By LINDSAY WHITEHURST, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Friday again cleared the way for the Trump administration to strip temporary legal protections from hundreds of thousands of immigrants for now, pushing the total number of people who could be newly exposed to deportation to nearly 1 million.

The justices lifted a lower-court order that kept humanitarian parole protections in place for more than 500,000 migrants from four countries: Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. The court has also allowed the administration to revoke temporary legal status from about 350,000 Venezuelan migrants in another case.

Republican President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail to deport millions of people, and in office has sought to dismantle Biden administration polices that created ways for migrants to live legally in the U.S. Trump amplified false rumors that Haitian immigrants in Ohio, including those with legal status under the humanitarian parole program, were abducting and eating pets during a debate with then-President Joe Biden, according to court documents.

His administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court after a federal judge in Boston blocked the administration’s push to end the program.

Justice Kentanji Brown Jackson wrote in dissent that the effect of the high court’s order is “to have the lives of half a million migrants unravel all around us before the courts decide their legal claims.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor joined the dissent.

Related Articles

Think your return to the office was rough? Musk faces some big challenges

Google, Justice Department face off in climactic showdown in search monopoly case

Trump has long warned of a government ‘deep state.’ Now in power, he’s under pressure to expose it

Trump’s big plans on trade and more run up against laws of political gravity, separation of powers

Elon Musk came to Washington wielding a chain saw. He leaves behind upheaval and unmet expectations

Jackson echoed what U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani wrote in ruling that ending the legal protections early would leave people with a stark choice: flee the country or risk losing everything. Talwani, an appointee of Democratic President Barack Obama, found that revocations of parole can be done, but on a case-by-case basis.

Her ruling came in mid-April, shortly before permits were due to be canceled. An appeals court refused to lift her order.

The Supreme Court’s order is not a final ruling, but it means the protections will not be in place while the case proceeds. It now returns to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston.

The Justice Department argues that the protections were always meant to be temporary, and the Department of Homeland Security has the power to revoke them without court interference. The administration says Biden granted the parole en masse, and the law doesn’t require ending it on an individual basis.

Taking on each case individually would be a “gargantuan task,” and slow the government’s efforts to press for their removal, Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued.

Biden used humanitarian parole more than any other president, employing a special presidential authority in effect since 1952.

Beneficiaries included the 532,000 people who have come to the United States with financial sponsors since late 2022, leaving home countries fraught with “instability, dangers and deprivations,” as attorneys for the migrants said. They had to fly to the U.S. at their own expense and have a financial sponsor to qualify for the designation, which lasts for two years.

The Trump administration’s decision was the first-ever mass revocation of humanitarian parole, attorneys for the migrants said. They called the Trump administration’s moves “the largest mass illegalization event in modern American history.”

The case is the latest in a string of emergency appeals the administration has made to the Supreme Court, many of them related to immigration.

The court has sided against Trump in other cases, including slowing his efforts to swiftly deport Venezuelans accused of being gang members to a prison in El Salvador under an 18th century wartime law called the Alien Enemies Act.

A few months after signing head coach Kevin O’Connell to a multiyear contract extension, the Vikings announced on Friday morning that they have done the same with general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.

“I’m beyond excited to continue this journey with the Vikings,” Adofo-Mensah said in a team news release. “This organization means so much to me, and I’ve always believed in what we’re building here.”

In his statement, Adofo-Mensah went on to thank the Wilf family for trusting him to lead the franchise into the future and expressed excitement that he gets to continue to work alongside O’Connell in their pursuit of a Super Bowl.

This always felt like the expected outcome, even if it took some time to come to fruition. Asked a couple of months ago about not having a contract extension under his belt, Adofo-Mensah calmly downplayed the situation.

Maybe because he was confident that both sides would be able to agree to terms at some point.

“It’s a process,” Adofo-Mensah said at the time. “These things take time.”

