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‘Third country’ deportation can resume, US supreme court rules | First Thing

Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents make an arrest. Photograph: Erin Hooley/APView image in fullscreenImmigration and Customs Enforcement agents make an arrest. Photograph: Erin Hooley/APFirst Thing: ‘Third country’ deportation can resume, US supreme court rulesTrump administration can deport immigrants to countries other than their homeland. Plus, 550lb bear returns to LA neighborhood

Good morning. The supreme court has ruled the Trump administration can resume deporting immigrants to “third countries”, or countries other than their homeland, without giving them any opportunity to contest their removals.

The six-justice conservative majority of the high court temporarily lifted a decision by a lower court that required the administration to provide immigrants sufficient notice and the opportunity to claim fear of torture or persecution in the countries where they were being sent.

What has the administration asked the supreme court to rule on about trans prisoners? The administration asked the justices to allow it to deny gender-affirming care to transgender people in federal prisons. The solicitor general, D John Sauer, wrote that gender-reassignment surgeries, hormone therapy and social accommodations such as undergarments, makeup, padding and wigs “could no longer be justified.”

Why is the EPA union suing the administration? The union, which represents more than 8,000 workers at the Environmental Protection Agency, has filed a lawsuit against the EPA and the agency’s administrator, Lee Zeldin, alleging it illegally terminated a collective bargaining agreement.

Which legal battle has Trump appeared to have conceded? The president has agreed to stop fighting the disbursement of E Jean Carroll’s $5m verdict in her 2023 sexual abuse and defamation civil trial against him, a procedural development as the funds had already been distributed to her.

View image in fullscreenDonald Trump also signed an executive order renaming artificial intelligence as ‘superintelligence’. Photograph: Tierney L Cross/UPI/ShutterstockDonald Trump announced Tuesday that the heads of the largest US tech and AI companies had signed on to a “morally binding” agreement to put controls on artificial intelligence. He announced the deal after a White House lunch with top tech executives.

The agreement, which Trump suggested would allow the companies to perform “tremendous self-policing” of their products and technologies, outlines a vague framework for how AI firms would establish safety standards. Trump also signed an executive order renaming artificial intelligence to “superintelligence”, similar to a declaration he made at the UN last week.

What new product has OpenAI announced? Less than 24 hours after OpenAI said it would scrap the launch of a model over safety concerns, the company debuted a whole new suite of artificial intelligence tools, including “dots”, agents it said were “more ambitious” than ChatGPT and a “whole new way to work with AI.”

Why is Greta Garbo making AI headlines? More than a century after her screen debut and decades after she was laid to rest, the actor has been reanimated by AI for a Swedish advert. Peter Bradshaw has given it a damning one-star review.

View image in fullscreenIsraeli settlers attacking Palestinians near the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin. Photograph: Quique KierszenbaumThe US Senate rejected along mostly party lines a Democratic resolution that would have forced the state department to report to Congress on violence in the occupied West Bank, including the killings of nine American citizens by Israeli settlers or security forces over the last few years.

Why did an Israeli-bound plane make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia? A passenger jet travelling from Dubai made an emergency landing, briefly raising concerns about a possible hijacking and prompting Israel to scramble warplanes. Reports said the incident stemmed from a feud between the plane’s two pilots, and everyone onboard was safe.

What has Zohran Mamdani announced about antisemitism? The New York City mayor has debuted a sweeping plan to combat antisemitism. The strategy includes increased security funding for synagogues and an increased focus on incorporating Jewish history into public school education. The plan is seen as a move to assuage critics who see his steadfast denunciations of Israel as antisemitic.

Why are two authors suing the city of Los Angeles? Jenan Matari, a Palestinian-American author, and Nora Lester Murad, a Jewish-American writer, are taking the action after public library officials scrapped their Read Palestine Week book talks.

View image in fullscreenOnly two of the alleged seven perpetrators were subsequently expelled after an internal investigation by Cornell University. Photograph: Heather Ainsworth/APExcerpts of text messages reportedly exchanged by a defendant in the Cornell University gang-rape case and the woman who claimed she was assaulted were published by CBS News on Tuesday, a day after New York prosecutors said they were reopening a criminal investigation.

Two of the alleged perpetrators were subsequently expelled after an internal investigation by Cornell – while the other five were allowed to resume their studies at the Ivy League institution after writing an essay, attending a workshop, or serving a short suspension. None were ever arrested or charged.

View image in fullscreenThe machinations of the Lindsay Clancy case has gripped the US. Photograph: Greg Derr/Pool The Patriot Ledger/AP Lindsay Clancy returns to court as lawyer asks judge to find her not guilty. The office of the Plymouth country district attorney again chose to not disclose whether it plans to try Clancy again.

A team of skydivers dropped in to help survivors of a plane crash in Wisconsin, using their training as paramedics to treat victims before ground crews arrived.

A Brazilian news site has said it will not cover upcoming elections after threats. The independent Tapajós de Fato said decision was made to protect journalists and their families.

The nor’easter storm that pummeled New England looks to have exposed large segments of a 19th-century schooner shipwrecked in the so-called graveyard of the Atlantic.

No 8 seeds Liberty sprung a historic WNBA playoff upset to take down No 1 seeds Lynx. New York now await the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series

View image in fullscreenAn officer with the Oakland police department. Photograph: Jeff Chiu/APIn the early 2000s, a group of police officers known as the “riders” were exposed for offenses such as planting evidence, falsifying reports and using excessive force against primarily young Black men. As part of a settlement of these cases, OPD was put on a federal court-ordered reform program, which has now ended.

View image in fullscreenThe side-effect of the weight-loss drug is getting more attention from researchers. Composite: The Guardian/Getty ImagesExperts share what you need to know about GLP-1-related hair loss as the side-effect gets more attention from researchers.

View image in fullscreenJosé Olivares examines the cases of three men who became the latest casualties of Trump’s anti-immigration campaign. Composite: Rita Liu/The Guardian/Getty Images/GoFundMeIn the latest in our ICE investigation, José Olivares examines the cases of three men who became casualties in the latest phase of Trump’s anti-immigration campaign.

View image in fullscreenMany heterosexual men are sharing their reading passions in forums online. Illustration: Laurie Avon/The GuardianIt is often assumed straight men are not interested in romantic fiction – but, as Amandas Ong discovers, many are sharing their passion in forums online.

View image in fullscreenThe four lowest years on record for Antartica’s sea ice have occurred in the last four years. Photograph: Peace Portal Photo/AlamyAntarctica’s winter sea ice has peaked at its third-lowest level on record, scientists have confirmed. The four lowest years on record for the continent’s sea ice – a vital component of the planet’s climate and critical for marine life – have all occurred in the last four years.

View image in fullscreenThe 550lb bear made famous after he took up residence under an Altadena home in November 2025. Photograph: Jae C Hong/APBless him, the 550lb bear made famous after he took up residence under an Altadena home in November 2025 is wandering the same Los Angeles neighborhood again.

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