San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has signed legislation establishing a city-administered reparations fund for Black residents, marking a significant—though legally cautious—step in the city’s long-running effort to address the harms of past discriminatory policies. The measure, approved unanimously by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and signed by the mayor last week, creates a formal…
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani says he directly told President Donald Trump that he opposed the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, raising concerns about international law, regime change, and the legal implications of the operation. Speaking on Saturday, January 3, 2026, Mamdani confirmed that he spoke with Trump by phone after…
New immigration restrictions ordered by President Donald Trump officially took effect on January 1, significantly tightening U.S. entry rules for travelers from several countries and reshaping the H-1B skilled worker visa program. According to updated guidance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), individuals from seven countries—Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan,…
Federal authorities say they have disrupted an alleged New Year’s Eve terror plot after arresting and charging an 18-year-old North Carolina man with attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization. In a statement released January 2, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice announced…
A professional violinist has filed a civil lawsuit in California accusing actor and musician Will Smith and his management company of sexual harassment, wrongful termination, and retaliation stemming from Smith’s 2025 concert tour. Brian King Joseph filed the complaint on December 30 in the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, naming Smith, 57,…
A leading U.S. immigration lawyer is warning immigrants and legal practitioners to brace for a tougher, slower and less forgiving immigration system in 2026, citing emerging policy signals and enforcement trends already visible in 2025. Akua Poku, principal attorney at AK Poku Law and a U.S.-based immigration specialist, says the coming year is likely to…
On January 1, 2026, several U.S. cities witnessed historic mayoral swearings-in, featuring multiple firsts for women and minority representation in municipal leadership. In Detroit, Mary Sheffield was sworn in as the city’s 76th mayor, becoming the first woman and first Black woman to hold the office in Detroit’s 324-year history. The 38-year-old former Detroit City…
U.S. President Donald Trump reportedly referred to his special envoy to Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, as an “idiot” after the diplomat publicly described Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as a brave and decisive wartime leader, according to accounts published by The New York Times. The reported remark followed a tense exchange between Trump and Kellogg in February…
A prominent civil rights attorney and author has sharply criticised the Trump administration, describing it as the most hostile to Black Americans since the late 19th century and warning of serious legal consequences for civil rights enforcement in the United States. In a video shared by The Defiant Lawyers Network on Instagram, attorney Augustus Corbett…