Trump administration ‘villainizes’ immigrant families with misleading directive on food aid

Experts warn new memo could deter families from accessing food assistance, despite no changes to eligibility rules

The Trump administration is now using popular anti-hunger programs, including food assistance and school lunch, as part of its attack against immigrants in the US – a move many say will prevent large numbers of families, especially children, from getting the food benefits they’re eligible for.

In a recent memo, agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins told senior staff at the USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service (FNS): “It is essential to use all available legal authority to end any incentives in FNS benefit programs that encourage illegal immigration.”

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Trump administration resumes immigrant family detentions

The Trump administration has resumed family detention of immigrants, a legal nonprofit said, reigniting a controversial practice largely curtailed under the Biden administration. Fourteen families ...
The Hill - Mar. 13
Trump Administration Revives Detention of Immigrant Families

Two facilities in South Texas are being readied for undocumented parents and their children. One site began receiving them earlier this month.
The New York Times - 3d
'We will just die in silence': US aid cuts hit Ethiopia's fragile Tigray region

Aid agencies distributing U.S. food aid in Ethiopia's war-affected Tigray region say they have had to stop feeding millions of people because of the Trump administration's restrictions on foreign aid
ABC News - Mar. 13
'We will just die in silence': US aid cuts hit Ethiopia's fragile Tigray region

Aid agencies distributing U.S. food aid in Ethiopia's war-affected Tigray region say they have had to stop feeding millions of people because of the Trump administration's restrictions on foreign aid
ABC News - Mar. 13
'We will just die in silence': US aid cuts hit Ethiopia's fragile Tigray region

Aid agencies distributing U.S. food aid in Ethiopia's war-affected Tigray region say they have had to stop feeding millions of people because of the Trump administration's restrictions on foreign aid
ABC News - Mar. 13
RFK Jr directs FDA to revise ‘self-affirm’ rule to improve food ingredient safety

Health secretary accuses food companies of ‘exploiting loophole’ over food safety and urges greater transparency. The US secretary of health and human services, Robert F Kennedy Jr, has directed ...
The Guardian - Mar. 11
Trump administration directs military to develop options for Panama Canal

NBC News' Courtney Kube reports on the Trump administration directing the U.S. military to begin developing options for the Panama Canal, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the matter.
NBC News - Mar. 13
What are ultraprocessed foods? Are they bad for you?

The Trump Administration's quest to “Make America Health Again” is targeting ultraprocessed foods
ABC News - Mar. 12
What are ultraprocessed foods? Are they bad for you?

The Trump Administration's quest to “Make America Health Again” is targeting ultraprocessed foods
ABC News - Mar. 12
‘Baby jails’ and first steps behind bars: Trump’s immigration agenda embraces family detention again

As the US ramps up enforcement, scenes of family separation and despair from Trump’s first term are repeated. The United States has resumed placing immigrant families in detention, re-embracing ...
The Guardian - Mar. 12
Gaza ceasefire close to collapse as aid stops

The ceasefire in Gaza is perilously close to collapsing. Food shortages have become acute, and Palestinians living in the territory are struggling to feed their families. All aid into the territory ...
CBS News - Mar. 8
Deadline arrives for Trump administration to make foreign aid payments

The Trump administration faced a judge's deadline of 6 p.m. EDT on Monday to repay millions in foreign aid funds. It's unclear at this point if it followed through with the order. Tom Dupree, ...
CBS News - Mar. 10
All full-time workers at Voice of America put on leave following Trump directive

President Trump directed his administration to reduce the functions of several agencies to the minimum required by law.
CBS News - 5d
The truth about Tren de Aragua, the gang at the center of Trump's immigration crackdown

The Trump administration says the group should be treated as an invading force. Critics say it’s a pretext for the administration’s anti-immigrant narrative.
NBC News - 2d
How the Immigration Crackdown Threatens Elderly Care

The U.S. relies heavily on immigrant workers to care for its aging population, with nearly 30 percent of direct care workers coming from other countries. As the demand for caregivers grows, ...
The New York Times - Mar. 9
Trump administration deports immigrants despite judge blocking use of Alien Enemies Act

The White House is disregarding a federal judge's ruling on immigration, claiming the court has no authority. The ruling was meant to block the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies ...
CBS News - 3d
Trump administration says handling of USAID documents 'did not violate' federal laws

A USAID directive to destroy classified documents had been "seriously misapprehended," Trump administration attorneys wrote in a court filing Wednesday.
ABC News - Mar. 12
Food Safety Jeopardized by Onslaught of Funding and Staff Cuts

The Trump administration halted some food testing and shut down a committee studying bacteria in infant formula. Earlier funding cutbacks under the Biden administration now threaten state labs and ...
The New York Times - 1d
Trump Foreign Aid Cuts Threaten Refugees’ Survival: ‘People Will Die’

