Donald Trump has declared that presidential pardons issued by his predecessor Joe Biden are “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” on the grounds that the Democrat allegedly signed off on them using an autopen, rather than his real signature.
Writing on Truth Social, the president goes on to insist, without evidence, that Biden was not even aware of the pardons and further issued a threat against the members of the House select committee that probed the events of January 6 2021, warning them that they are no longer shielded from investigation and can expect to be pursued.
On Sunday, his administration revealed that it had deported hundreds of people from the U.S. after invoking a wartime law to speed up the deportations of individuals connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The announcement was made in the face of a court order from a federal judge temporarily blocking the administration’s ability to use the law, the Alien Enemies Act 1798, and ordered any planes flying migrants out of the country to turn around.
Meanwhile, the U.S. has launched military strikes against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen for targeting Red Sea shipping routes.
Key Points
- Donald Trump declares Joe Biden’s pardons ‘void’ and threatens Jan 6 committee
- Trump deports hundreds linked to Venezuelan gang despite judge’s block
- U.S. strikes on Yemen kill 31 after Houthis vow to renew Red Sea attacks
- Fired hurricane hunter says Americans could see ‘more damage and more loss of life’ with NOAA layoffs
- Why MAGA is so obsessed with the Jeffery Epstein files – and so angry at Trump’s attorney general
Trump deports hundreds linked to Venezuelan gang despite judge’s block
09:20
,
Joe Sommerlad
Trump’sadministration revealed over the weekend that it has deported hundreds of people from the U.S. after invoking a wartime law to speed up the deportations of individuals connected to the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.
The announcement was made in the face of a court order from a federal judge temporarily blocking the administration’s ability to use the law, the Alien Enemies Act 1798, and ordered any planes flying migrants out of the country to turn around.
Here’s Katie Hawkinson and Kelly Rissman with the full story.
Truth Social: Tornadoes, deporting ‘monsters’ and golf on Trump’s radar
09:00
,
Joe Sommerlad
Elsewhere on the president’s social media platform, he has been expressing sympathy over those impacted by terrible storms over the weekend and blaming Democrats for allowing “monsters” from Central America to enter the U.S. and engage in violent crime.
We are actively monitoring the severe tornadoes and storms that have impacted many States across the South and Midwest — 36 innocent lives have been lost, and many more devastated. The National Guard have been deployed to Arkansas, and my Administration is ready to assist State…
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 16, 2025
These are the monsters sent into our Country by Crooked Joe Biden and the Radical Left Democrats. How dare they! Thank you to El Salvador and, in particular, President Bukele, for your understanding of this horrible situation, which was allowed to happen to the United States… pic.twitter.com/uUuWEKCz6K
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 16, 2025
Characteristically, he has also had plenty to say about his latest golfing exploits and has been paying tribute to a celebrity you might not have thought about in years ( if ever), in this case veteran crooner Paul Anka.
Great playing with Scott Lombart, a terrific Golfer! pic.twitter.com/2SUKW8jP8j
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 17, 2025
I just won the Golf Club Championship, probably my last, at Trump International Golf Club, in Palm Beach County, Florida. Such a great honor! The Awards dinner is tonight, at the Club. I want to thank the wonderful Golf Staff, and all of the many fantastic golfers, that…
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 16, 2025
Thank you to my very talented friend, Paul Anka, for doing a new version of "My Way." What a wonderful guy Paul is! pic.twitter.com/GlKZwnj2j8
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 17, 2025
Donald Trump declares Joe Biden’s pardons ‘void’ and threatens Jan 6 committee
08:35
,
Joe Sommerlad
Good morning!
Donald Trump has taken to Truth Social to declared that presidential pardons issued by his predecessor Joe Biden are “VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT” on the grounds that the Democrat allegedly signed off on them using an autopen, rather than his real signature.
Whether or not that claim is accurate, Trump goes on to insist, without evidence, that Biden was not even aware of the pardons and further issues a threat against the members of the House select committee that investigated the events of January 6 2021, warning them that they are no longer shielded from investigation and should expect to be pursued.
