On today's podcast:
1) The investigation into the killing of a US citizen by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this week is being complicated by clashes between federal and local officials, with the FBI taking control over the objections of Governor Tim Walz. State authorities questioned whether a federal probe could be trusted, especially given comments by Trump administration officials that seemed to exonerate the officer. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said that after it was invited to participate in the probe of Wednesday’s shooting, federal officials later decided the state wouldn’t get access to evidence or interviews. As tense protests continued for a second day, Walz said he ordered the state National Guard to be “staged and ready” to assist with protecting infrastructure and aiding local law enforcement if needed.
2) The fate of the majority of President Trump’s tariffs is in the hands of the US Supreme Court, which could rule as soon as today on the legality of the sweeping levies. Lower courts ruled in 2025 that the tariffs were issued illegally, but the import taxes remained in place to allow the Trump administration to make its case before the Supreme Court. At a hearing on November 5th, the justices appeared skeptical that Trump had the authority to unilaterally impose tariffs under a 1977 law that gives the president special powers during emergency situations. The tariffs in question include levies of between 10% and 50% on most imports, imposed by Trump using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
3) A band of House Republicans bucked party leaders to join Democrats in passing a measure to restore expired Obamacare subsidies through the end of President Trump’s term, as rising health care costs drive midterm election anxieties. The House voted 230-196 Thursday to send a three-year extension of the expired tax credits to the Senate. Seventeen Republicans supported the measure. The measure is unlikely to overcome Republican opposition in the Senate, but several of the Republican defectors said they hoped a strong showing in the House would increase pressure on the Senate to reach a bipartisan compromise.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
