compromised

New audio deepens concerns around Josh Jacobs’ arrest investigation

Green Bay Packers running back Josh Jacobs is facing increased scrutiny after newly released dispatch audio revealed reports of yelling, screaming, and objects being thrown inside his Wisconsin home before his arrest. Authorities later booked Jacobs on multiple domestic abuse-related charges, including a felony count of strangulation and suffocation. Jacobs has denied all allegations through his attorneys, who say key evidence has yet to be made public as the investigation continues.

Blake Lively-Justin Baldoni legal fight returns to court despite settlement agreement – Here's why

The legal dispute between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni returned to a New York courtroom, with Baldoni's legal team opposing Lively's request for attorneys' fees following a settlement that ended her sexual harassment and retaliation claims.

"Endangering Our Kids": Florida Sues OpenAI Over ChatGPT Safety Risks

Florida attorney general faults OpenAI for failing to put in place stricter rules to verify users' ages.

OpenAI, Sam Altman sued by Florida over 'web of deceit and the exploitation of users': What is the case all about?

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sued artificial intelligence company OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing them of putting profit over safety. The lawsuit is separate from the criminal investigation against the firm. The development comes a month after Uthmeier issued subpoenas.

'I saw the threat call': Mamata claims police forced doctors to release Abhishek

Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee was assaulted and abused by protesters in Sonarpur while visiting the home of a party worker allegedly killed in post-poll violence. Chased, pelted with objects, and his shirt torn, Banerjee blamed BJP workers for a planned attack. He plans to approach higher courts, while the BJP denied involvement and highlighted TMC's past actions against their workers.

BJP wanted to kill me: Abhishek Banerjee's shirt torn, specs broken in mob attack

BJP wanted to kill me: Abhishek Banerjee's shirt torn, specs broken in mob attack

Epstein Aide Ghislaine Maxwell Should "Die In Prison": Ex-US Attorney Told Lawmakers

Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence

Ex-US Attorney Refused Questions On Trump's Role In Epstein Probe: Democrats

Democrats and some Republicans accused Bondi of trying to shield Trump from scrutiny.

"Fear Is Slaughtering Us": In War-Torn Gaza, Child Marriages Rise Sharply

Some parents have sought some financial stability for their daughters by giving them away in marriage.

Epstein files probe: Pam Bondi refuses to answer questions over Trump's involvement, say Democrats

Former Attorney General Pam Bondi appeared for closed-door questioning in connection with the Jeffrey Epstein case files. Democratic lawmakers have alleged that Bondi refused to answer questions about Trump's involvement.

Ex-Trump attorney general grilled over Epstein files amid cancer diagnosis

Former US attorney general Pam Bondi appeared before the House Oversight Committee. She admitted to redaction errors in the Jeffrey Epstein files. Bondi defended the Justice Department's actions under her leadership. Democrats and survivors criticized the closed-door interview format. They demanded greater transparency and accountability in the handling of these sensitive documents.

How close are US, Iran to ending the war?

The United States and Iran have reached an agreement to extend a ceasefire, allow shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and lift a U.S. blockade and some sanctions on Iran, sources ​told Reuters, but the deal has not been finalised.An agreement would represent ​a big step towards ending a war that has pushed the world towards an energy crisis, though the underlying dispute over Iran's nuclear programme ​would only be thrashed out in talks over subsequent weeks.Where Have The Discussions Got To?Following a ceasefire in early April, the two sides have remained at odds on issues including Iran's nuclear ambitions, Israel's war in Lebanon with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, and Tehran's demands for the lifting of sanctions and the release of frozen assets.After weeks of mainly indirect talks, four sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday that the U.S. and Iran had ‌agreed a memorandum of understanding ⁠that would ⁠halt the war and give negotiators 60 days to reach a final deal.Read More: Bigger proportion of non-Iran ships crossing Hormuz strait: DataHowever, both sides have said several times before that they believed an agreement was close but without ever concluding an agreement. The position of Israel, which launched the air war on ​Iran on February 28 alongside the United States, is central to any deal but its role in the agreement is unclear.U.S. President Donald Trump has not yet approved the deal, according to the sources. Vice ​President JD Vance said on Thursday: "We're not there, but we're very close and we're going to keep working on it".Iran has not yet formally commented, but the semi-official Tasnim news agency cited a source close to the negotiating team as saying the text of the agreement had not yet been finalised or confirmed.Iranian sources have previously said a framework deal is only about ending the war ​on all fronts, establishing a 30-day framework for international and Iranian movement through the Strait of Hormuz and possibly providing some ⁠financial relief.There would ‌then be negotiations on the more difficult issues, such as the status of Iran's highly enriched uranium and details concerning the strait, and the sequencing of ​the many points in the ​preliminary deal such as sanctions relief and security.The last deal over the nuclear programme - struck in 2015 and torn up by Trump in 2018 - took ⁠years of negotiations between large teams of technical experts.What Are The Main Issues?Hormuz And Gulf BlockadeIran's closure of ​the Strait of Hormuz, the conduit for a fifth of global supplies of oil and liquefied natural gas, has pushed up oil ​prices. Reopening the strait is the U.S. priority and Iran's main point of leverage, but it could take time.Many vessels are stuck in the Gulf and Iran says it has laid some sea mines that could be difficult to locate.The U.S. blockade on Iranian ports is hitting Iran's own exports and state revenue. Lifting this is one of Tehran's main goals. A sensitive issue could be how far U.S. forces withdraw.NuclearThe U.S. says it believes Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb. Iran has always denied this, saying its atomic programme is for peaceful purposes only. The focus is on its enrichment of uranium, which generates fuel for nuclear power but can also make material for a warhead.The nuclear question is extremely complicated. Iran might eventually agree to dilute part of its highly enriched uranium ‌in a friendly country into uranium enriched to 5% purity and then have it returned, Iranian sources said.Read more: US inflation hits three-year high in April as Iran war fuels energy price surgeBut many other issues would still need to be addressed: how long the nuclear program would be halted, whether nuclear sites would be dismantled, what happens to stockpiles of uranium enriched to 20% and 5%, the ​future of Iran's advanced centrifuges ​and research and development programs and the rules governing an ⁠inspections regime, among others.Ballistic MissilesA prominent U.S. demand before the war was that Iran limit the range of its ballistic missiles so that they could not reach Israel. Iran has always said its right to conventional weapons is non-negotiable and that it still has a large arsenal.Sanctions And Frozen AssetsIran's economy has been hurt by sanctions for years, contributing to the nationwide unrest in ​January. Tehran badly needs them to be lifted and tens of billions of dollars of Iranian oil revenues frozen in foreign banks to be released. It also wants reparations for war damage.The United States has resisted this, with Trump having lambasted former president Barack Obama for having returned some frozen assets to Iran under the 2015 nuclear deal. Some media have reported that the latest draft agreement would include an investment programme for Iran.LebanonIran has repeatedly said that Israel's war against its main ally Hezbollah in Lebanon must be included in any deal. Israel and Lebanon agreed a ceasefire last month but both Israel and Hezbollah accuse each other of repeated violations and Israel's military is ramping up its campaign in southern Lebanon. Israel would oppose any U.S.-Iran agreement that limits its ability to act in Lebanon.

Centre Orders Demolition Of Illegal Structures Along India-Pakistan Border As Tensions Remain

Shah announced that illegal structures along Indo-Pak border would be torn down, directing authorities to take action against infiltration and cross-border crimes