U.S. charges judge with obstruction in immigration case

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Weekend Briefing

From Reuters Daily Briefing

By Robert MacMillan, Reuters.com Weekend Editor

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. Our World News podcast examines the legacy of Pope Francis as world leaders and thousands of people gathered for his funeral. And our newest City Memo travelogue takes us to London.

U.S. charges judge with obstructing immigration case

Hannah Dugan is escorted by officials after her arrest, Milwaukee, April 25, 2025. X @FBIDirectorKash/Handout via REUTERS

Arrested: Officials said Milwaukee County circuit judge Hannah Dugan refused to turn over a man after immigration agents showed up to arrest him in her courtroom and that she tried to help him evade capture by allowing him to exit through a jury door. Donald Trump, who is trying to reach record levels of removals, has taken dramatic steps to strip legal immigration status from thousands of people. The administration appeared to have deported a 2-year-old U.S. citizen "with no meaningful process," a federal judge said, as the child's father sought to have his daughter returned to the United States. Some universities are advising students on how they can withstand the administration's immigration crackdown.
Conflicted: Trump said in an interview with TIME magazine that tariff negotiations were underway with China and that President Xi Jinping called him, but China said this was not true. His comment came after signs that China and the U.S. might de-escalate their tariff war.

Trump says a Ukraine deal is close

Europe: Trump envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin for the fourth time on Friday to discuss the U.S. plan to end the war in Ukraine. The trip followed talks earlier in the week at which Ukrainian and European officials pushed back against some of the U.S. proposals to settle the conflict. One key issue is Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Trump says its return is not up for discussion, and threatened to abandon the negotiations. The White House said Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskiy had a productive meeting in Rome as they gathered to attend Pope Francis' funeral. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine for a car bomb that killed a senior Russian military officer near Moscow.
Middle East: The World Food Programme said it ran out of food stocks in Gaza because of Israel's closing of crossings into the strip, while Gaza authorities said Israeli airstrikes killed at least 78 people since Thursday. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged Hamas to stop fighting and hand the running of Gaza to his Palestinian Authority. Gaza officials warned that healthcare faced total collapse because of Israel's blockade.

Trump's trade war creates problems for businesses

Outlook blank: Businesses across multiple industries are raising prices and backing away from previous financial guidance. With quarterly earnings season underway, companies are counting the costs of the chaos. Related: A 25% tariff on pharmaceutical imports would increase U.S. drug costs by $51 billion annually, a 13% increase, a report commissioned by the industry's trade group said.
Business roundup: Intel's shares fell more than 8 percent on Friday after the chipmaker's weak revenue and profit forecasts overshadowed its new CEO's revitalization plan. While AI deals haven't been Intel's forte, they're working well for Alphabet. EU antitrust regulators fined Apple and Meta, the first sanctions under legislation aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech. And Chipotle is going to bring Mexican food… to Mexico.

Before I forget…

- Exclusive: Myanmar's junta has kept up a deadly military campaign despite announcing a ceasefire after a major earthquake killed thousands of people in March.
- Armed police and soldiers searched homes and forests for militants in Kashmir after the killing of 26 men at a tourist site. The attack triggered calls for action against Pakistan, which New Delhi accuses of funding and encouraging terrorism in the region.
- Canada holds its general election on Monday. Here are the key promises of the main parties vying for power.
- Congo and Rwanda said they would come up with a draft peace deal by May 2 to stop fighting that has ravaged the eastern DRC. The deal, signed in Washington, could bring significant U.S. investment into the region, which is rich in minerals.
- U.S. officials interviewed a number of white South Africans seeking refugee status. Trump has said the U.S. should accept Afrikaners, who benefitted from South Africa's decades-long Apartheid policy, as refugees because of perceived racism.
- Virginia Giuffre, one of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers, killed herself in Australia, where she had been living for several years, her family said.
- House Republican lawmakers have a problem: Trump wants them to cut clean-energy investments so the government can afford his tax-cuts legislation, but those same investments are bringing prosperity to their districts.

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