Trump seeks to delay appeal of $83 million judgment in E. Jean Carroll case

(WASHINGTON) — A second federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from withholding federal funds from schools that participate in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Hours after a New Hampshire judge issued a similar order on Thursday, a federal judge in Maryland appointed by Trump issued a broader ruling that prohibits the Department of Education from using federal funding to end DEI initiatives within public schools.

“This Court takes no view as to whether the policies at issue here are good or bad, prudent or foolish, fair or unfair,” wrote U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher of Maryland. “But this Court is constitutionally required to closely scrutinize whether the government went about creating and implementing them in the manner the law requires. The government did not.”

Judge Gallagher wrote that the group that brought the lawsuit — the American Federation of Teachers, American Sociological Association and a public school in Oregon — successfully proved they would be irreparably harmed and the Education Department letter at issue likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act.

“This Court ends where it began—this case is about procedure,” she wrote. “Plaintiffs have shown that the government likely did not follow the procedures it should have, and those procedural failures have tangibly and concretely harmed the Plaintiffs. This case, especially, underscores why following the proper procedures, even when it is burdensome, is so important.”

Earlier, a judge in New Hampshire said the Trump administration’s attempt to make federal funding to schools conditional on them eliminating any DEI policies erodes the “foundational principles” that separates the United States from totalitarian regimes.

In an 82-page order, U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty partially blocked the Department of Education from enforcing the memo issued earlier this year that directed any institution that receives federal funding to end discrimination on the basis of race or face funding cuts.

“Ours is a nation deeply committed to safeguarding academic freedom, which is of transcendent value to all of us and not merely to the teachers concerned,” Judge McCafferty wrote, adding the “right to speak freely and to promote diversity of ideas and programs is…one of the chief distinctions that sets us apart from totalitarian regimes.”

“In this case, the court reviews action by the executive branch that threatens to erode these foundational principles,” she wrote.

Judge McCafferty stopped short of issuing a nationwide injunction, instead limiting the relief to any entity that employs or contacts with the groups that filed a lawsuit challenging the DOE’s memo.

Education groups sued the Department of Education in February after the agency warned all educational institutions in a letter to end discrimination based on race or face federal funding consequences.

The lawsuit criticized what it said was an unlawful “Dear Colleague” letter which will “irreparably harm” schools, students, educators, and communities across the country.

“This vague and clearly unconstitutional memo is a grave attack on students, our profession and knowledge itself,” American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten said in a statement at the time.

In justifying her preliminary injunction Thursday, Judge McCafferty called out the DOE for taking a position on DEI that flatly contradicts its own policies from a few years ago.

“Prior to the 2025 Letter, the Department had not indicated a belief that programs designed to promote diversity, equity, or inclusion constituted unlawful discrimination. Nor had it taken the position that schools necessarily behave unlawfully when they act with the goal of increasing racial diversity. In fact, the Department had taken the opposite position,” the judge wrote.

In addition to finding the policy is likely unconstitutional and illegal, Judge McCafferty also criticized the Department of Education for making funding conditional on DEI programming, though the judge said the memo “does not even define what a DEI program is,” pointing to “vague and expansive prohibitions” in the DOE’s letter from February.

The Department of Education has not yet commented on the rulings.

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(BOULDER, CO) — A video posted on social media appears to show Boulder, Colorado, terrorism suspect Mohamed Soliman speaking to the camera while driving before the attack.

The individual is seen in the video wearing a hat and shirt that match videos ABC News has obtained from the scene of the attack. The video, which was posted by a pro-Hamas Telegram group, was filmed in Denver while heading north, ABC News’ Visual Verification team has confirmed.

In the over two-minute video, the individual talks about his allegiance to God as a Muslim while speaking in Arabic.

Soliman has been charged with a federal hate crime and state charges, including 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, according to court documents. He appeared in court virtually on Monday. He has yet to enter a plea.

His wife and children are in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the family is being processed for expedited removal, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

“We are investigating to what extent his family knew about this heinous attack, if they had knowledge of it, or if they provided support to it,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Tuesday. “I am continuing to pray for the victims of this attack and their families. Justice will be served.”

Soliman — who was arrested after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails in an “act of terrorism” during a demonstration advocating for hostages being held in Gaza on Sunday on Sunday — has been in the U.S. on an expired tourist visa, officials said

The father of five was granted a work permit, but that had also expired in March.

