Trump’s election executive order faces first legal challenges

[CRAIG NIGRELLI]

GOOD MORNING

I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI

IT’S TUESDAY APRIL 1ST 2025

AND THESE ARE YOUR UNBIASED UPDATES:

PRESIDENT TRUMP’S CHANGES TO THE ELECTION SYSTEM NOW CHALLENGED IN COURT.   WHICH ORGANIZATIONS ARE SUING TO TRY TO STOP THE PRESIDENT’S  PUSH TO END WHAT HE BELIEVES IS ILLEGAL VOTING, AND WHAT THEY ARE CALLING HIS ATTEMPTS. 

AND — A NEW MONTH MEANS, MORE TRUMP TARIFFS.  WHAT TO EXPECT AS THE PRESIDENT PREPARES AMERICANS AND OTHER COUNTRIES FOR WHAT HE’S CALLING LIBERATION DAY. 

L3: TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER OVERHAULING ELECTIONS FACES FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGES

THIS MORNING — PRESIDENT TRUMP’S EXECUTIVE ORDER,  SEEKING TO OVERHAUL THE NATION’S ELECTIONS, IS FACING ITS FIRST LEGAL CHALLENGES.

DEMOCRATS AND A PAIR OF NONPROFITS FILED TWO SEPARATE LAWSUITS ON MONDAY — CALLING IT UNCONSTITUTIONAL.

THE NONPROFITS — THE CAMPAIGN LEGAL CENTER AND THE STATE DEMOCRACY DEFENDERS FUND — BROUGHT THE FIRST LAWSUIT..

IT WAS QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY A SEPARATE LAWSUIT, FILED BY THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE, THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNORS ASSOCIATION, AND SENATE AND HOUSE DEMOCRATIC LEADERS.

BOTH LAWSUITS ARE ASKING.A JUDGE TO BLOCK THE NEW ORDER AND DECLARE IT ILLEGAL.

AFTER PRESIDENT TRUMP SIGNED THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, A WEEK AGO,  ELECTION LAWYERS WARNED THAT SOME OF THE PRESIDENT’S DEMANDS,

SUCH AS REQUIRING PROOF OF CITIZENSHIP TO REGISTER TO VOTE AND NEW BALLOT DEADLINE RULES,  MAY VIOLATE THE CONSTITUTION.

THE PRESIDENT HAS ARGUED THAT HIS EXECUTIVE ORDER WILL SECURE THE VOTE AGAINST ILLEGAL VOTING BY NON-CITIZENS. 

THE LAWSUITS COME AS THE G-O-P-LED CONGRESS IS CONSIDERING CODIFYING A PROOF-OF-CITIZENSHIP REQUIREMENT FOR VOTER REGISTRATION INTO LAW.

MEANWHILE, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS PROMISED MORE ACTION, RELATED TO ELECTIONS, IN THE COMING WEEKS.

L3: TRUMP TO IMPOSE MORE TARIFFS ON FOREIGN GOODS ON ‘LIBERATION DAY’ WEDNESDAY

IT’S A NEW MONTH AND MANY EYES ARE FOCUSED ON WEDNESDAY AS PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TRADE DISPUTES WITH CANADA, MEXICO AND EUROPE ARE EXPECTED TO HIT NEW LEVELS AND HEIGHTS.

THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN TOUTING A SPECIAL TERM FOR THE DAY,  AS HE VOWS TO IMPLEMENT TARIFFS ON IMPORTS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES THAT HE INSISTS WILL ALLEVIATE AMERICAN RELIANCE ON FOREIGN GOODS. 

“BUT WE, WE HAVE LIBERATION DAY, AS YOU KNOW, ON APRIL 2ND, BECAUSE, AND I’M NOT REFERRING TO CANADA, BUT MANY COUNTRIES HAVE TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF US, THE LIKES OF WHICH NOBODY EVEN THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE FOR MANY, MANY DECADES, FOR DECADES.”

THE PRESIDENT SAYS HE’LL IMPOSE “RECIPROCAL” TARIFFS TO MATCH THE LEVIES THAT OTHER NATIONS CHARGE ON AMERICAN-MADE PRODUCTS.

