The Trump administration on Sunday evening doubled down on its assertion that a federal judge cannot force it to bring back to the United States a Maryland man who was unlawfully deported to a notorious prison in El Salvador last month.

In a brief legal filing, the Justice Department reiterated its view that courts lack the ability to dictate steps that the White House should take in seeking to return the man, Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, to U.S. soil, because the president alone has broad powers to handle foreign policy.

“The federal courts have no authority to direct the executive branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way, or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner,” lawyers for the department wrote. “That is the ‘exclusive power of the president as the sole organ of the federal government in the field of international relations.’”

The position taken by Trump officials was not the first time they had tried to defy efforts compelling them to seek Abrego Garcia’s return from El Salvador. Still, their continued recalcitrance meant that Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old father of three, would for now remain at the CECOT prison in El Salvador, where he was sent with scores of other migrants March 15.

The administration’s stubbornness was also likely to heighten tensions between the White House and the judge overseeing the case, Paula Xinis. Xinis has scheduled a hearing to discuss next steps in the matter Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Maryland.

The conflict has persisted even though the Supreme Court last week unanimously ordered the administration to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from Salvadoran custody. Trump officials have in fact already admitted that they made an “administrative error” when they put Abrego Garcia on the plane to El Salvador in the first place.

The dispute — just one of the legal battles involving Trump’s deportation plans — threatened to spill over into an official visit from President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, who is set to meet with President Donald Trump on Monday.

When the Supreme Court ruled on the case last week, it seemed at first like a victory for Abrego Garcia and his family. But the court’s order contained an ambiguous passage that Trump officials have seized on in their ongoing effort to avoid doing much of anything to ensure his return to the United States.

In their ruling, the justices agreed with Xinis that the White House should do what it could to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release, but they never defined the specific steps officials should take to actually “effectuate” the plan.

Indeed, they sent that question back to Xinis, cautioning her that as she clarified what the administration should do, her decision needed to be made “with due regard for the deference owed to the executive branch in the conduct of foreign affairs.”

On Saturday, Abrego Garcia’s lawyers asked Xinis to order the administration to send a plane to El Salvador to pick him up and to have Trump officials travel with him to “ensure his safe passage.”

But lawyers for the Justice Department, in their filing Sunday, said the administration should not have to do any of that because it would intrude on dealings between the White House and the Salvadoran government.

“All of those requested orders involve interactions with a foreign sovereign — and potential violations of that sovereignty,” the lawyers wrote. “But as explained, a federal court cannot compel the executive branch to engage in any mandated act of diplomacy or incursion upon the sovereignty of another nation.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

Pennsylvania state authorities have arrested a 38-year-old Harrisburg man they said set fire to the governor’s mansion while Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept, forcing them to evacuate early Sunday before the blaze severely damaged part of the building.

The man, identified as Cody Balmer, 38, jumped a fence and managed to evade state troopers after he broke into the building, authorities said, adding that he had used homemade incendiary devices. He fled the scene and was arrested in Harrisburg on Sunday afternoon, officials said at a news conference.

Balmer is in custody and is expected to be charged with attempted murder, arson and terrorism. Law enforcement officials said they could not provide any information about a motive.

During the news briefing outside the fire-scarred mansion, Shapiro, a Democrat who gained national prominence last year when he was on the short list of possible running mates for Kamala Harris, said that the FBI was assisting in the investigation. The smell of smoke lingered in the air as he spoke, with the blackened, broken windows where the arsonist had struck visible behind him.

Shapiro became emotional as he described his family’s ordeal, recalling the moment a state trooper had banged on his door shortly after 2 a.m., waking him, his wife and his children, and rushing them to safety. The attack, he said, had been “targeted.”

“Last night, we experienced an attack, not just on our family, but on the entire Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said. “I want you all to know that your prayers lift us up, and in this moment of darkness, we are choosing to see light.”

Shapiro, who last summer helped oversee the law enforcement response to the assassination attempt against President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, condemned the vitriol in American politics.

“This type of violence is not OK,” Shapiro said, his voice rising in anger. “I don’t give a damn if it’s from one particular side or another. It’s not OK.”

During the briefing, Shapiro said he had spoken with FBI Director Kash Patel hours earlier. “He promised all of the resources of the federal government,” Shapiro said, adding that he thanked Patel, the FBI and the president for their support.

The State Police said in a statement that the fire caused “a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence.”

