(The Center Square) – Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that travelers without Real ID-compliant cards will still be able to board flights – for now – even when the law takes effect on Wednesday. "What will happen tomorrow is folks will come through the line, and [they] will issue their ID and show it," Noem told lawmakers on Tuesday. "If it's not compliant, they may be diverted to a different line, have an extra step, but people will be allowed to fly." The requirement for REAL IDs comes from legislation passed by Congress in 2005 after the 9/11 attacks, and was intended to make IDs more difficult to fake. The REAL ID Act established minimum security standards for driver’s licenses and other forms of state-issued identification.

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(The Center Square) – As the final House committees markup the lion’s share of the budget reconciliation package, nearly three dozen fiscally conservative lawmakers are reminding party leaders to fulfill their spending reduction promises. The $5.8 trillion concurrent budget resolution, which gives congressional committees funding directions to pass President Donald Trump’s tax and other policy goals, barely passed both chambers in April. Fiscal hardliners only backed it on the promise of deep spending cuts. 

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(The Center Square) – The crypto company Ripple recently offered big money to purchase the company best known for issuing the USDC stablecoin. Ripple, best known for its XRP token, offered somewhere between $4 billion and $5 billion to take over Circle Internet Group Inc. However, its proposal was rejected by Circle, Bloomberg reports. The offer would have consolidated two prominent stablecoin companies had Circle accepted the deal. Although Ripple hasn't ruled out making another offer, the rejection baffled crypto experts. Some argue Circle will regret its decision.

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(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Supreme Court suspended a Milwaukee judge facing two federal charges for allegedly trying to help a man illegally in the country escape from immigration officials. The order, released late Tuesday, said Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan faces two federal charges – one a felony and one a misdemeanor – and it is in the public interest to relieve her of her duties temporarily. “The court is charged in the Wisconsin Constitution with exercising superintending and administrative authority of the courts of this state. In the exercise of that constitutional authority and in order to uphold the public’s confidence in the courts of this state during the pendency of the criminal proceeding against Judge Dugan, we conclude, on our own motion, that it is in the public interest that she be temporarily relieved of her official duties,” the order reads. 

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump delivered remarks at a rally in Michigan Tuesday evening, his 100th day in office of his second term. Trump touted his progress cutting federal waste, “protecting workers, restoring the rule of law” and ending illegal immigration as part of “the most successful 100 days in the history of any administration.” “Instead of putting China first, I'm putting Michigan first and I'm putting America first,” Trump said at the Macomb County Rally.

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(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump's goals for the Department of Government Efficiency remain even as leader Elon Musk prepares to spend less time on government matters and more time with electric vehicle maker Tesla. When Trump first created DOGE, before taking office, he said it would be the government cost-cutting equivalent of the "Manhattan Project." Both Trump and Musk promised Americans would get a more efficient government after DOGE addressed government waste and cut regulations, but the final product – a streamlined government – isn't due until July 4, 2026, the nation's 250th birthday.

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(The Center Square) – Americans aren’t thrilled with how President Donald Trump is handling the economy, despite the economy and immigration being his top-performing issues in polls leading up to the election. The president’s overall job approval ratings are barely distinguishable from how he’s polling on the economy, according to The Center Square Voters' Voice poll conducted by Noble Predictive Insights. Among the more than 2,500 registered voters surveyed, 44% indicated they approved of how the president is doing his job and 43% approved of how he’s handling the economy. More than half – 53% and 54%, respectively – indicated they were unhappy with his economic and overall job performance.

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(The Center Square) – A nonprofit public-interest litigation firm filed a lawsuit Monday alleging President Donald Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs require congressional approval. The Liberty Justice Center, based in Texas, challenged the administration's reciprocal tariffs, which Trump announced on April 2 and suspended on April 9, hours after they went into effect. The Liberty Justice Center filing argues that the administration has no authority to issue across-the-board worldwide tariffs without congressional approval. The nonprofits lawsuit alleges Trump has broadly overstepped his authority by claiming "the authority to unilaterally levy tariffs on goods imported from any and every country in the world, at any rate, calculated via any methodology – or mere caprice – immediately, with no notice, or public comment, or phase-in, or delay in implementation, despite massive economic impacts that are likely to do severe damage to the global economy."

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(The Center Square) – As Americans file their taxes at the last minute this April 15, the federal debt – and Americans’ federal debt burden – continues to grow. While the federal government reports a national debt nearing $37 trillion, one budget watchdog says the figure is actually much higher: $158.6 trillion, amounting to $974,000 for each federal taxpayer. Truth in Accounting, a nonprofit budget accountability group that emphasizes a different approach to government accounting, released those figures, arguing that they more accurately represent the fiscal situation of the federal government.

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(The Center Square) − A Louisiana jury's decision last week to award $745 million in damages against Chevron has become the latest flashpoint in the national legal battle over climate accountability, drawing fierce reactions from industry allies, legal reform advocates, and watchdog groups warning of broader implications. The verdict, issued by the 25th Judicial District Court in Plaquemines Parish, marks the first jury trial result from a slate of more than 40 lawsuits filed by Louisiana parishes since 2013. The suits claim that oil and gas operations contributed significantly to coastal erosion and environmental degradation. But critics say the lawsuits could imperil the state's economic prospects while doing little to directly restore coastal lands.

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