HOWEVER, A LOT REMAINS UNCLEAR ABOUT HOW THESE TARIFFS WILL BE IMPLEMENTED AND WHETHER IT WILL LEAD TO MORE DELAYS OR CONFUSION THIS WEEK. 

THE PRESIDENT SAYS TARIFFS, LIKE THOSE ON IMPORTED CARS WILL LEAD TO MORE MANUFACTURING JOBS CREATED HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, WHILE NOTING SHORT-TERM PAIN MAY BE FELT IN ORDER FOR LONG-TERM GAIN.

HE SAYS HIS ULTIMATE GOAL IS FOR PEOPLE TO BUY MORE AMERICAN PRODUCTS AND A LEVELING OF THE PLAYING FIELD WHEN IT COMES TO THE TARIFFS.

L3: ICE ADMITS ‘ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR’ SENT MARYLAND MAN TO EL SALVADOR PRISON

A MARYLAND MAN WITH PROTECTED LEGAL STATUS IS IN PRISON IN EL SALVADOR DUE TO AN “ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR” AS ADMITTED BY A U-S CUSTOMS AND PROTECTION OFFICIAL MONDAY IN A SWORN DECLARATION.

KILMER ARMADO ABREGO-GARCIA WHOSE WIFE IS AN AMERICAN CITIZEN AND WHO HAS A FIVE-YEAR-OLD CHILD IS BEING HELD AT THE NOTORIOUS CECOT PRISON IN EL SALVADOR.

MONDAY’S FILING IS PART OF A LAWSUIT BY ABREGO-GARCIA’S LAWYERS — WHO ARE DEMANDING FEDERAL AUTHORITIES RETURN HIM TO THE U-S AFTER HE WAS SENT TO THE PRISON OVER “AN ADMINISTRATIVE ERROR.”

THE U-S GOVERNMENT RESPONDED SAYING IT IS AWARE OF THE ERROR BUT BECAUSE ABREGO-GARCIA IS NO LONGER IN U-S CUSTODY, A COURT CAN NEITHER ORDER HIM TO BE RETURNED TO THE U-S OR ORDER EL SALVADOR RETURN HIM.

WHILE ICE ADMITS THE ERROR, THEY SAY HIS EXTRADITION WAS DONE IN “GOOD FAITH” OVER THE ALLEGATIONS ABREGO-GARCIA WAS A MEMBER OF THE M-S-13 GANG — AN ACCUSATION HIS ATTORNEYS DENY.

L3: CHINA LAUNCHES MILITARY SHOW OF FORCE SURROUNDING TAIWAN

CHINA is now conducting  MASSIVE MILITARY DRILLS AS IT SURROUNDED TAIWAN IN A SHOW-OF-FORCE, WARNING THE SELF-GOVERNING ISLAND AGAINST SEEKING INDEPENDENCE FROM BEIJING.

THE CHINESE USED NAVY, AIR, GROUND AND ROCKET FORCES TO INTIMIDATE TAIWAN AS A MEANS TO ISSUE A “SEVERE WARNING AND FORCEFUL CONTAINMENT AGAINST TAIWAN INDEPENDENCE,” ACCORDING TO THE PEOPLE’S LIBERATION ARMY.

CHINA CLAIMS TAIWAN **AS ITS OWN** AND HAS LONG-THREATENED TO BRING THE ISLAND NATION UNDER ITS CONTROL BY MILITARY FORCE IF NECESSARY.

TAIWAN’S MINISTRY OF NATIONAL DEFENSE SAYS IT COUNTED 19 CHINESE NAVY SHIPS IN THE WATER AROUND THE ISLAND OVER A 24-HOUR PERIOD MONDAY INTO TUESDAY.

THE EXERCISES COME JUST WEEKS AFTER A LARGE-SCALE MILITARY DRILL, BY BEIJING, INVOLVED A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF DRONES AND SHIPS NEAR TAIWAN.

CHINA OFTEN SENDS FIGHTER JETS AND MILITARY VESSELS TO THE REGION TO REMIND TAIWAN IT CLAIMS SOVEREIGNTY OVER THE ISLAND NATION — DESPITE MOST PEOPLE IN TAIWAN OPPOSING CHINESE RULE.