“Those on the Unselect Committee, who destroyed and deleted ALL evidence obtained during their two year Witch Hunt of me, and many other innocent people, should fully understand that they are subject to investigation at the highest level,” the president writes.
The "Pardons" that Sleepy Joe Biden gave to the Unselect Committee of Political Thugs, and many others, are hereby declared VOID, VACANT, AND OF NO FURTHER FORCE OR EFFECT, because of the fact that they were done by Autopen. In other words, Joe Biden did not sign them but, more…
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 17, 2025
He also trolled Biden with a meme in which the 46th president’s official portrait is replaced by an image of an autopen mimicking his signature.
— Trump Posts on (@trump_repost) March 16, 2025
Here’s James Liddell’s earlier reporting on the allegations.
Republican says he wishes Trump's executive orders were legislation
08:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Rep. Burchett: "Every time the president would issue an executive order, I wish that that was legislation that would be assigned to a legislator." pic.twitter.com/eYECYVQHM1
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 16, 2025
Rubio doubles down on Trump’s visa cancelations as he goes after dissenters
06:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
John Bowden writes:
Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s push to target and cancel the visas of individual students living in America for participation in protests against the government of Israel.
Rubio deflected questions from CBS’s Margaret Brennan about Mahmoud Khalil, a Columbia University graduate and legal US permanent resident (green card holder) who was arrested and immediately targeted for deportation last weekend after the Trump administration canceled his visa and arrested him with plainclothes officers at Columbia.
Khalil was a leader in the student protests that developed around campus but was also outspoken against antisemitism.
His arrest has outraged Democrats and civil rights advocates; Khalil is not charged with a crime and did not enter the US illegally. His removal has been temporarily blocked by a judge.
Read more:
Milwaukee mother deported to Laos, a country she has never been to, where she doesn’t know anyone and doesn’t speak the language
06:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
A Hmong American woman who is a mother of five has been deported from the Milwaukee area to Laos, a country she has never set foot in, according to a new report.
Ma Yang, 37, is being held in a rooming house in Laos, surrounded by military guards, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports. She does not speak the language, knows no one, and says the military is holding all of her documents.
"The United States sent me back to die," Yang told the outlet. "I don't even know where to go. I don't even know what to do."
"How do I rent, or buy, or anything, with no papers?" she added. "I'm a nobody right now."
Read more from Katie Hawkinson:
Young scientists see career pathways vanish as schools adapt to federal funding cuts
05:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Carolyn Thompson, Heather Hollingsworth, and Makiya Seminera write:
As an infant, Connor Phillips was born three months premature with cerebral palsy. The science that saved his life was the inspiration that led to his role studying brain processes as a research fellow at the National Institute of Health.
He had hopes of continuing his work at NIH through a partnership with Brown University, where he was invited to interview for a program that would lead to a doctorate in neuroscience. But training programs at the NIH have been suspended, a casualty of funding cuts by the Trump administration.
He is applying to other programs — and hoping policies putting strains on science might be reversed.
“You don’t take these jobs that pay worse and have insane hours and are really stressful unless you care about helping others and taking our love for science and translating that into something that can improve people’s lives,” Phillips said.
Read more:
‘I assume I’ll be driven out the country’: Workers fear Trump is leading a purge of LGBTQ+ federal employees
04:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Josh Marcus writes:
When Wylie joined the Postal Service in December, they had two very contradictory thoughts about the coming return of Donald Trump.
They knew, as a nonbinary transgender person, that the next four years would be hell. Trump, after all, had made attacking what he called “transgender insanity” a central part of his 2024 campaign and his first administration. But Wylie didn’t want to hide who they are, either.
Instead, working with the public each day would be a quiet way of resisting the demonization from the White House, while also keeping an ear to the ground in case the public mood grew too violent.
“I wanted to be out in the streets, be where people can see me, and also see the day-to-day on the streets so that if anything starts changing I perhaps have time to respond,” said Wylie, who asked not to use their full name for their safety.
Read more:
Education Department staff cuts could limit options for families of kids with disabilities
04:00
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Gustaf Kilander
Annie Ma writes:
For parents of kids with disabilities, advocating for their child can be complicated, time-consuming — and expensive.