Now, it appears the time is right for the Vikings.

In a release, co owner Mark Wilf lauded Adofo-Mensah for his leadership, vision and collaboration with the coaching staff, adding, “His dedication and forward-thinking approach have been instrumental in shaping our roster and future.”

In a release, co-owner Zygi Wilf credited Adofo-Mensah for his commitment to building a team that can compete for a Super Bowl, adding, “We are extremely excited to continue this journey with Kwesi in this role and confident in the direction he and Kevin are leading our organization.”

There have been highs and lows for Adofo-Mensah throughout his tenure.

Though his critics will point to the 2022 draft class as his biggest failure, and rightfully so considering most of those players are no longer on the roster, the 2024 free-agent class represents the other side of that spectrum.

That was a watershed moment for the franchise last offseason as the Vikings managed to add quarterback Sam Darnold and running back Aaron Jones on offense, along with edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, edge rusher Andrew Van Ginkel and linebacker Blake Cashman on defense.

Not to be outdone, Adofo-Mensah followed it up by spending upwards of $300 million on free agents this offseason, improving the Vikings with a number of additions, including center Ryan Kelly and right guard Will Fries on offense, and tackles Jonathan Allen and Javon Hargrave on defense.

Some other highlights for Adofo-Mensah include his draft-day maneuvering to select quarterback J.J. McCarthy with the 10th overall pick, extending the contract of star receiver Justin Jefferson, and trading for star tight end T.J. Hockenson, among a handful of other savvy moves.

The next step for the Vikings is continuing to chase a Super Bowl.

“While we’ve made significant strides already, our focus will remain on building a team positioned as a perennial contender,” Adofo-Mensah said in a release. “This extension signifies we are on solid ground with the long-term vision we have set, and I’m incredibly excited to work with this group of talented people as we continue to push the boundaries of what this franchise can achieve.”

Related Articles

The importance of Justin Jefferson’s attendance at Vikings OTAs

J.J. McCarthy’s goal during Vikings OTAs? ‘Not being afraid to fail’

Five storylines to keep an eye on as the Vikings start OTAs

NFL teams can keep using the tush push after ban proposal fails at owners meetings

NFL owners unanimously approve player participation in Olympic flag football for 2028

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — At least 111 people were confirmed dead in central Nigeria on Friday after floods submerged the market town of Mokwa in the country’s Niger State following torrential rains, officials said.

The heavy rains lasted for several hours Thursday, and media reports quoting local government officials said a dam collapse in a nearby town had worsened the situation. The flooding displaced large amounts of people, the reports said.

Rescuers continued to find more bodies into the afternoon Friday. Earlier reports said 88 people had died, but then at least 23 more bodies were found, Niger State emergency agency spokesman IIbrahim Audu Husseinit told The Associated Press in the afternoon.

That brought the toll to 111, but that could go higher as the search continued.

“More bodies have just been brought and are yet to be counted, but we have at least 111 confirmed already,” Husseini told AP by telephone.

Related Articles

Ukraine says it’s ready to resume talks with Russia but needs clarity on Kremlin’s terms

Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat due to climate change, experts say

Russell Brand pleads not guilty to charges of rape and sexual assault in London court

Today in History: May 30, Babe Ruth plays last major league game

Swiss glacier collapse renews focus on risks of climate change as glaciers retreat around the world

Mokwa, about 140 miles west of Abuja, is a major meeting point where traders from the south buy food from growers in the north.

In a similar occurrence last September, torrential rains and a dam collapse in Nigeria’s northeastern Maiduguri caused severe flooding, leaving at least 30 people dead and displacing millions, worsening the humanitarian crisis caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.

Nigeria often faces seasonal floods, particularly impacting communities such as Mokwa along the banks of the Niger and Benue Rivers. Communities in the far north of the country, which experience prolonged dry spells worsened by climate change, also see excessive rainfall that leads to severe flooding during their brief wet season.

