The Evening: A court showdown on deportation

Also, wildfire danger looms over the southern Plains.

View in browser|nytimes.com March 17, 2025 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. White House defiance over deportations Dangerous fire conditions in Texas Plus, dress shoes with teeth Judge James Boasberg. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Trump and the courts faced off over deportations A federal judge in Washington pressed the Trump administration at a hearing this afternoon to explain why the U.S. deported to El Salvador more than 200 migrants with little or no due process. Over the weekend, the same judge had issued an order barring the expulsions, but the Trump administration went through with them anyway. At today's hearing, the judge said he was trying to establish whether the government had defied his order. He made no ruling, but he told the Trump administration to return to his court on Friday to argue over the merits. A Justice Department lawyer insisted at the hearing that the Trump administration did not violate the order. He also repeatedly refused to answer the judge's questions, citing "national security concerns." The administration had previously argued that the planes carrying the deportees, including suspected Venezuelan gang members, had already left U.S. soil by the time the judge ordered them to turn around on Saturday. The judge appeared skeptical of that reasoning. The White House also argued that the judge did not have the authority to stop the deportations, saying that the president had broad powers to quickly expel immigrants under an 18th-century law meant for wartime. The legal battle was the latest, and perhaps most serious, flashpoint yet between the administration and the federal courts, which have sought to curb many of the president's executive actions. President Trump's border czar, Tom Homan, indicated today that the president planned to continue such deportations despite the court's order — an action that could thrust the country into a constitutional crisis. "We're not stopping," Homan said. "I don't care what the judges think." In a separate case, a professor at Brown University was deported, even though she had a valid visa and a court order temporarily blocking her expulsion. The reason, according to the Department of Homeland Security, was that she had attended a Hezbollah leader's funeral in February. In other politics news: Dan Bongino arrived at the F.B.I. today as its second-in-command, cementing a major shift at the nation's premier law enforcement agency. Corporate leaders thought Trump viewed tariffs as a negotiating tool. They're realizing that he's a true believer. Disagreement over a Pentagon nomination has become a proxy for the battle over how America should wield its power and influence globally. Trump claimed that Biden's pardons are "void" because of his use of an autopen. At town halls, Republican lawmakers found uncertainty and anxiety about Trump's agenda. Some Republicans are trying to rebrand clean energy as a step toward Trump's promise for "energy dominance." The Times began a new effort to track public opinion, starting by collecting all polls of Trump's approval rating. Quiet conversations about the next race for the White House are already underway. "We want to see if we can bring that war to an end," President Trump said on Sunday.  Tierney L. Cross for The New York Times In a call to Putin, Trump plans to discuss Ukraine's assets Trump is scheduled to speak tomorrow with Vladimir Putin, according to both the White House and the Kremlin. It will be their first call since the Russian leader said he would agree to a cease-fire only after Ukraine made significant concessions. Trump said that he expected to discuss territorial issues and Ukrainian power plants with Putin and also noted that there had already been discussions about "dividing up certain assets." The talks about who gets what in the process of ending the war bring to mind the Yalta Conference in 1945, my colleague David Sanger wrote. The Ukrainians recently lost an important bargaining chip after Moscow's troops pushed them out of most of Russia's Kursk region. A dispatch from the front lines: For the residents of Sloviansk in eastern Ukraine, sushi has taken on newfound importance. Wildfires in Stillwater, Okla., on Friday. Nick Oxford/Reuters Wildfire danger looms over the southern Plains Forecasters declared an extremely critical fire risk today in parts of Texas and New Mexico, warning that destructive blazes could spread uncontrollably. The area is bracing for high winds across already parched landscapes. The risk follows a major cross-country storm that tore through the South and the Midwest over the weekend, contributing to at least 40 deaths and reducing some areas to rubble. Here's what it looked like. Sophie Park for The New York Times Harvard will be free for more students Harvard announced today that it plans to offer free tuition for students whose families make $200,000 or less per year. Previously the university — where the annual cost to attend is about $83,000 — had waived tuition for families with incomes under $85,000. The change will make Harvard the latest in a series of elite schools that have expanded financial aid after the Supreme Court banned the use of racial preferences in college admissions. Here's how these programs work. More top news Economy: New projections forecast that policy uncertainty and the growing trade war will drag down growth in the U.S. and around the world. Israel: In the latest attempt to assert more control over state watchdogs, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu moved to fire the domestic intelligence chief. Syria: Sectarian-driven civilian killings have displayed the government's weak control over its own forces and affiliated fighters. South Sudan: A seven-year peace deal has neared collapse, and the world's youngest nation faces the threat of war yet again. Tech: A.I. demands a new kind of supercomputer: a building full of up to 100,000 chips. The cost in electricity is tremendous. U.S.: Calls made to a medical service indicated that Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died a day later than previously thought. Business: Forever 21's operator in the U.S. filed for bankruptcy, as the fast fashion pioneer struggles to compete with online retailers. Entertainment: Conan O'Brien was invited back to host the Oscars next year. California: A jury awarded $50 million to a man burned by Starbucks tea. TIME TO UNWIND Adam Powell for The New York Times Patrick Schwarzenegger knows how to look rich On the set of the third season of HBO's "The White Lotus," the director Mike White had a repeated note for the actor Patrick Schwarzenegger: "Patrick, be richer." That might sound like a funny thing to tell the eldest son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver. But he appears to have taken it to heart: Schwarzenegger channeled his real-life experience with privilege into his character, Saxon, a cocky and vulgar finance bro. Thea Traff for The New York Times Orville Peck is removing his mask for Broadway Since his debut album in 2019, the country music star Orville Peck has always performed with a mask over his face. It's become his signature look, and he has said it makes him feel safe enough to open himself up artistically. But later this month, Peck's mask will be coming off when he takes over the role of Emcee in the splashy Broadway revival of "Cabaret." He said he expected to feel "a little shook" the first time. Karsten Moran for The New York Times Dinner table topics Secret beauty: An architectural gem has been hidden for decades on the upper level of the train and ferry terminal in Hoboken, N.J. Iichi Marumo: At 95, he's the world's oldest speedskater. He's gunning for 100. Land of jaguars: In the Pantanal of Brazil, the world's largest wetlands, the normally shy animals are remarkably easy to observe. Exercise trends: Are vibration plates a scam? WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish stew, Irish soda bread and Irish cream cake. Watch: Oscar winners like "Anora" and "Wicked" are coming to streaming services this week. Read: In "Firstborn," Lauren Christensen writes about losing the daughter she was expecting. Plan: The Frick is reopening with a deft expansion worthy of a New York treasure. Style: High-rise or low-rise jeans? Here's how to decide. Design: Upgrade your living room with unexpected items. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Kentaro Takahashi for The New York Times The wild shoes that ask 'why not?' The designer Shintaro Yamamoto is the Dr. Frankenstein of footwear. He is behind the most form-shattering, smirk-inducing dress shoes in recent memory. At a fashion show in Paris in January, models walked out wearing his latest creation for the Japanese label Doublet: dress shoes with metallic teeth. Instead of toe room, the shoes each had wide-open mouths with chompers and a polished red tongue. Yamamoto called them "monster shoes." Have an unconventional evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. 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