Soliman was born in Egypt and lived in Kuwait for 17 years before moving to Colorado Springs three years ago, court documents said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote on social media on Monday, “In light of yesterday’s horrific attack, all terrorists, their family members, and terrorist sympathizers here on a visa should know that under the Trump Administration we will find you, revoke your visa, and deport you.”

Soliman allegedly said he had been planning Sunday’s attack for one year but waited until his daughter graduated from high school last Thursday to carry it out, state and federal documents said.

Omer Shachar, a co-leader of Run for Their Lives in Boulder, told ABC News he was standing in front of the group outside the Boulder courthouse Sunday afternoon when a man threw a Molotov cocktail under their legs.

Shachar felt “panic right away” as his friends caught fire in front of his eyes.

“They’re literally on fire,” he said. “I don’t know if I can express it enough — literally on fire and trying to pull my friend out of the fire.”

“Once someone could help her, I was reaching out to the [attacker] and try, I don’t know what I thought, but maybe to tackle him … but we saw that he’s approaching to a container full of bottles and realized that it’s not a good idea, so we stepped back,” Shachar said. “We’re trying to keep people away as much as possible, although some of them couldn’t walk. One of them was on the ground where the fire is.”

Shachar said passersby stepped in with water bottles to try to help put out the blaze.

Twelve people were injured, officials said. Two victims remain in the hospital.

Authorities are reviewing a newly released video showing the chaos and panic in the attack’s aftermath.

Soliman, who allegedly disguised himself as a gardener during the attack, told police “he wanted to kill all Zionist people and wished they were all dead,” court documents said. “SOLIMAN stated he would do it (conduct an attack) again.”

He “said this had nothing to do with the Jewish community and was specific in the Zionist group supporting the killings of people on his land (Palestine),” documents said.

Shachar said Run for Their Lives holds a peaceful walk every Sunday to raise awareness about the hostages who remain held in Gaza by Hamas since Oct. 7, 2023.

Participants include those who are “Jewish and non-Jewish, right and left, Israelis and non-Israelis, Americans and non-Americans,” he said. “And people are coming for the same cause — to bring those hostages back home.”

Shachar said he hopes the group can return to their walks soon.

“At the moment, Run for the Lives, the international group, asked to stop walking until we understand better safety arrangements and security arrangements,” he said. “However, personally, I will say that as long as we can do it, and as long that we’re working with the police and we can do it, I will walk until the last hostage is back home.”

Soliman had taken a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen,” state court documents said.

Sixteen unused Molotov cocktails were within “arm’s reach” of the suspect when he was arrested, FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Mark Michalek said on Monday.

The unlit Molotov cocktails were “comprised of glass wine carafe bottles or Ball jars containing clear liquid and red rags hanging out of the bottles,” court documents said. Police also found a “backpack weed sprayer, potentially containing a flammable substance. The clear liquid in the glass bottles and weed sprayer was determined to be 87 octane gasoline, which was determined to contain xylene.”

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(NEW YORK) — A federal grand jury in New York on Thursday returned a four-count indictment against alleged CEO killer Luigi Mangione that charges him with two counts of stalking, firearms offense and murder through the use of a firearm, a charge that makes him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

Mangione is charged with stalking United Healthcare chief Brian Thompson outside the Hilton in Midtown Manhattan and then shooting him to death on Dec. 4, 2024.

Attorney General Pam Bondi has already signaled her intention to pursue the death penalty, which his lawyers are actively trying to stop.

Thompson was heading to an investors’ conference when he was shot and killed. Mangione was arrested in Altoona, Pennsylvania, five days later and was initially charged in a federal complaint in connection with the murder.

Earlier this month, Bondi said in a press release that she ordered the death penalty for Mangione to “carry out President Trump’s agenda to stop violent crime and Make America Safe Again.”

Defense attorney Karen Friedman Agnifilo argued in a motion filed last week that Bondi’s statement, issued before Mangione was indicted on federal charges, was improper and “prejudiced the grand jury process.” She asked the judge to preclude the government from seeking the death penalty, and she demanded the government turn over documents and notes that relate to the attorney general’s directive.

“The stakes could not be higher. The United States government intends to kill Mr. Mangione as a political stunt,” the defense said.

Mangione also faces state charges in connection with the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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