L3: SPACEX’S FRAM2 MISSION SEND 4 CIVILIANS INTO ORBIT OVER EARTH’S POLES

RIGHT NOW — AN ALL-CIVILIAN CREW IS ATTEMPTING SOMETHING NEVER DONE BEFORE: ORBITING THE EARTH FROM POLE TO POLE.

THE CREW — CONSISTING OF A CHINESE-BORN BITCOIN ENTREPRENEUR, A NORWEGIAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, A GERMAN ROBOTICS EXPERT AND AN AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURER — IS EXPECTED TO FLY OVER THE NORTH AND SOUTH POLES 55 TIMES BEFORE SPLASHDOWN FRIDAY IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

WHILE IN SPACE, NOT ONLY WILL THE “FRAM 2” CREW VIEW AND PHOTOGRAPH EARTH’S POLAR REGIONS FROM LOW-EARTH ORBIT,  THEY WILL ALSO CONDUCT NEARLY TWO DOZEN EXPERIMENTS FOCUSED ON QUOTE “ADVANCING HUMAN HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE IN SPACE, PARTICULARLY FOR FUTURE LONG-DURATION MISSIONS.”

THOSE EXPERIMENTS WILL INCLUDE BEING THE FIRST MISSION TO TAKE X-RAYS OF THE HUMAN BODY IN SPACE, GROWING MUSHROOMS IN MICRO-GRAVITY AND STUDYING ATMOSPHERIC PHENOMENA.

L3: TEXAS TO TAKE ON SOUTH CAROLINA, UCONN FACES UCLA IN WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR

FINALLY THIS MORNING — MARCH MADNESS IS ABOUT TURN SOME TEAMS INTO APRIL CHAMPIONS, WITH THE FINAL FOUR NOW SET FOR THE WOMEN’S N-C-DOUBLE-A TOURNAMENT.

AND MUCH LIKE THE MEN’S TOURNAMENT — IT’S THE FAVORITES THAT CONTINUE TO ADVANCE.

NUMBER ONE SEEDED TEXAS IS IN THE FINAL FOUR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 22 YEARS.

THE LONGHORNS  IMPROVED THEIR OVERALL RECORD TO 35 AND 3 AFTER A STRONG THIRD QUARTER HELPED THEM GET PAST T-C-U IN THE ELITE EIGHT ON MONDAY.

TEXAS HAS WON 19 OF THEIR LAST 20 GAMES AND WILL FACE THE **ONLY** TEAM THAT HAS BEATEN THEM IN THAT STRETCH — THE SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS — IN THE FINAL FOUR ON FRIDAY.

THE LONGHORNS AND GAMECOCKS SPLIT THEIR REGULAR-SEASON SERIES — BUT SOUTH CAROLINA WON THE S-E-C TOURNAMENT FINAL BY 19 POINTS.

THE GAMECOCKS ADVANCED TO THE FINAL FOUR THIS PAST SATURDAY BY SURVIVING A CLOSE GAME AND KNOCKING OFF DUKE — 54 TO 50.

MEANWHILE, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRACKET,  NUMBER ONE SEED U-S-C TOOK ON second SEEDED U-CONN IN A BATTLE OF TEAMS WITH JUST THREE LOSSES APIECE MONDAY NIGHT.

SOUTHERN CAL WAS THE UNDERDOG — PLAYING ITS SECOND GAME WITHOUT TOP SCORER AND PLAYMAKER JUJU WATKINS..

SHE SUFFERED A SEASON-ENDING KNEE INJURY IN THE TROJANS SWEET 16 WIN OVER MISSISSIPPI STATE.

U-S-C PLAYED A GOOD GAME, BUT IN THE END — U-CONN TOOK HOME THE WIN AS PAGE BUECKERS HAD 31 POINTS.  LEGENDARY COACH GENO Geno Auriemma WILL GUIDE THE HUSKIES TO A RECORD 24-TH APPEARANCE IN THE FINAL FOUR.

THE HUSKIES WILL PLAY  U-C-L-A. THE BRUINS  KNOCKED OFF L-S-U ON SATURDAY 72 TO 65.

THE WOMEN’S FINAL FOUR IS SET FOR THIS FRIDAY, WITH THE TITLE GAME ON SUNDAY.