The man who slung a sandwich at a federal agent in Washington, D.C., and was unwittingly transformed into an opposition symbol of President Trump’s local crime crackdown has been found not guilty of misdemeanor assault after a trial.  

A jury handed down the not guilty verdict Thursday against Sean Dunn, a former Department of Justice (DOJ) employee who hurled a hoagie after confronting a group of officers patrolling a popular nightlife area of the nation’s capital.

The acquittal marks an embarrassing loss for federal prosecutors, who pursued the misdemeanor charge after a grand jury refused to return an indictment on the felony assault count they initially sought.  

U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, the Trump appointed judge overseeing the case, said he expected the trial to last no more than two days and called it “the simplest case in the world.” 

But the trial dragged on three days, and the jury deliberated for part of both Wednesday and Thursday before Dunn was ultimately acquitted.

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The US supreme court appeared skeptical of the legal basis of the Trump administration’s sweeping global tariff regime on Wednesday after justices questioned the president’s authority to impose the levies.

Justices heard oral arguments on Wednesday morning on the legality of Donald Trump’s tariffs , a crucial legal test of his controversial economic strategy – and power.

Even conservative justices sounded doubtful of the strength of the Trump administration’s position. “The vehicle is the imposition of taxes on Americans, and that has always been a core power of Congress,” said Chief Justice John Roberts.

In a series of executive orders issued earlier this year, Donald Trump cited the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA, a 1977 law which in some circumstances grants the president authority to regulate or prohibit international transactions during a national emergency, as he slapped steep duties on imports into the US.

The supreme court – controlled by a rightwing supermajority crafted by Trump – is reviewing whether IEEPA grants the president the authority to levy a tariff, a word not mentioned in the law. Congress is granted sole authority under the constitution to levy taxes. The court has until the end of its term, in July 2026, to issue a ruling on the case.

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Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration began taking shape on Wednesday as the New York City mayor-elect announced a transition team to help enact what he called the city’s most ambitious policy platform in a generation, vowing to get right to work when he takes office on 1 January.

Speaking at a morning press conference in Queens, the 34-year-old democratic socialist revealed an all-female transition team led by Elana Leopold as executive director. It also includes co-chairs Maria Torres-Springer, the former first deputy mayor; Lina Khan, the former federal trade commission chair; the United Way’s president and CEO, Grace Bonilla; and the former deputy mayor for health and human services Melanie Hartzog.

“In the coming months, I and my team will build a city hall capable of delivering on the promises of this campaign,” Mamdani told reporters. “We will form an administration that is equal parts capable and compassionate, driven by integrity and willing to work just as hard as the millions of New Yorkers who call this city home.”

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Zohran Mamdani has won the race for New York City mayor, according to Decision Desk HQ, ushering in a new era of progressive politics in the city and reigniting the debate over the Democratic Party’s future.

Mamdani, a 34-year-old democratic socialist, is poised to become the first millennial and first Muslim to lead New York City, after a campaign that pulled off one of the most stunning political upsets in recent memory. He defeated former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who mounted a long-shot independent bid after losing to Mamdani in the Democratic primary, and Republican Curtis Sliwa in his bid to succeed Mayor Eric Adams.

Mamdani focused heavily on affordability, pledging to freeze rent, establish city-owned grocery stores and make buses free for riders. He quickly became a progressive icon as well as a polarizing figure within the party over his positions, so much so that it divided prominent New York Democratic leadership over whether to endorse him.

One of the biggest flash points in the race, however, centered on his views on the Israel-Hamas conflict.

Mamdani was heavily criticized for not initially condemning the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Though the New York State Assembly member has not used the term, pro-Israel activists say it risks inciting violence against Zionists and Jews, while pro-Palestinian activists equate it largely with Palestinian liberation.

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