Acting attorney general Todd Blanche has announced that federal prosecutors and law enforcement will focus on combating so-called "birth tourism" — the practice of traveling to the US primarily to give birth and secure birthright citizenship for children. This statement comes a day after the US supreme court upheld the constitutional guarantee of birthright citizenship in the case Trump v. Barbara.
Government concedes lack of data on birth tourism
During oral arguments in April, the government's lawyer D. John Sauer conceded that no one knows for sure how significant a problem birth tourism actually is. Despite this, President Donald Trump is pushing for new legislation that would create exceptions to birthright citizenship for children born to parents without permanent legal status in the US.
Blanche outlines enforcement measures
Blanche emphasized that the Department of Justice can take steps through the visa and application process to limit opportunities for individuals to come to the US solely to give birth. "What we have to do as Department of Justice is make sure our agents … and the FBI are focused on stopping that," he said.
Judge blocks Trump's mail-in voting restrictions
In a separate judicial setback for the Trump administration, federal judge Emmet Sullivan blocked a proposed restriction on mail-in voting. The ruling bars the US Postal Service from enforcing an executive order issued by Trump in March that sought to deny ballots to voters in states that did not turn over their voter rolls to the federal government.
Anthony Ashton, senior associate general counsel at the NAACP, said: "This ruling is a critical step in protecting the rights of voters. The proposed USPS changes would have created unnecessary and unlawful barriers, in direct violation of the USPS’s mandate to prioritize election mail." He added that the barriers could have disproportionately harmed Black voters.
Russian attacks kill at least 20 in Kyiv
At least 20 people were killed and 86 injured in Kyiv overnight as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack on the Ukrainian capital. Fires burned across the city, with strikes hitting residential buildings and a hotel. Meanwhile, Russia faces fuel shortages after Ukrainian long-range drone strikes targeted oil refineries, forcing multiple regions to introduce gasoline rationing and Crimea to declare a state of emergency.
Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha stated: "In this war there is an aggressor and a country defending itself. Russia has no right to make any strikes against Ukraine, while Ukraine has every right to respond, and strike any legitimate military targets in Russia."
Other notable news
The US men's national team defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina to reach the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup. The FBI is investigating extortion demands related to Nancy Guthrie's disappearance. Sixteen children were rescued from a dilapidated home in Ohio where they were confined to one room. Ten people were arrested in California for facilitating a sex-trafficking operation targeting about 51 girls and women. Sony announced it will stop releasing physical copies of new PlayStation games by January 2028.
