Good evening. It’s Thursday, May 29.

1. Trump Tariff Victory

2. ICE Shakeup: 2 Top Officials Step Down

3. Kennedy Center VP Fired for 'Christian Views'

4. NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik Dies at 69

5. Nashville’s Democrat Mayor Doxxes ICE Agents

6. Colorado Springs’ Black Mayor Implicated in Hate-Crime Hoax

7. Germany Eyes 10% Digital Tax on Tech Giants

8. France Bans Outdoor Smoking

1. Trump Tariff Victory

A federal appeals court on Thursday granted the Trump administration’s request to temporarily pause a lower-court ruling that struck down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The Trump administration had earlier told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that it would seek “emergency relief” from the Supreme Court as soon as Friday if the tariff ruling was not quickly put on pause.

The judgment issued Wednesday night by the U.S. Court of International Trade is “temporarily stayed until further notice while this court considers the motions papers,” the appeals court said in its order.

2. ICE Shakeup: 2 Top Officials Step Down

The Trump administration announced the departures of two top officials at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agency at the center of the White House’s mass deportation operation.

ICE announced Thursday that it was undergoing a “leadership realignment to support its increasing operational tempo.”

Ken Genalo, acting executive associate director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, will retire from his post and step down to the role of a special government employee. ICE cited it as a way to spend more time with his family since he has been based in Washington since January.

3. Kennedy Center VP Fired for ‘Christian Views’

A former vice president at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts says he was fired by the organization following a CNN investigation into his previous comments on gay marriage.

Floyd Brown, who served as the center’s top fundraiser for only several weeks, wrote in a social media post this week he was fired after being contacted by a CNN reporter inquiring about his comments on his personal website and other platforms criticizing homosexuality and floating conspiracy theories about former President Obama.

“Comments rooted in my personal Christian views, which I have made in the past, have no impact upon my work here at the Kennedy Center nor do they impinge on my interactions with colleagues who do incredible work for the patrons of the Center,” Brown wrote in a statement he said he provided to CNN and included in his post on social platform X.

4. NYPD Commissioner Bernard Kerik Dies at 69

Bernie Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner who was hailed as a hero after 9/11, has died at 69 years old.

His death was announced by FBI Director Kash Patel on Thursday night, who wrote that Kerik “passed away after a private battle with illness.”

“Rest easy, Commissioner. Your watch has ended, but your impact will never fade,” Patel wrote.

5. Nashville’s Democrat Mayor Doxxes ICE Agents

Nashville’s Democrat mayor released the names of multiple federal law enforcement agents with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), drawing ire from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, who say that the mayor is putting law enforcement at risk.

Mayor Freddie O’Connell’s office released information on interactions between ICE agents and Nashville emergency service personnel, dropping data that included the names of federal law enforcement personnel. O’Connell says their names were released by mistake, but the Department of Homeland Security isn’t convinced.

“They claimed it was a mistake. There’s zero chance it was a mistake and there will be repercussions,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin charged in response to the incident. “Our ICE enforcement officers are already facing a 400% increase in assaults against them and he’s essentially handing over intelligence to these criminal gangs so they can target our ICE enforcement officers. It’s wrong. It’s beneath the city of Nashville.”

6. Colorado Springs’ Black Mayor Implicated in Hate-Crime Hoax

A black media personality was convicted last week of faking a hate crime against Colorado Springs Mayor Yemi Mobolade to gin up votes for him, with the ringleader Derrick Bernard testifying that Mobolade was in on the hoax, and the FBI testifying that the mayor misled agents about his contact with Bernard.

Mobolade, who is Nigerian, won the election as a left-leaning independent in the traditional Republican stronghold in 2023 after the n-word was scrawled on one of his campaign signs and a cross set ablaze in front of it. Video of the scene was sent to the media, resulting in a swell of sympathy.

At the five-day trial in federal court for Bernard and his wife, Ashley Blackcloud, that concluded May 23, FBI agent Ethan Doherty testified that the mayor falsely denied contact with Bernard, despite records showing the pair was in contact before, the day of the hate crime, and afterward. Doherty testified that when the FBI interviewed the mayor, Mobolade said he was “120% sure” he did not have a phone call with Bernard three days after the incident, and that Mobolade seemed “nervous,” according to KOAA. Doherty also revealed that Mobolade began using a new cell phone the day after the hoax.

7. Germany Eyes 10% Digital Tax on Tech Giants

Germany is considering a 10% tax on large online platforms like Alphabet’s Google and Meta’s Facebook, its new minister of state for culture told magazine Stern, in a move likely to heighten trade tensions with the Trump administration.

The proposal comes as Chancellor Friedrich Merz is expected to travel to Washington soon to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump, although a trip has not yet been officially announced. Trump has in the past said he will not allow foreign governments to “appropriate America’s tax base for their own benefit”.

Culture Minister of State Wolfram Weimer said officials were drafting a legislative proposal while also seeking talks with platform operators that he accused of “cunning tax evasion” to explore alternative solutions like voluntary contributions.

8. France Bans Outdoor Smoking

“Tobacco must disappear where there are children,” Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published by the regional Ouest-France daily on its website.

The freedom to smoke “stops where children’s right to breathe clean air starts,” she said.

The restrictions will enter into force on July 1 and will include all places where children could be, such as “beaches, parks, public gardens, outside of schools, bus stops and sports venues,” she said.