Changes at the Education Department are likely to make the process even more difficult, advocates for kids with disabilities say.
When a parent believes their child is not receiving proper services or school accommodations for a disability, they can seek remedies from their district. They can file complaints with their state, arguing the child's rights have been taken away without due process of law, or even pursue litigation in state or federal courts.
Those processes often involve multiple sessions with hearing officers who are not required to be experts in disability law. Legal fees can cost tens of thousands of dollars for a single case. Legal aid and other advocacy organizations that can provide free assistance often have more demand for their services than they can meet.
Read more:
Jasmine Crockett fires back at John Fetterman over senator’s criticism of Democrats
03:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Jasmine Crockett did not mince her words when asked about John Fetterman’s ongoing criticism of his fellow Democratic lawmakers on Sunday.
Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, has been critical of the more left-leaning members of his party, condemning their push for a government shutdown. He also joined in with the chorus of people who mocked the “Choose Your Fighter” TikTok video, in which some members of the House Democratic caucus participated in a social media campaign that highlighted their backgrounds.
John Bowden has the story:
Project 2025 author says Trump’s adoption of his ideas are beyond his ‘wildest dreams’
03:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Eight months after Donald Trump publicly distanced himself from Project 2025, the conservative blueprint appears to have influenced Trump’s early decisions — a reality that one of the authors says was “beyond his wildest dreams.”
The 900-plus-page policy book details how a second Trump administration could overhaul the federal government as America knew it, like dismantling departments, expanding his executive authority, putting an end to diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and purging the federal workforce and replacing them with political appointees.
On the campaign trail, Democrats warned about the dangers of Project 2025 while Trump repeatedly distanced himself from it. “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it,” he wrote on Truth Social last July.
Later that month, Paul Dans, a lawyer and chief architect of Project 2025, resigned. Now, he says he has no hard feelings and is thrilled that the second Trump administration appears to be following the controversial blueprint.
Read more from Kelly Rissman:
‘No ceasefire will work’: Medics on Ukraine’s frontline scorn Trump’s peace talks
02:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Sam Kiley writes:
Stunned, bleeding, disorientated and amazed at surviving a double land mine blast inside their armoured ambulance, the Ukrainian medical team had lost their radio and their bearings.
They knew a Russian ambush team was close and they had to get out of Niu York, near Donetsk, fast.
Their leader, Rebekah Maciorowski, a volunteer from Colorado, didn’t see the Ukrainian drones overhead that were flashing their beacons to lead her to safety. It was broad daylight.
Russian drones could also see them, they knew as they scuttled into an abandoned building. They were in the worst of military predicaments – a total loss of control.
“Getting blown up was not so traumatic compared to the situation that we were in with no comms. No comms, you know, in a grey zone, no communications, no navigational reference,” says Rebekah, 31, a permanent frontline medic in Ukraine since March 2022.
Read more:
Ivory Coast is losing US aid as al-Qaida and other extremist groups are approaching
02:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Monika Pronczuk writes:
With its tomato patches and grazing cattle, the Ivory Coast village of Kimbirila-Nord hardly looks like a front line of the global fight against extremism. But after jihadis attacked a nearby community in Mali five years ago and set up a base in a forest straddling the border, the U.S. committed to spending $20 million to counter the spread of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group here and in dozens of other villages.
The Trump administration's sweeping foreign aid cuts mean that support is now gone, even as violence in Mali and other countries in the Sahel region south of the Sahara has reached record levels and sent tens of thousands refugees streaming into northern Ivory Coast.
Locals worry they have been abandoned. Diplomats and aid officials said the termination of aid jeopardizes counterterrorism efforts and weakens U.S. influence in a part of the world where some countries have turned to Russian mercenaries for help.
Read more:
Tourists cancel their U.S. plans as Trump rocks international allies with policies and tariffs
01:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
President Donald Trump’s policies and rhetoric have driven some international tourists to cancel their trips to the United States.
International travel is expected to dip by 5 percent this year as Trump’s trade policies, proposed handling of Russia’s war in Ukraine, and threats to absorb both Canada and Greenland into the U.S. have stoked tensions abroad.
