Good morning. In New York, a federal judge has partially blocked a major immigration enforcement tactic after government attorneys admitted a critical factual error in court. In Washington, a controversial settlement tied to President Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS is drawing scrutiny over unprecedented protections shielding tax filings from future examination. And in Texas, Trump stepped into one of the Republican Party’s most consequential Senate fights, endorsing Attorney General Ken Paxton over longtime incumbent Sen. John Cornyn.
Federal Judge Orders ICE to Scale Back Manhattan Courthouse Arrests
A federal judge in Manhattan has temporarily halted a key immigration enforcement strategy after Justice Department lawyers admitted they gave the court inaccurate information while defending the policy.
U.S. District Judge P. Kevin Castel ruled Monday that Immigration and Customs Enforcement must return — at least temporarily — to tighter Biden-era restrictions on civil immigration arrests at several Manhattan immigration court facilities.
The reversal marks a dramatic shift in the case.
Earlier in the litigation, Castel declined to block the Trump Administration’s approach, which open border advocacy groups argued effectively turned mandatory immigration hearings into enforcement traps where migrants could be detained immediately after appearing before judges.
But the judge reopened the issue after government attorneys acknowledged they had made what they described as a “material mistaken statement of fact” regarding a May 2025 ICE enforcement memo.
According to court filings, DOJ lawyers previously told the court the policy guidance covered immigration courts. They later admitted the memo “does not and has never applied” to immigration court proceedings.
That concession proved decisive.
Castel said the court needed to intervene “to correct a clear error and prevent a manifest injustice,” finding that plaintiffs were likely to succeed in arguing the administration acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” manner when it abandoned stricter 2021 limitations on courthouse arrests.
The ruling does not fully prohibit immigration arrests at courthouses. ICE agents may still detain individuals under limited circumstances involving public safety threats, violent pursuits, or criminal evidence concerns.
Still, pro-migration groups immediately celebrated the decision as a major legal victory, arguing it restores confidence that migrants can attend court proceedings without automatically risking detention.
Trump IRS Settlement Raises New Questions Over Presidential Power
A newly revealed addendum tied to President Trump’s lawsuit settlement with the IRS is fueling a growing political and legal firestorm after reports emerged that the agreement may permanently shield Trump tax filings from certain future federal audits.
According to multiple reports, the Justice Department quietly amended the settlement to bar the IRS from pursuing specific tax examinations involving Trump, his family members, associated trusts, and affiliated business entities tied to filings submitted before the agreement was finalized.
The arrangement stems from Trump’s lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his confidential tax returns — a years-long controversy that became one of the defining legal and political battles surrounding his first presidency.
In exchange for dropping the $10 billion lawsuit, the administration reportedly established a new $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund,” designed to compensate individuals politically targeted by government agencies.
The scope of the reported audit protections has stunned former IRS officials and legal observers.
Former IRS Commissioner John Koskinen warned the agreement could establish a “terrible precedent,” arguing that permanently exempting a president and his affiliated entities from future tax scrutiny risks undermining public confidence in equal enforcement of federal law.
Another former IRS commissioner, Danny Werfel, said he was unaware of any historical precedent in which the IRS agreed in advance to permanently forgo examinations of previously filed tax returns tied to a specific individual or business.
Critics argue the settlement creates an extraordinary conflict of interest because Trump effectively negotiated with agencies operating under his own administration.
The administration has defended the agreement as a legitimate response to unlawful disclosures of confidential taxpayer information and broader allegations that federal agencies were weaponized against political opponents.
But the revelations are likely to intensify already fierce debates over presidential immunity, institutional independence, and whether traditional guardrails governing executive power are eroding.
Trump Endorses Ken Paxton in Major Texas Senate Battle
President Trump officially endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday, delivering a potentially decisive blow to Sen. John Cornyn and reshaping one of the Republican Party’s most important Senate races heading into 2026.
The endorsement ends months of speculation over whether Trump would back Paxton or the longtime incumbent senator in a bitter Republican runoff battle that has become a proxy war between the GOP establishment and the party’s populist base.
Cornyn himself appeared to recognize where things were heading earlier this week.
“I think that ship has finally sailed,” the senator said Monday when asked about his chances of securing Trump’s endorsement.
Trump had deliberately delayed weighing in despite repeatedly teasing that he had already made up his mind. His decision to back Paxton now formalizes a dramatic political realignment inside Texas Republican politics.
For years, Cornyn represented the institutional wing of the GOP — a veteran senator closely tied to Senate leadership and traditional conservative policymaking. But despite maintaining a voting record nearly perfectly aligned with Trump’s positions, Cornyn struggled to maintain credibility with grassroots voters.
Paxton, by contrast, has built his political identity around confrontation: challenging federal authority, embracing hardline conservative fights, and positioning himself as one of Trump’s most loyal legal and political allies.
The endorsement instantly raises the stakes in what was already shaping up to be one of the nastiest Republican primaries in the country.
Trump previously suggested the candidate who failed to receive his backing should step aside to avoid dividing the party. Paxton refused to entertain that possibility even before the endorsement arrived, signaling his confidence that the Republican base had shifted decisively in his favor.
The winner of the runoff will face Democrat James Talarico in the general election after Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett in the Democratic primary earlier this year.
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