Shapiro noted that the attack had occurred on the first night of Passover, one of the holiest Jewish holidays, and that other members of the local Jewish community had been celebrating in the state dining room with him and his family. “No one will deter me or my family or any Pennsylvanian from celebrating their faith openly or proudly,” he said.

Law enforcement officials described a chaotic scene at the mansion in the early morning hours. Once state police became aware of a security breach on the property, they set out looking for an intruder. But, in a matter of minutes, Balmer was able to break in, set the fire and escape back over the same fence he had scaled to get in, officials said.

Bryan Flores, 37, a neighbor who lives across the street from the residence, said he awoke shortly after 2 a.m. to see a large response outside from police and firefighters. “We woke up to the sirens and the flashing lights and stuff,” Flores said. He added that the incident seemed under control at that point.

Shapiro, who served for six years as the state’s attorney general before being elected governor in 2022, has been the target of threats at least once before. In November 2023, police arrested a man who they said sent a threatening email to him, according to a Pennsylvania State Police report. It was unclear Sunday if the man was charged in connection with that incident.

The governor’s residence is a 29,000-square-foot Georgian-style building on the Susquehanna River that was completed in 1968, according to the state government. Its landscaped grounds occupy a full block about a mile and a half from the state Capitol complex.

The public is able to tour the residence, which exhibits art and artifacts on the first floor.

Recent high-profile incidents of violence directed at political figures have helped fuel fear and unease among Americans, polls have shown. Before the presidential election last year, about 4 in 10 voters said they were extremely or very concerned about violent attempts to challenge the outcome. The assassination attempt against Trump last summer took place a little more than 200 miles west of Harrisburg.

Other serious incidents have included a foiled plot to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in 2020, and the home invasion and assault at the home of Nancy Pelosi in 2023, which seriously injured the former House speaker’s husband, Paul.

Though American politics has grown increasingly acrimonious and deeply polarized in recent years, research shows that extremist violence in the United States has actually declined, even though a handful of episodes have drawn widespread attention and alarm. Scholars who study the issue have said that the political climate has not become more broadly violent.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) — Rory McIlroy turned another major collapse into his grandest moment of all, hitting a wedge into 3 feet for birdie in a sudden-death playoff Sunday to finally win the Masters and take his place in golf history as the sixth player to claim the career Grand Slam.

What should have been a coronation for McIlroy along the back nine at Augusta National turned into a heart-racing, lead-changing jaw-dropping finish at golf’s greatest theater that ended with McIlroy on his knees sobbing with joy and disbelief.

“I started to wonder if it would ever be my time,” McIlroy said in Butler Cabin before Scottie Scheffler helped him into the green jacket.

It ended with more heartache for Justin Rose, who lost to Sergio Garcia in a playoff in 2017 and forced this one with a clutch 20-foot birdie on the 18th hole for a 6-under 66. He wound up joining Ben Hogan as the only players to lose twice in playoffs at Augusta National.

McIlroy lost a two-shot lead in two holes at the start. He lost a four-shot lead on the back nine in a matter of three holes with shocking misses, one of them a wedge into the tributary of Rae’s Creek on the par-5 13th.

And right when it looked as though he would blow another major, McIlroy delivered two majestic shots when nothing less would do, two birdies that sent him to the 18th hole with a one-shot lead. That still wasn’t enough. He missed a 5-foot par putt for a 1-over 73 and the first Masters playoff in eight years.

McIlroy’s wedge bounced onto the slope of the top shelf with enough spin to trickle down to 3 feet. And when Rose missed from 15 feet, McIlroy finally sealed it.

McIlroy went 11 long years without a major, knowing the Masters green jacket was all that kept him from joining Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen as the only winners of golf’s four professional majors.

He raised both arms and let the putter fall behind him, and before long he was on his knees, then his forehead on the 18th green as his chest heaved with emotion.

So ended one of the wildest Sundays at a major that is known for them. U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, who beat McIlroy at Pinehurst No. 2 last June, had the lead after two holes when McIlroy opened with a double bogey.

He crashed out with a pair of three-putts and two shots into the water on the back nine, closing with a 75.

Ludvig Aberg, a runner-up in his Masters debut a year ago, suddenly had a share of the lead when McIlroy fell apart on the middle of the back nine. He missed a birdie putt from the fringe to take the lead, then finished bogey-triple bogey.

Rose had every reason to believe he threw away his chances on Saturday with a 75 that put him seven shots behind, and then two bogeys on the front nine. Even as he steadied himself, he was four shots back and running out of time. He did his part in a 10-birdie round and that dynamic birdie putt to cap it off.

