U.S. and Iran Trade Military Strikes; Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Climbs

The United States and Iran launched military strikes against each other over the weekend, marking a direct escalation in their conflict. The Iranian military conducted drone and missile attacks, to which the U.S. military responded with airstrikes. Neither side reported significant casualties from the exchanges, though both countries said their respective strikes hit intended targets.

In Venezuela, rescue teams worked through the weekend to locate survivors following earthquakes that struck the country. The tremors killed at least 34 people, according to Venezuelan authorities, with the death toll potentially rising as rescue efforts continued. Hundreds of people remained unaccounted for. Teams searched through collapsed buildings across multiple regions, and the government deployed additional rescue personnel to affected areas. The extent of infrastructure damage remained under assessment Monday.

The Supreme Court on Monday upheld the Biden administration's policy allowing immigration officials to deport asylum seekers without a hearing before an immigration judge. The court found that the policy did not violate federal law. The ruling removed a legal obstacle that had prevented the government from using expedited deportation procedures for certain categories of migrants. The Trump campaign cited the decision as supporting its immigration enforcement platform, while immigrant advocacy groups said they would challenge the policy through other legal avenues.

The expedited deportation authority, codified in federal law, allows immigration agents to deport noncitizens who cannot prove they have been in the U.S. for at least two years without a deportation hearing. The Biden administration expanded the use of this power in 2023. The Supreme Court majority reasoned that the statute's text gave the government this authority and that asylum seekers retain other legal protections.

Immigrant advocacy organizations and immigration attorneys said they would pursue alternative legal challenges to the policy, citing concerns about due process and the ability of migrants to present their cases.