At the world’s largest refugee camp, for Rohingya people in Bangladesh, the food allowance per person is set to fall to just $6 per month, far below what aid officials say is required for survival.
The New York Times - 3d
Trump wants more than a minerals deal with Ukraine to restart aid

“Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker joins Sunday TODAY’s Willie Geist to discuss new reporting on what the Trump administration is going to require in order to restart military aid and ...
NBC News - Mar. 9
Trump administration live updates: Threats against federal judges are increasing

Threats against federal judges and their families increase amid Trump's administration's ongoing legal battles, according to the nonpartisan Center for Internet Security.
ABC News - 52m
Malnutrition food product sees funding affected by USAID cuts

Plumpynut is a life-saving food product that can bring a malnourished child back to health in just weeks. But the Trump administration's cuts to USAID essentially canceled funding to two American ...
CBS News - Mar. 8
Africa Received Billions in U.S. Aid. Here’s What It Will Lose.

The United States spent decades responding to conflicts and disease in Africa. The continent is now expected to be the hardest hit by the Trump administration’s aid cuts.
The New York Times - Mar. 9
Trump admin aims to get undocumented immigrants to self-deport with new messaging campaign

The Trump administration is spending $200 million on a new messaging campaign with ads and a "self-deportation" mobile app to convince immigrants to leave the U.S.
NBC News - Mar. 12
RFK Jr. wants artificial dyes out of America’s food, but it's not clear they’re harmful, scientist says

A priority for the Trump administration is to rid the food system of artificial dyes. Here's what experts say about if FD&Cs are safe to consume.
CNBC - 6d
Administration Officials Believe Order Lets Immigration Agents Enter Homes Without Warrants

It remains unclear whether the Trump administration will apply the law in this way. But such an interpretation, experts say, would infringe on basic civil liberties.
The New York Times - 5h
Trump administration briefing: Mahmoud Khalil’s detention, ‘Trumpcession’ fears and gutting USAid

From cries of ‘McCarthyism’ over Palestinian activist’s detention to fears over a ‘Trumpcession’ – key US politics stories from Monday at a glance. The Trump administration’s decision to have ...
The Guardian - Mar. 11
Judge blocks Trump administration from implementing Alien Enemies Act

A federal judge expanded his ruling temporarily blocking the Trump administration from invoking the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 on Saturday preventing the removal of Venezuelan undocumented ...
The Hill - 4d
CEO of Saffron Road food company credits "immigrant journey" for his success

Adnan Durani started his company Saffron Road in 2010 to bring foods from different cultures of the Silk Road to mainstream America. Nikki Battiste spoke to him about how his background as an ...
CBS News - Mar. 12
Trump administration says deportation flights were over international waters before judge's order

The Trump administration over the weekend deported hundreds of immigrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act despite a judge ordering them not to. CBS News immigration and politics reporter ...
CBS News - 3d
Defunded Aid Programs Are Asked by Trump Administration to Prove Their Value, on a Scale of 1 to 5

A week after terminating thousands of contracts, the administration has sent questionnaires to those programs asking how their work benefits the U.S. national interest.
The New York Times - Mar. 6
Aid operations in Gaza imperiled as millions of promised USAID dollars do not arrive

The Trump administration’s cuts to USAID have frozen hundreds of millions of dollars in contractual payments to aid groups, leaving them paying out of pocket to preserve the fragile Gaza ceasefire, ...
ABC News - Mar. 7
Ivory Coast is losing US aid as al-Qaida and other extremist groups are approaching

The Trump administration's sweeping cuts in foreign aid have impacted programs in northern Ivory Coast to counter the spread of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group
ABC News - 4d
UN World Food Program to cut food aid for over 1 million people in Myanmar

The United Nations food agency says that more than 1 million people in the war-torn nation of Myanmar will be cut off from food assistance due to critical funding shortfalls
ABC News - 6d
Private Prisons Are Ramping Up Detention of Immigrants and Cashing In

The Trump administration is expected to use thousands more beds in these facilities as part of its mass deportation effort.
The New York Times - Mar. 7
Judge orders release of certain owed foreign aid payments

A federal judge on Monday ordered the Trump administration to release foreign aid payments owed under certain existing contracts but stopped short of staving off mass contract cancellations that ...
The Hill - Mar. 11
Denver mayor tags arrest of leading immigration advocate as 'Putin-style political persecution'

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston blasted the Trump administration for "Soviet-style political persecution of political dissidents" by arresting high-profile Colorado immigration advocate Jeanette ...
NBC News - 2d
Trump makes some false or misleading claims to justify Canada tariffs

President Trump has imposed steep tariffs on Canadian goods, citing trade imbalances and drug trafficking. But many of his claims exaggerate or misrepresent the facts.
CBS News - 6d
Israel’s renewed siege of Gaza

The Trump administration should press Netanyahu to allow aid to flow
Financial Times - Mar. 11