Courts Reject Trump Immigration Policy, Stay Pentagon Press Ruling; Bipartisan Push to Repeal FCC News Distortion Rule

A federal appeals court rejected the Trump administration's mandatory detention policy for immigrants awaiting deportation. The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 against the policy on Tuesday, stating it would strain overcrowded detention infrastructure, incarcerate millions, separate families, and disrupt communities.

This decision created a circuit split, as the 5th Circuit and 8th Circuit Courts of Appeals have sided with the administration.

2 million estimated self-deportations, according to Department of Homeland Security data. In a separate ruling, a federal appeals court stayed an earlier decision that found the Pentagon’s latest press policy too restrictive. The stay allows the Pentagon to require journalists to be escorted inside its halls for now.

This action occurred in an ongoing case brought by the New York Times. Several former Federal Communications Commissioners and staffers from both parties urged a federal appeals court to force a vote on the FCC's News Distortion Policy. S.

Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to require the FCC to vote on a petition to repeal the policy. The petition was filed by the bipartisan group in November 2025. FCC Chair Brendan Carr invoked the policy to pressure ABC into temporarily suspending comedian Jimmy Kimmel.

Only the agency chair can bring a petition to the full commission for a vote, and Carr has failed to do so while opposing repeal. The petitioners requested a writ of mandamus to compel FCC action. The petitioners include the Radio Television Digital News Association, former Republican FCC chairs Dennis Patrick and Alfred Sikes, Republican commissioners Andrew Barrett and Rachelle Chong, former Democratic commissioner Ervin Duggan, and four additional former senior leaders at the agency.

The News Distortion Policy dates back to 1949 and empowers the FCC to take enforcement actions against broadcasters that deliberately distort fact-based reports about major news events. The FCC regulates broadcast TV and radio, but the policy does not apply to cable networks, online news outlets, or other media forms.

Expressions of opinion or errors from mistakes are not actionable under the policy, according to the FCC website.

Brendan Carr revived the News Distortion Policy. Carr threatened to use it against broadcasters he perceives as favoring political opponents or displaying bias against President Donald Trump, including CBS. Trump sued CBS over its edit of a 60 Minutes interview with then-presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

Carr also threatened to use the policy against ABC, which broadcast Jimmy Kimmel making a joke related to conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s killing. Additionally, Carr appeared to threaten the broadcast licenses of stations that aired critical coverage of Trump’s war in Iran, though he later denied that the threat was intentional. Sen.

Ted Cruz (R-TX) compared Brendan Carr to a 'mafioso' after his Kimmel threat. S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on the Trump administration’s plans to stop shielding Haitians and Syrians from deportation.

An estimated 200,000 people from more than a dozen other countries will pay close attention to the arguments. 3 million immigrants. Since President Trump returned to office last year, his administration has repeatedly revoked or sought to deny the extension of temporary protections for immigrants from numerous countries.

Spirit Airlines is in bankruptcy court. The Trump administration was in talks to loan as much as $500 million to Spirit Airlines, according to reports last week. On Thursday, Donald Trump told reporters the federal government might buy the ailing Spirit Airlines.

U.S. clean energy installations are forecast to hit another record in 2026. These installations are expected to account for the vast majority of new power additions.

The forecast is up 20 percent from over 50 gigawatts in the previous year.