Combined with an anticipated slide in domestic travel spending, these factors could contribute to a predicted $64 billion in losses for the U.S. travel industry in 2025, according to travel research firm Tourism Economics.
In a report published late last month, Tourism Economics predicted that “domestic travel will be negatively affected by slower income growth and higher prices” while international travel to the U.S. “will be hit by a trifecta of slower economies, a stronger dollar, and antipathy towards the US.”
Read more from Kelly Rissman:
VOICES: Trump’s 200% tariff on EU wine could pop the champagne bubble… and that’s a massive problem
01:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Rosamund Hall writes:
The news cycle regarding tariffs is giving me flashbacks to my teenage history lessons, stirring memories about the repeal of the Corn Law and WE Gladstone’s subsequent budgets that removed nearly all protectionist regulations – Mr Bromfield, if you’re reading this, I hope you’re impressed.
Whilst economics is not my strength, I am aware that most economists assert that free trade is generally regarded as a good thing: more choice for consumers, competitive pricing and greater economic growth. Donald Trump obviously hasn’t got that memo.
You might be wondering what a wine writer is doing wading into this murky water of tariffs – well, so am I, but it’s because of one thing: the threat of tariffs on booze from the EU. Normally I’m writing about my despair at our own country's approach to alcohol taxation, but Trump is rather stealing the headline on pretty much everything, so it might as well include this too.
Read more:
Keith Kellogg’s return to Ukraine diplomacy shows Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy
00:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Mark Almond writes:
Donald Trump’s whirligig presidency continues with sudden reversals of foreign policy and key diplomatic appointments.
Retired lieutenant general, Keith Kellogg, had appeared “out” of Ukrainian affairs only a few days ago.
Eight weeks ago, the government in Kyiv and many friends of Ukraine abroad had celebrated his appointment as the president’s special envoy for Ukraine and Russia as a victory for a hard-line stance against Putin’s aggression.
Kellogg’s own public statements on Russian war guilt and his daughter, Meaghan Mobbs’ very public role as a fundraiser for Ukraine led people to assume that fears that Trump would “sell out” the country were misplaced.
But Keith Kellogg was briefed against by the White House media team immediately after the Trump-Zelensky bust-up in the Oval Office. He had failed to join in the pile-on against the Ukrainian President. Kellogg was removed from his post. With the Kremlin against him too, it looked like the 81-year-old had reached the end of his long road of service to the USA.
Read more:
Fired hurricane hunter says Americans could see ‘more damage and more loss of life’ with NOAA layoffs
00:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Dr. Andrew Hazelton is one of the nation’s Hurricane Hunters.
He was part of the crews that would fly deep into powerful hurricanes as they churned in the ocean, all to collect data to help forecasters improve predictions on the storm’s power and direction. But, he was among the first rounds of layoffs at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
He said his job loss - and the thousands that have followed - are making Americans less safe.
“Because you could see the forecast improvements that we’ve come to count on or rely on could be reversed,” he told The Independent. “And, that would lead to more damage, potentially, and more loss of life. And, that’s not what we want to see.”
Julia Musto has the story:
What to know about El Salvador's mega-prison after Trump sent hundreds of immigrants there
Sunday 16 March 2025 23:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Marcos Alemn and Regina Garcia Cano write:
The crown jewel of El Salvador's aggressive anti-crime strategy — a mega-prison where visitation, recreation and education are not allowed — became the latest tool in U.S. President Donald Trump's crackdown on immigration on Sunday, when hundreds of immigrants facing deportation were transferred there.
The arrival of the immigrants, alleged by the U.S. to be members of the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang, took place under an agreement for which the Trump administration will pay the government of President Nayib Bukele $6 million for one year of services.
Bukele has made the Central American country’s stark, harsh prisons a trademark of his fight against crime. In 2023, he opened the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, where the immigrants were sent over the weekend despite a federal judge’s order temporarily barring their deportations under an 18th century wartime declaration targeting Venezuelan gang members.
What is the CECOT?
