News briefs

Tribune News Service on Mar 19, 2025

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26 states support President Trump using wartime powers for deportations

AUSTIN — Twenty-six states urged a federal appeals court to allow President Donald Trump’s administration to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members using a war powers act.

The filing, led by the South Carolina attorney general, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, asks the appeals court to overturn a nationwide injunction issued Saturday by James Boasberg, the chief judge for the U.S. District Court in D.C.

On Friday, Trump signed a proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to target and deport alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a dedicated supporter of Trump and his immigration policies, said in a news release that “left-wing judicial activists” are interfering with Trump’s immigration policies and endangering the lives of Americans.

—The Dallas Morning News

Stricter truck pollution rule would prevent 500 deaths a year in Chicago region, study shows

CHICAGO — Switching to stricter California-style limits on truck emissions would prevent 500 deaths per year in the greater Chicago region by 2050, according to a new study from Northwestern University.

The study also found that 600 new childhood asthma cases would be prevented each year by 2050, and that neighborhoods with higher percentages of Black and Latino residents would see the greatest health benefits.

“It does show that we can do better,” said lead author Victoria Lang. “And we can do better in such a way that not only are we preventing premature loss of life, but also just making cleaner and more equitable neighborhoods.”

The Northwestern study, accepted for publication in the journal Frontiers of Earth Science, looked at the health impact of California’s Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which is currently under consideration by the Illinois Pollution Control Board.

—Chicago Tribune

Bryan Kohberger renews effort to present alibi, other suspects at Idaho murder trial

BOISE, Idaho — Attorneys for defendant Bryan Kohberger want to reserve their ability to point to other possible suspects during his forthcoming murder trial, as part of assertions that their client was elsewhere at the time of the University of Idaho student homicides.

Pushing back against prosecutors, his attorneys said in their latest court filings that restrictions on how they present the prospect of other perpetrators shouldn’t apply in his trial this summer. The prosecution has asked Ada County Judge Steven Hippler to limit such arguments to jurors.

“Mr. Kohberger has a right to present a full and complete defense for the crimes of which he is accused,” his attorneys wrote. “This case is full of alternative perpetrators. The state has chosen to focus on Mr. Kohberger, at its own peril.”

Kohberger’s attorneys also filed a response to prosecutors’ attempt to force Kohberger to take the stand to testify, if he wants to offer up that he was never inside the home where the four college students were found fatally stabbed in November 2022. Prosecutors argued his alibi lacks sufficient support or any witnesses who can corroborate his whereabouts.

—Idaho Statesman

Israeli troops begin limited ground incursion in Gaza

JERSUALEM — Israel said it began a limited ground operation in Gaza on Wednesday, with troops returning to some positions outside population centers and officials vowing further pressure unless Hamas releases remaining hostages.

The ground incursion is the first since a six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas lapsed earlier this month and raises concerns about a return to all-out war. The move comes after Israel ended nearly two-months of suspended fighting with airstrikes across Gaza that killed hundreds.

Troops have retaken control of part of the Netzarim Corridor, which stretches across Gaza from east to west, “to create a partial buffer between northern and southern Gaza,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a post on X. This allows Israel to control the movement of civilians — in the past, the army blocked movement to the north to prevent Hamas from rebuilding its forces there.

It wasn’t immediately clear how many troops were involved in the operation Wednesday. At its height tens of thousands of Israeli soldiers were involved in military operations against Hamas.

—Bloomberg News