Open Weight News

Court Denies Stay in USAGM Case

2026-09-21T23:21:17+00:00

The April 22 injunction requires returning USAGM employees and contractors to pre-March 14, 2025 status, restoring FY 2025 grants to Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks such that international USAGM outlets can provide reliable, accurate, and comprehensive news, and restoring VOA programming to fulfill its statutory mandate as a reliable and authoritative news source.

The court rejected claims that disbursing congressionally appropriated funds causes irreparable harm, noting financial loss does not threaten USAGM’s existence.

Defendants argued the injunction covers staff placed on leave or terminated for reasons other than Executive Order 14238, including misconduct or performance issues, a point not previously raised in the litigation.

The court found the requested stay would effectively block VOA programming, as resuming broadcasts requires staff reinstatement.

The court previously ruled the actions under Executive Order 14238 violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and plaintiffs are likely to succeed on their arbitrary and capricious claim.

Federal property disposal hindered by funding

2026-09-21T23:19:52+00:00

As of August 2026, 14 of 23 recommended and approved properties have been sold for about $576 million.

Stakeholders said the main benefit is potential funding to offset disposal costs, but accessing that funding has been a significant challenge, the GAO said.

Congress appropriated $90 million from 2016 to 2022 but provided no additional FASTA appropriations from 2023 to 2025.

In 2026, Congress appropriated an additional about $143 million in FASTA proceeds.

Other challenges include relocating tenants, particularly for the 2025 round where most properties remain occupied by federal tenants.

The General Services Administration and the Board suggested improvements if FASTA were extended beyond 2026, including greater access to sales proceeds.

Timeframes for completing disposal on many 2025 round properties are not clear due to shifting cost and schedule estimates.

EMS Memorial Authority Extended

2026-09-21T23:18:47+00:00

The law amends Section 1(b) of Public Law 115-275 to revise the expiration date for the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Foundation’s authority.

References in section 8903(e) to the expiration at the end of or extension beyond a seven-year period are now considered references to the date that is seven years after the enactment of this Act.

The legislative authority to establish the commemorative work in the District of Columbia and its environs is extended accordingly.

The House passed the bill on March 16, 2026, according to legislative history.

The Senate passed the bill on August 7, 2026, according to legislative history.

House Report 119-518 from the Committee on Natural Resources covered the bill.

The law is cited as the National Emergency Medical Services Memorial Extension Act.

US, Italy Sign Minerals Pact

2026-09-21T22:54:36+00:00

Rubio called Italy a close partner and emphasized the importance of collaboration on critical minerals.

Tajani said the memorandum is a key part of Italy’s industrial strategy and trade policy.

He stated that Italy is an industrial country and the second most important industrial country in Europe.

He also said Italy is number four in the world in trade.

Tajani said it is important to have reduced prices for raw materials.

Trump Signs Water Quality Order

2026-09-21T22:49:17+00:00

Executive Order 14428 aims to provide meaningful water quality improvements through collaboration and oversight of federal support.

The order states the Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and serves a critically important economic purpose.

Governmental actors should prioritize environmental protection and economic objectives in managing the Chesapeake Bay, the order said.

The order cites Executive Order 13508 of May 12, 2009 (Chesapeake Bay Protection and Restoration).

Executive Order 13508 has been in effect for 17 years and instituted a mandate for states and municipalities to improve the bay’s environmental health, according to the order.

The document was published by the Executive Office of the President in the Federal Register on September 21.

Trump unveils helipad as networks protest

2026-09-21T22:47:11+00:00

A light drizzle fell on the South Lawn as Trump used oversized gold scissors to cut a red, white and blue ribbon.

He exchanged handshakes with officials and construction crew members in green smocks and hardhats, attempting to project normalcy.

Trump did not answer reporters’ shouted questions before boarding Marine One for a flight to New York.

He later wrote on his social media site that they were leaving on the ‘maiden voyage’ from the ‘newly built, and very beautiful, Heliport.’

MS Now, Politico, and CNN have sued after Trump banned them from covering the White House on Friday.

CNN normally participates in a five-network rotation providing pooled White House footage.

When CNN was barred from its scheduled turn on Monday, ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox News collectively skipped the helipad ceremony.

Trump has claimed the helipad, with granite he says will last a million years, will impress Chinese President Xi Jinping, who arrives Wednesday.

He has focused on impressing Xi while calling Democrats communists ahead of midterm elections.

The media access dispute has overshadowed both the helipad and Xi’s visit.

Constitutional questions over press access also eclipsed Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly.

Trump has emphasized building projects during his second term amid ongoing war in Iran and sinking approval ratings.

