Liveblog
Follow the latest news from President Trump here live today, Wednesday, October 15. We bring you all the latest news about the ICE raids and the protests they generate, the government shutdown, an important ruling expected in the Supreme Court and other matters of interest in United States politics.
Table of Contents
- Follow the latest news from President Trump here live today, Wednesday, October 15. We bring you all the latest news about the ICE raids and the protests they generate, the government shutdown, an important ruling expected in the Supreme Court and other matters of interest in United States politics.
- The latest news on current politics and the Trump administration:
- Trump says he is “considering” ground attacks against Venezuelan drug cartels
- Adelita Grijlava demands that Mike Johnson swear her in: “This delay is intentional”
- Trump administration secretly authorized the CIA to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, according to NYT
- Federal judge blocks Trump administration from laying off federal workers during government shutdown
- Democrats say they won’t give in to Trump’s government shutdown threats: ‘His intimidation tactics aren’t working’
- Massachusetts: Rep. Seth Moulton challenges Sen. Edward Markey in the Democratic primary.
- Meta deletes a Facebook page that tracked the presence of ICE
- 🎥 Trump government revokes visas of more than 50 Mexican politicians, according to Reuters: what is known
- Survey: majority of the AAPI community rejects Trump’s immigration management
- Arizona Attorney General Threatens to Prosecute Johnson for Not Swearing in Adelita Grijalva
- Protests and clashes in Chicago after an immigration raid
- 🎥 What aid does the emergency declaration in Los Angeles contemplate for those affected by the raids?
- Los Angeles County approves emergency declaration in response to immigration raids
- Crucial debate in the Supreme Court this Wednesday on the minority vote
- Trump announces that a new attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean left six dead
- Media push (including Fox News) against Pentagon censorship
- This liveblog starts here
Video Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over ICE raids
The latest news on current politics and the Trump administration:
- Swearing-in of Adelita Grijalva: Arizona’s attorney general warned Mike Johnson with legal action if he continues to delay the inauguration of the elected representative. Grijalva intends to become the decisive vote in favor of publishing the Epstein case files held by the Lower House.
- Media push against Pentagon censorship: The country’s major media outlets, including television networks such as Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC, rejected the Pentagon’s new press policy before the Tuesday deadline to sign it. The regulations restrict journalists’ access to information not disclosed by the Department and withdraw accreditations from those who do not accept it.
- The Latino vote in the Supreme Court: The judges of the high court deliberate this Wednesday on the Republicans’ attack on a central provision of the Voting Rights Law in the state of Louisiana, which seeks to protect racial minorities such as the black or Latino population.
- Social Security: The Social Security Administration was scheduled to announce this Wednesday the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for payments to its beneficiaries, but has had to delay it due to the government shutdown, which keeps several key economic reports paralyzed.
- Los Angeles County approves declaring emergency over raids: Authorities voted Tuesday to declare an emergency, allowing them to offer financial assistance to residents affected by ICE immigration raids, from rent relief to access to state funds for legal services.
- Protests in Chicago: After a high-speed chase, Border Patrol agents detained an allegedly undocumented man. The operation generated protests from neighbors and activists, who were dispersed with tear gas by the agents.
- New attack on alleged drug boat in the Caribbean: Trump reported that US forces killed six other people aboard an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean, near the coast of Venezuela, in a new attack of dubious legality that the United Nations has described as extrajudicial executions.
3 hours ago15 oct – 04:43 PM EDT
Trump says he is “considering” ground attacks against Venezuelan drug cartels
President Donald Trump said this Wednesday that he is “considering” ground attacks against Venezuelan drug cartels, which would imply a significant escalation in tension with Caracas over the US military deployment in the Caribbean Sea with 8 ships, warplanes and thousands of soldiers, off the coast of Venezuela.
The president, from the Oval Office, said that they already had land operations as an option because they already have the sea “quite controlled.”
The US military deployment has been going on for almost two months, and has destroyed at least 5 small boats and killed about 27 people, allegedly linked to drug trafficking, according to the White House.
Trump issued these statements shortly after it became known that his government had secretly issued authorization for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, reported The New York Times citing government officials.
3 hours ago15 oct – 04:06 PM EDT
Adelita Grijlava demands that Mike Johnson swear her in: “This delay is intentional”
Democrat Adelita Grijalva raised the tone of her demand that Republican Mike Johnson allow her to take his seat after she won a special election to represent Arizona in the House of Representatives.
“This delay is not procedural, it is intentional,” Grijalva said in front of the Capitol accompanied by other members of the Democratic minority in the Lower House.
The demand comes as Democrats increase pressure on House Speaker Johnson to allow him to represent the state and also cast the deciding vote to advance a measure to demand the opening of the files on the controversial Epstein case.
“He’s doing everything he can to protect this administration from accountability. That’s not leadership, that’s obstruction,” he said.
