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Trump’s policy of forcing asylum seekers to wait in Mexico has been blocked by a federal judge
In January, the Trump administration introduced a new policy of returning Central American migrants to Mexico while they wait for their asylum cases to be processed.
Now, that policy has been blocked by Judge Richard Seeborg in San Francisco, who found that the statute that gives the Department of Homeland Security the authority to return “aliens” to another territory “cannot be read to apply” to these asylum seekers.
The ruling is the latest in a string of blows to the Trump administration’s attempts at sweeping immigration policies: A series of court rulings have blocked the travel ban, a ban on asylum for those who crossed the border without authorization, and the repeal of DACA, among others.
The EU wants the UK to approve a Brexit deal this week or face a long delay
The 27 remaining members of the European Union will consider two proposals on how to proceed with Brexit: the United Kingdom can either sort out Brexit this week or face a long extension so as to not disrupt the workings of the EU.
According to an EU memo, if Britain’s parliament can pass a withdrawal agreement by April 12 — a highly unlikely scenario — Brexit would be delayed until May 22. However, if there is no deal, EU members will consider a 9- or 12-month extension, until Dec. 31, 2019, or March 31, 2020.
Meanwhile French President Emmanuel Macron is adamant that Brexit not be delayed beyond the end of the year.
SNAPSHOTS
Three US service members and a contractor were killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Three other service members were also wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated outside Bagram Air Base. Thirteen US service members have been killed in combat in Afghanistan this year.
Stanford has expelled a student with fake sailing credentials as the college admissions scandal continues. The expulsion comes nearly a month after dozens were indicted for their alleged roles in the scam. Felicity Huffman and 12 others will plead guilty in charges related to the affair.
Former Smallville actor Allison Mack pleaded guilty to racketeering charges ahead of the NXIVM sex cult trial. Mack reversed her initial not guilty plea and admitted to one count of racketeering conspiracy and one count of racketeering. She was arrested in April 2018 for her involvement in the alleged sex trafficking cult run by self-help guru Keith Raniere
Beyonce’s new Netflix documentary Homecoming about her legendary Coachella set will include intimate moments with her family. Bey became the first black woman to headline the music festival, and performed two historic sets. The story of that performance will be told in a Netflix documentary that will also feature moments like this, of Blue Ivy leading her mom in choreo:
Three stories you need to know about Canada
The first: Canadian political parties have already been targeted by foreign hacking ahead of the election in the fall. The Communications Security Establishment, one of Canada's security agencies, says “political parties, candidates and staff” were targets.
The second: Canada’s government is considering regulating Facebook and other social media giants. The platform’s self-regulation is not “yielding the results” Canadians expect, said the Liberal democratic institutions minister, adding that Canada is “actively” talking with other countries around regulation.
The third: Facebook will ban Faith Goldy and Canadian white nationalist groups in its latest crackdown. Goldy, Soldiers of Odin, the Canadian Nationalist Front, and other hate groups have been banned.
This wild story about how Chris Hemsworth snuck his daughter onto a rollercoaster is… a lot
Let’s get the very stressful parts over with first: Hemsworth had to save his daughter India from falling out of her seat on a rollercoaster.
The other, still-stressful part is that India was not tall enough for the ride, and Hemsworth had to sneak her on, like the father of the year that he is. He did it by sticking chocolate bars under her heels so she would appear tall enough.
His telling of the story is at once hilarious and horrifying, so please enjoy, folks.