Why MAGA is so obsessed with the Jeffery Epstein files – and so angry at Trump’s attorney general
Sunday 16 March 2025 23:00
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Gustaf Kilander
Proudly holding their shiny binders titled “the Epstein files Phase 1” outside the White House, MAGA influencers believed they had the real deal.
Donald Trump’s new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, had vowed to release the Epstein files after taking over the Justice Department, but the process has been hit with delays and excuses, including claims that she was “misled.”
In a possible bid to get MAGA off her back, Bondi invited right-wing personalities – including commentator Liz Wheeler, Chaya Raichik, who is the person behind the prolific “Libs of TikTok” X account, Republican activist Scott Presler and conservative commentator Rogan O’Hanley to name a few – down to the White House on February 27 to see the files for themselves.
Rhian Lubin has the story:
Democrats says Republicans are planning to hand tax cuts to the wealthy and paying for it by 'taking away healthcare'
Sunday 16 March 2025 22:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Auchincloss on Fox News Sunday: "This economy is inflationary right now ... and you know what the Republican response is? Their response is, 'Well, get ready for a rocky ride & by the way, we're gonna give tax cuts to the top 20% of earners & pay for it by taking away healthcare… pic.twitter.com/nLQ51NiDXL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 16, 2025
‘Honk if you hate Elon’: Protests against Musk’s Tesla spread to London
Sunday 16 March 2025 22:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
Alexander Butler writes:
Protests against Elon Musk’s Tesla spread to London this week, calling for people to boycott the company.
Demonstrators gathered outside the Tesla centre in Park Royal, west London, on Saturday (15 March), holding up banners that read “Honk if you hate Elon.”
It followed a Just Stop Oil protest on Wednesday. Two protesters were arrested after pouring orange powdered paint over a robot at a shop in Shepherd's Bush, the Metropolitan Police said.
Organisers are encouraging Tesla owners to sell their cars and for people to dump stock amid calls for a boycott over Musk’s close ties with US president Donald Trump.
Tesla has been a target of protests and vandalism in America in recent weeks.
Democrats 'divided' over Schumer's handling of funding fight
Sunday 16 March 2025 21:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
WaPo’s @MariannaReports says Democrats on Capitol Hill are “divided” over how Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer handled the government funding bill.
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 16, 2025
“There is a trust deficit now between the leaders.” https://t.co/q3KfgfZZTA pic.twitter.com/otmBrS8dD3
Trump drafts three-tier US travel ban targeting 43 countries
Sunday 16 March 2025 21:00
,
Gustaf Kilander
President Donald Trump appears to have expanded the scope of the travel ban from his first term to include 43 countries, according to a report.
Although Trump failed to reintroduce the “travel ban” on “day one” of his second term, as he promised, he did issue an executive order on January 20 directing cabinet members to draft a list of countries that should face full or partial travel restrictions because their "vetting and screening information is so deficient" within 60 days.
Now, with that deadline approaching, a draft list of proposed countries banned from traveling to the US is circulating, the New York Times reported.
A White House official told The Independent no decision has been made.
It was developed by the State Department weeks ago, officials familiar with the matter told the outlet, who cautioned it will likely undergo changes by the time the White House gets ahold of it.
Read more from Kelly Rissman here:
Walz: 'Congress needs to serve as a check on Musk and Trump'
Sunday 16 March 2025 20:30
,
Gustaf Kilander
Americans in red districts and blue are getting organized and making their voices heard. Congress needs to serve as a check on Musk and Trump. https://t.co/l3Pwdm4UqI
— Tim Walz (@Tim_Walz) March 16, 2025
US airstrikes on Yemen kill 31 after Houthis vow to target Red Sea shipping over Israel’s blockade of Gaza
Sunday 16 March 2025 20:00
,
Agencies
The US military conducted overnight airstrikes on Yemen in what President Donald Trump claimed was a response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea shipping, killing at least 31 people, most of them women and children, at the start of a campaign expected to last many days.
The airstrikes came after the Houthis threatened to resume attacks on ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea over its blockade of Gaza.
Israel cut off power, halted all international aid supplies to the war-ravaged Palestinian territory earlier this month and renewed dead