4 hours ago15 oct – 03:39 PM EDT
Donald Trump’s government secretly issued authorization for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert operations in Venezuela, reported The New York Times citing government officials.
According to the report, the authorization would allow the CIA to carry out lethal missions in Venezuela and in the waters of the Caribbean Sea, where there is already a US military force deployed for several weeks that has destroyed several vessels and killed 27 people, allegedly involved in drug trafficking, according to the Trump administration.
The report indicates that the CIA could act covertly against Nicolás Maduro or his regime, both unilaterally and jointly within a broader military operation.
The White House is offering a $50 million reward for Nicolás Maduro — whom it does not recognize as president of Venezuela — for allegedly leading drug trafficking for the Cartel of the Suns, a designated terrorist organization.
The military deployment in the Caribbean off the coast of Venezuela, with 8 ships, thousands of soldiers and surveillance and fighter planes, seeks, according to the Trump government, to put an end to drug trafficking in the area.
4 hours ago15 oct – 02:53 PM EDT
Federal judge blocks Trump administration from laying off federal workers during government shutdown
A federal judge on Wednesday blocked, for now, President Donald Trump’s administration from laying off workers during the government shutdown.
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston made the comments during a hearing on an emergency order sought by unions to block the layoffs. The hearing continued and the judge did not immediately issue a ruling.
Federal agencies on Friday began issuing layoff notices with the goal of reducing the size of the federal government. The layoff notices are part of an effort by the Republican Trump administration to put more pressure on Democratic lawmakers as the government shutdown continues.
Illston claimed the administration was acting without reflecting on its decisions.
“This is hasty action in most of these programs, and it has a human cost,” the judge stated. “It is a human cost that cannot be tolerated.”
6 hours ago15 oct – 12:56 PM EDT
Democrats say they won’t give in to Trump’s government shutdown threats: ‘His intimidation tactics aren’t working’
As we enter the third week of the partial government shutdown, Democratic members of Congress said they do not feel intimidated or cowed by President Donald Trump’s efforts to lay off thousands of federal workers or his threats of more layoffs in the future.
Instead, congressional Democrats appear emboldened and show no signs of letting up as they returned to Washington from their home states Tuesday night and, for the eighth time, rejected a Republican bill to open the government.
“What people are saying is this slaughter has to stop,” said Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, describing what he heard from his constituents, including federal workers, while touring his state over the weekend. “And he doesn’t stop giving in.”
“His intimidation tactics are not working,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York added of Trump’s actions. “And they will continue to fail.”
Democratic senators said they are increasingly hearing from voters talk about health insurance subsidies expiring at the end of the year, the issue the party has made central to the fight to end the government shutdown.
Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware said the impact of expiring health insurance subsidies for millions of people, along with cuts to Medicaid enacted by Republicans earlier this year, “far outweighs” any of the federal worker layoffs the administration is threatening.
With information from The Associated Press.
8 hours ago15 oct – 11:20 AM EDT
Massachusetts: Rep. Seth Moulton challenges Sen. Edward Markey in the Democratic primary.
Rep. Seth Moulton, a moderate Democrat from Massachusetts, announced Wednesday that he will challenge Sen. Edward Markey for the Democratic nomination in next year’s Senate primary, arguing that it is time for the party to embrace a new generation of leadership.
The announcement makes the contest one of the most anticipated primaries in the country and pits two of the main politicians in this state with a strong Democratic tendency against each other.
Markey, who in 2020 fended off a challenge from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Senate primary, would turn 80 before his third six-year term began. Moulton is 46 years old.
In a video accompanying his announcement, Moulton claimed that the Democratic Party is stuck in the “status quo” and “isn’t fighting hard enough.”
Without mentioning former President Joe Biden in his launch video, Moulton referenced the 2024 presidential election, when concerns about Biden’s age and ability led him to withdraw from the race months before Election Day.
8 hours ago15 oct – 10:50 AM EDT
Meta deletes a Facebook page that tracked the presence of ICE
Meta removed a Facebook page used to track the presence of immigration agents at the request of the Justice Department, the company confirmed Tuesday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi stated in
Meta explained that the page was removed for violating its rules against “coordination to cause harm.”
The decision joins similar measures by other technology companies: at the beginning of the month, Apple and Google blocked applications that alerted about the location of immigration agents, after the Trump administration demanded that one of the most popular be removed, AP reported.
9 hours ago15 oct – 10:31 AM EDT
🎥 Trump government revokes visas of more than 50 Mexican politicians, according to Reuters: what is known
The Trump government revoked the visas of more than 50 Mexican political officials as part of its offensive against drug cartels in that country, according to the Reuters agency. The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, was consulted about the matter and stated that she was unaware of the situation.