McIlroy helped in a big way.

Nothing was more shocking than the 13th. McIlroy played it safe, leaving himself a big target and a lob wedge. He missed his mark by some 20 yards, the ball disappearing into the tributary of Rae’s Creek and leading to double bogey.

Then came a tee shot into the pine straw that led to another bogey, and the lead was gone again. But he was resilient as ever — he’s been like that his entire career. Seemingly in trouble left of the 15th fairway, McIlroy hit 7-iron around the trees and onto the green to 6 feet.

He missed the eagle putt — the birdie still helped him regain a share of the lead. Two holes later, facing a semi-blind shot, he drilled 8-iron and chased after it, urging it to “Go! Go! Go! Go!” And it did, barely clearing the bunker and rolling out to 2 feet for birdie and a one-shot lead.

Turns out that wasn’t enough either. He hit into a bunker from the fairway. He missed the 5-foot putt for the win. There was more work to do. But the 35-year-old from Northern Ireland never wavered in what he came to Augusta National to do.

He leaves with a green jacket.

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Just a month ago, Anthony Edwards said Timberwolves players “all thought” they were play-in bound.

“We just knew it was gonna happen,” he said.

It sure felt like it at the time. Back-to-back losses at the end of February to the Lakers and Utah left the Wolves just three game above .500. That’s a play-in team in the Western Conference.

But Minnesota managed to flip the script over the final six weeks of the campaign, winning 17 of its final 21 games — the most recent of which came as a 116-105 win Sunday at home over Utah — to sneak into the top six.

The Wolves are the No. 6 seed and will face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs. The series will start next weekend in Los Angeles, with the exact date and time of Game 1 still to be announced.

“I told the guys, (I was) super proud of their body of work this year,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “We didn’t make a big trade in the middle of the season to sort things out. We didn’t fire coaches to try to sort things out. They sorted it out themselves. Those guys made the right adjustments and sacrifices, and they figured out who they needed to be as a team. We’ve still got a lot in front of us, but all credit to those guys because it mattered to them to figure out, and we did, and they did.”

The Wolves did so over the weekend, handling downtrodden Brooklyn and Utah.

The Jazz were far more competitive. Minnesota’s lead was just one at the break on Sunday. But Edwards exploded for 18 of his 43 points in the third frame to give Minnesota ample breathing room and effectively punch the team’s fourth consecutive ticket to the playoffs.

Edwards hit seven 3s in the win, giving him the NBA 3-point title this season. The guard hit 320 triples this season, one more than Pistons guard Malik Beasley. Edwards said he was “super excited” about the league-leading mark.

“A little reminiscent of the other day in Memphis,” Finch said of the third frame. “I kind of felt going in we needed to clean up some game-plan stuff. I thought we were a little loose on some game-plan stuff and made some adjustments, and guys did a good job of carrying that out to the floor. We were able to get out and run. We had some transition stuff coming out of our defense at the right time. We needed that.”

Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo admitted some players even felt the Wolves were destined for the play-in tournament after they blew a 24-point fourth quarter lead in Milwaukee on Thursday. But a door was re-opened when Golden State was upset by San Antonio on Wednesday.

“We were fortunate enough to have other teams lose, as well,” DiVincenzo said. “We just knew we had to handle business, and that was our focus.”

It was fitting even that Minnesota’s final week featured a little adversity. It wouldn’t be the Wolves if there wasn’t a bump in the road. But they managed to navigate that one, as well, to conclude a rocky season on a high that can carry them into the playoffs.

“Just overcoming adversity, keep our belief in ourselves and in one another. Trusting the process,” Wolves center Rudy Gobert said. “We knew that when I got here it was a process. It was a lot of adversity and we learned how to overcome that and get better from that. This time, after the (preseason) trade, I think our team became a little bit different. We had to all, individually and collectively, learn how to adjust to one another and get better. We went through some adversity, but we stayed with it. I think everything that we went through as a team just got us closer together and got us, mentally, more resilient.”

Now they’ll head into a Lakers series in which they’ll be an underdog as they try to topple two of the league’s elite talents, but armed with the knowledge that they aren’t likely to crumble under the weight of any presented challenge.

“I think this locker room is really connected, from the youngest to the oldest guy on the team, everybody is communicating with each other, and everybody can hold each other accountable,” Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo said. “I think that’s huge. We’re going to need it going forward, because everything only gets harder.”

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