He claimed the helipad was privately funded at up to $6 million, though exact costs are unclear due to additional ground work.

Trump credited Lockheed Martin’s CEO, saying Sikorsky Aircraft would pay for the helipad because it built the new helicopters.

Earlier claims of private funding for White House projects have sometimes been followed by requests for public money.

The East Wing was demolished for a $400 million ballroom Trump said would be privately funded, though the administration later sought $1 billion from Congress.

Media Outlets Sue Trump Administration

2026-09-21T22:41:52+00:00

President Donald Trump announced the ban on Friday, accusing the organizations of writing “fiction or lies” about his team.

In a joint statement on Monday, the organizations said they were pursuing legal action to defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports.

Trump reacted to the lawsuit, calling the news organizations “Third Rate Clowns” and “Crooked and Corrupt Press”.

He wrote on his Truth Social platform that organizations writing “false and defamatory stories” shouldn’t have access to the White House.

Trump added that his team will “almost without question” file an appeal.

Major US TV networks announced they would suspend their White House pooled coverage as Trump heads to the United Nations General Assembly.

Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton wrote in an email that the TV pool would not be covering events designated as pool coverage.

CNN was originally due to cover Trump’s trip to the UN General Assembly in New York.

On Monday morning, the CNN booth in the White House press area was empty and closed.

Five TV networks issued a joint statement saying the public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government.

The First Amendment forbids the government from “abridging” the freedom of the press.

The media organizations filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Washington, asking a judge to rule Trump’s ban unconstitutional.

UK's Burnham to meet Trump

2026-09-21T22:36:33+00:00

Burnham announced Monday he would send a Royal Air Force plane to help Saudi Arabia repel attacks from Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The U.K. says the plane will refuel Saudi planes during “defensive” missions.

The British prime minister, once a Trump critic, told reporters he would seek “common ground” with the U.S. president.

Burnham told reporters he is “acting to secure the interests of Britain and the wider region.”

Burnham said he will urge Trump to send interceptor missiles to bolster Ukraine’s air defenses.

In his speech, the prime minister will set out his vision of Britain as an “honest broker” on balancing the risks and opportunities of AI.

Burnham plans to make artificial intelligence the focus of Britain’s presidency of the G20 group of nations in 2027.

At the U.N., Burnham will host a meeting on a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians alongside Canadian, French, Saudi and U.N. leaders.

The conflict between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government has reignited.

Trump has called Burnham “a nice guy” and has recently needled U.K. officials by expressing support for Irish unification and musing about the Falkland Islands.

State Department Restricts Visas

2026-09-21T22:34:08+00:00

The individuals are responsible for or complicit in defrauding Americans through cybercrime, cyber-enabled crime, and related activity.

The majority of the individuals targeted are affiliated with the Prince Group, a transnational criminal organization that has been the subject of U.S. sanctions.

Any valid visas held by these individuals have been revoked.

This action is taken under Section 212(a)(3)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

Cybercriminals scam Americans out of tens of billions of dollars every year.

In 2025 alone, transnational criminal organizations in Southeast Asia, like the Prince Group, defrauded Americans out of at least $18.2 billion through cyber-enabled scams.

The Department of the Treasury sanctioned 146 members and affiliates of the Prince Group in October 2025.

The Department of the Treasury also sanctioned an additional 35 Prince Group members and affiliates in June 2026.

Those complicit in devastating families and communities nationwide will be denied entry into the United States.

USTR to Hold Public Hearing

2026-09-21T22:21:41+00:00

The hearing will take place in the main hearing room of the US International Trade Commission, at 500 E Street SW, Washington, DC, starting at 10:00 am ET.

Please consult the USTR website for the hearing schedule.

Rubio Meets Arctic Allies

2026-09-21T22:20:23+00:00

The meeting reinforced the need for sustained allied investment and coordination on shared Arctic challenges.

Allies agreed that Arctic security requires continued investment to deter strategic competitors.

Discussions focused on developing sovereign military and economic capabilities, ensuring investment security, and funding resilient critical infrastructure that ensures reliable access and supports shared leadership in the Arctic.

Rubio highlighted the Icebreaker Collaboration Effort (ICE) Pact among the US, Canada, and Finland as a model for industrial cooperation and burden sharing, strengthened by President Trump’s commitment to significantly expand the U.S. icebreaker fleet.

Rubio Meets Kenyan President Ruto

2026-09-21T22:19:33+00:00

They discussed opportunities for U.S. firms to add value to Kenya’s critical minerals sector.

The Secretary expressed appreciation for Kenya’s partnership with the U.S. on the America First Global Health Strategy.

Rubio underscored the important role Kenya plays in furthering the resolution of regional conflicts.