In videos and photos shared on social media platforms, floodwaters cover neighborhoods where homes are fully or partially submerged, with rooftops barely visible above the brown currents. Residents are also seen waist-deep in water, appearing to salvage what they can carry or rescue others.

The chairman of Mokwa local government area, Jibril Muregi, suggested that poor infrastructure worsened the impact of the flood. He appealed to the government to start “long overdue” construction of waterways in Mokwa under a climate resilience project.

VIRGINIA — Prosecutors have dismissed the cases against four members of the Iron Range Hells Angels motorcycle club accused of serious crimes including rape, kidnapping and assault.

Assistant St. Louis County Attorney Chris Florey said the alleged victims “are either unwilling or unable to testify at trial and the state cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt” without their cooperation.

The notices of dismissal were filed late Wednesday, less than two weeks before the first defendant, Paul Anthony Debelak, 39, of Eveleth, was set to face a Virginia jury.

Also charged in the case were Jerand Paul French, 40, of Eveleth; Jake Douglas Novaczyk, 47, of Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; and Eric Anthony Newman, 50, of Gilman, Wisconsin.

Defense attorneys had aggressively challenged the allegations, arguing that witness accounts and physical evidence did not support the claims. They contended investigators were eager to bring charges against the club and also accused agents of intimidating witnesses and eavesdropping on privileged communications between jailed defendants and their attorneys.

The cases stemmed from allegations that a woman was sexually assaulted and a man was abducted and beaten at the Hells Angels’ downtown Eveleth clubhouse.

Authorities previously reported that the man escaped from the group on crutches Nov. 28, 2023, and ran to the safety of police, expressing fear that members could find him.

Investigators said they went on to learn that both victims were visiting an Eveleth residence Nov. 27 when club members arrived. It was reported that the woman was raped there by Debelak and Newman.

The man, meanwhile, was allegedly taken to the clubhouse in a van driven by Novaczyk. He said he continued to be beaten by French, the chapter’s president, as other members recorded video.

Authorities released few details about the alleged motive or relationships between parties, other than to say that French was allegedly upset about the man’s association with the woman.

Defense attorneys, however, alleged that investigators were looking to implicate the club in serious crimes to justify a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension investigation that had been ongoing since at least June 2023.

The attorneys asserted that the alleged victims had been using drugs, a practice that is not tolerated by the Hells Angels, and that they concocted the narrative. They said other witnesses in the house told agents the rape and kidnapping did not occur, and that there was no DNA evidence to support it.

Judge Robert Friday last month upheld charges against Debelak and Newman, ruling there was no attorney-client breach when Debelak subjected his communications to law enforcement monitoring after failing to use the proper channels to contact his lawyer from jail.

The judge also said interview recordings failed to substantiate claims from three defense witnesses that they were threatened with prosecution if they did not comply with orders of BCA agents.

A similar challenge was still pending from French and Novaczyk before Judge Andrew Peterson.

Testimony at a November hearing centered on authorities learning that Novaczyk planned to surprise the state by demanding a speedy trial — a fact Florey promptly disclosed to defense counsel after learning it from a BCA agent who was privy to the jail communication.

Also highlighted by the defense was a statement from Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar that he believed BCA Special Agent Cory Skorczewski was “going off the deep end.” Techar later clarified he was advised Skorczewski was “stressed and overworked from this case.” Skorczewski testified that he was on medical leave but denied it had to do with the Hells Angels case.

Three of the defendants had been free on bond while awaiting trial. Newman is still in custody as he faces a probation violation stemming from an earlier offense.

Related Articles

Christopher Harrington: Experiencing the arts transforms the way we see the world

Letters: Stop with the antisemitism

Pair sentenced in human smuggling case that left Indian family dead on Minnesota border

Angry with electrical utility, Iron Range official cuts wire, knocking out power to 3 towns

Wildfire evacuation orders lifted in northern Minnesota