Today’s edition of quick hits.
* In Vermont: “Columbia University student Mohsen Mahdawi is free on bail after a judge ordered his release from federal immigration custody on Wednesday, weeks after armed DHS agents detained him in Vermont during his naturalization interview. Mahdawi, a 34-year-old U.S. permanent resident who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank, was detained April 14 and had been held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, the Northwest State Correctional Facility, in St. Albans, Vermont.”
* The latest in tariff erraticism: “President Trump signed a pair of executive orders on Tuesday that walked back some tariffs for carmakers, removing levies that Ford, General Motors and others have complained would backfire on U.S. manufacturing by raising the cost of production and squeezing their profits.”
* The latest on Judge Hannah Dugan: “The Wisconsin judge accused of obstructing federal authorities who were seeking to detain an undocumented immigrant for deportation was temporarily relieved of her duties Tuesday, an order from the state’s high court shows. The Wisconsin Supreme Court’s order bars Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Hannah Dugan from her position while the federal charges are adjudicated.”
* On a related note: “Former U.S. solicitor general Paul Clement is helping defend the Milwaukee judge who was arrested last week for allegedly helping a Mexican migrant evade arrest.”
* Given recent history, I think I can safely guess how this case is going to go: “Conservative members of the Supreme Court on Wednesday leaned toward allowing Oklahoma to approve the first-ever religious public charter school in a case that could weaken the separation of church and state.” * The little-known U.S. Postal Inspection Service: “The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has quietly begun cooperating with federal immigration officials to locate people suspected of being in the country illegally, according to two people familiar with the matter and documents obtained by The Washington Post — dramatically broadening the scope of the Trump administration’s government-wide mass deportation campaign.” * How bizarre: “Federal Election Commission employees soon will be required to declare their work location in a daily questionnaire, part of the Trump administration’s effort to monitor compliance with return-to-office mandates and identify ‘unused space that may be ripe for disposal,’ according to an email sent to FEC employees and obtained by The Washington Post. The email said the FEC had prepared the ‘Daily Occupancy Tool’ in response to directives from the Office of Management and Budget and the General Services Administration.” See you tomorrow.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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