Video Trump government revokes visas of more than 50 Mexican politicians, according to Reuters: what is known
9 hours ago15 oct – 10:10 AM EDT
Survey: majority of the AAPI community rejects Trump’s immigration management
A majority of Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander adults express a negative view of how the president is handling immigration, according to a new poll from AAPI Data and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
The poll reveals that around 70% of respondents disapprove of Trump’s immigration policy, a notable increase from the 58% recorded in March.
Most consider that Trump has gone too far in deportations and reject the use of the Army or the National Guard to carry out arrests and expulsions.
10 hours ago15 oct – 09:49 AM EDT
Arizona Attorney General Threatens to Prosecute Johnson for Not Swearing in Adelita Grijalva
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes warned of legal action against House Speaker Mike Johnson for the delay in Adelita Grijalva’s inauguration.
In a letter, Mayes accused the Republican of violating the Constitution with the unnecessary delays in Grijalva’s swearing-in, reported Politico.
Grijalva, who won a special election last month, intends to become the final vote needed for the House to have to release the Epstein case files in its possession.
Read more details about the new Democratic representative here:
10 hours ago15 oct – 09:45 AM EDT
Protests and clashes in Chicago after an immigration raid
A Border Patrol operation in southeast Chicago ended Tuesday in chaos and clashes with neighbors after federal agents chased and crashed into a vehicle during a raid.
The incident, which led to the use of tear gas, reflects growing tension over immigration policy as the Trump administration attempts to deploy National Guard troops to the city.
When officers attempted to secure the area, neighbors began to gather and the situation became hostile. Witnesses told CNN that the feds “started firing tear gas” after receiving objects thrown by the crowd.
Video The moment federal agents chase and crash a car in Chicago: the act generated protests
10 hours ago15 oct – 09:25 AM EDT
🎥 What aid does the emergency declaration in Los Angeles contemplate for those affected by the raids?
The emergency declaration approved by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors seeks to alleviate the impact of immigration raids on families.
The measure will allow financial assistance to be offered to those who are behind on rent or at risk of eviction, in addition to providing legal assistance.
Video What aid does the emergency declaration in Los Angeles contemplate for those affected by the raids?
10 hours ago15 oct – 09:09 AM EDT
Los Angeles County approves emergency declaration in response to immigration raids
Los Angeles County officials voted Tuesday to declare a state of emergency that gives them the power to provide assistance to residents financially affected by the Trump administration’s immigration raids.
The measure allows the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to provide rent relief to tenants who have fallen behind as a result of the federal crackdown on immigrants.
Immigration raids that intensified in the middle of the year have spread fear in immigrant communities, leading many to limit their departures.
Declaring a local state of emergency could also funnel state money to provide legal aid and other services.
11 hours ago15 oct – 08:39 AM EDT
Crucial debate in the Supreme Court this Wednesday on the minority vote
The Supreme Court deliberates this Wednesday on the Republicans’ attack on a central provision of the Voting Rights Act, enacted 60 years ago to protect racial minorities such as the black and Latino population.
Louisiana lawyers and Donald Trump’s administration will try to persuade high court justices to eliminate the state’s majority-Black 2nd Congressional District and make it much more difficult, if not impossible, to take race into account in redistricting.
The case is a challenge to the congressional electoral map that Louisiana lawmakers adopted last year that included a majority-black 2nd district.
Read more about the topic and why it is important:
11 hours ago15 oct – 08:39 AM EDT
Trump announces that a new attack on an alleged drug boat in the Caribbean left six dead
President Donald Trump reported this Tuesday that US forces killed six other people aboard a boat near the coast of Venezuela, in a new attack against vessels in the Caribbean with dubious legal protection and that the United Nations has described as extrajudicial executions.
The president stated that “the intelligence services confirmed that the ship was transporting narcotics, was linked to illicit narcoterrorist networks and was traveling along a known route of drug trafficking organizations, in international waters,” without giving further details about the location. And he added that “six narcoterrorists who were traveling aboard the ship died in the attack.”
To date, the Trump administration has not provided any evidence that the multiple sunken boats were transporting drugs, were destined for the United States, or that their crew members were drug traffickers.
Read more about these attacks and their dubious legality:
11 hours ago15 oct – 08:37 AM EDT
Media push (including Fox News) against Pentagon censorship
Several television networks, including Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC, decided not to accept the Pentagon’s new press policy before a Tuesday deadline. Neither did the AP agency or the newspaper The New York Times, among others.
The regulations restrict journalists’ access to information that Trump’s War Department does not directly disclose and withdraw accreditations from those who refuse to accept it.
The media argue that the measure is unprecedented and “puts fundamental protections of journalism at risk.”
“We will continue to cover US military activities as each of our organizations has done for many decades, upholding the principles of a free and independent press, a group of them wrote in a joint statement.
11 hours ago15 oct – 08:37 AM EDT
This liveblog starts here
Good morning. We open this new channel to tell you the latest news on the US political scene for this Wednesday, October 15.
Video Los Angeles County declares state of emergency over ICE raids
