federal agencies

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reportedly been directed to stop arresting immigrants without criminal records. The directive would mark a shift in enforcement priorities, focusing the agency's operations on people with serious criminal backgrounds rather than broad sweeps. Reaction is split between those welcoming a less aggressive approach to immigration enforcement and critics calling it a rollback of border policy.

Federal health agencies have connected an E. coli outbreak to a brand of raw milk cheese, prompting a public warning. The CDC and FDA are investigating cases of illness tied to the product. Health officials caution that raw milk products carry higher risks of bacterial contamination, and consumers are being advised to check for affected brands.

Space law experts say the U.S. Federal Communications Commission can approve massive spaceflight projects on its own, even ones that could permanently alter the view of the night sky for the entire world. Critics have raised concerns about these projects, but experts note there is very little other regulatory oversight capable of stopping them, concentrating the decision in one agency's hands.

A U.S. appeals court has upheld the government's designation of AI company Anthropic as a supply chain risk, according to CNBC. The ruling keeps in place a classification with potential implications for the company's ability to work with federal agencies, including the Pentagon. The decision is drawing attention as it touches on how Washington assesses security risks from major artificial intelligence firms.

Four environmental organizations filed a petition Thursday urging the Federal Communications Commission to reverse its approval of a startup's plan to beam on-demand sunlight from space to Earth. The groups argue the agency failed to consider the project's potential impacts on wildlife and astronomy, raising concerns about a growing commercial trend of using orbiting reflectors to illuminate areas on the ground at night.

Germany is creating a digital repository, described as a 'Noah's Ark', to back up American climate data amid fears the Trump administration could alter or delete federal scientific records. The initiative would safeguard datasets from US agencies so researchers worldwide can continue accessing them. Observers say the move reflects growing international concern about the reliability of US government climate science and a broader effort to protect open scientific data.

Reports from coastal Georgia and South Carolina news outlets say emissions in Georgia could increase following the repeal of an Environmental Protection Agency rule. The coverage suggests the rollback of federal emissions regulations would loosen limits on polluters in the state, though the exact scale of any rise is not detailed in the reports.

The ACLU has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security alleging inhumane conditions at the largest immigration detention facility in the United States. The suit targets the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement and detention, though specific allegations and the facility's identity were not detailed in initial reports.