June 11

Vance visits Rupert Murdoch's ranch and meets News Corp executives

Vice President JD Vance visited the Montana ranch of media mogul Rupert Murdoch on June 11, 2025, meeting with Murdoch and News Corp executives including Lachlan Murdoch. The visit was not announced in advance and came during Vance's Montana trip for the Rockbridge Network conference; Murdoch's Fox Corporation and News Corp remain the dominant conservative media platforms, and the meeting reflected the administration's management of its relationship with the Murdoch media empire.

Clearview AI scrapes 60 billion faces to build database ending anonymous public life

Clearview AI announces its facial recognition database has surpassed 60 billion images scraped from public social media, news sites, and the open web — enough to identify virtually any American who has ever posted a photo online. CEO Hoan Ton-That says the database is deployed across over 2,200 law enforcement agencies in the US and dozens of governments abroad. NIST accuracy tests show Clearview's error rate for Black women is significantly higher than for white men. Clearview is banned in several countries and faces ongoing FTC and state AG investigations in the US. Civil liberties groups warn the database functionally ends the ability to exist anonymously in public spaces.

Press secretary dodges questions about Trump's auto-pen investigation order

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to answer questions about President Trump's reported order to investigate the use of auto-pen signature devices during the Biden administration, following claims that some executive orders may have been signed without Biden's personal knowledge. Reporters pressed Leavitt on whether the investigation was being conducted by DOJ or a special counsel and what legal standard would determine whether auto-pen signatures constituted invalid executive actions.

Clearview AI scrapes 60 billion faces, ending anonymous public life

Clearview AI disclosed in a federal court filing that its database had grown to 60 billion facial images scraped from social media, news sites, and public web sources without consent, enabling identification of virtually any person photographed in a public setting. Legal experts testified the database effectively ended the practical anonymity that Americans had historically enjoyed in public spaces. The disclosure came during a class action lawsuit challenging the scraping as a violation of state biometric privacy laws.

Justice Department launches denaturalization unit aimed at 25 million citizens

The Justice Department Civil Division announced the creation of a dedicated denaturalization unit, with Acting Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate stating the unit would review the citizenship of 25 million naturalized Americans for potential revocation proceedings. The announcement marked the largest expansion of denaturalization since the post-World War II era. Immigration attorneys warned the scope far exceeded the unit's stated focus on fraud cases, encompassing citizenship granted to individuals who had never been accused of any wrongdoing.

Pentagon deploys Marines to Los Angeles under the Insurrection Act for surveillance

The Pentagon deployed Marine Corps units to Los Angeles under Insurrection Act authority, granting them powers to conduct surveillance operations alongside ICE during immigration enforcement actions. The deployment marked the first Insurrection Act invocation for domestic immigration enforcement in modern history. California Governor Gavin Newsom immediately challenged the deployment in federal court, arguing it violated the Tenth Amendment and the constitutional limits of the Insurrection Act.

EPA Administrator Zeldin repeals the Clean Power Plan and carbon limits on power plants

EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin issued a final rule eliminating the Clean Power Plan and its successor regulations, removing all federal carbon dioxide emission limits on existing power plants. The rollback reversed rules that had survived multiple court challenges and represented the primary federal mechanism for reducing electricity sector greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups immediately filed suit arguing the rollback violated the Clean Air Act's endangerment finding, which legally compelled EPA to regulate greenhouse gases.

Leavitt refuses to clarify Laura Loomer's White House role

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt declined to answer repeated questions from reporters about Laura Loomer's official or unofficial role at the White House, following reports that Loomer had attended internal security briefings and influenced personnel decisions. Loomer, a far-right commentator who had been banned from multiple social media platforms for hate speech, had no formal government appointment. Reporters asked whether Loomer held a security clearance or had access to classified information.

Hunter Biden convicted on three felony gun charges first child of a sitting president convicted

A Delaware jury convicts Hunter Biden on all three felony counts related to his 2018 purchase of a revolver while allegedly addicted to crack cocaine, lying on a federal firearms form (two counts) and illegally possessing the weapon as a drug user. He becomes the first child of a sitting U.S. president ever convicted of a crime. President Biden, through a spokesperson, says he accepts the verdict and will not pardon his son. The conviction draws political attention to Hunter's 2024 memoir excerpts and messages from his laptop, which prosecutors use as evidence. Hunter faces a separate federal tax case in California.

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Menendez defense fund donor is convicted in bribery case

On June 11, 2024, New Jersey businessman Fred Daibes was convicted in a bank fraud case while also facing separate federal bribery charges involving Sen. Bob Menendez. The case highlighted how donor, business and political networks can overlap in federal corruption investigations.

Delaware jury convicts Hunter Biden on three federal gun charges

A Delaware federal jury convicted Hunter Biden on all three felony counts related to his purchase of a revolver in 2018 while allegedly addicted to crack cocaine. Biden became the first child of a sitting president convicted of a federal crime. Prosecutors argued he lied on a federal firearms form by stating he was not a drug user; the defense contended the government targeted him for political reasons.

Biden attends first G7 summit announces Build Back Better World infrastructure initiative

President Biden attends his first G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, England, his first overseas trip as president. Leaders formally endorse a new global infrastructure initiative, "Build Back Better World," as a democratic alternative to China's Belt and Road Initiative. G7 leaders agree to commit one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to lower-income nations. Biden holds bilateral meetings with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, French President Emmanuel Macron, and other leaders. The summit focuses on pandemic recovery, climate change, and coordinated response to China's economic practices.

Trump sanctions ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda under IEEPA — the first US sanctions on an international court

President Trump signed Executive Order 13928 on June 11, 2020, directing Treasury to freeze the assets and ban the travel of ICC officials pursuing investigations that could affect US or Israeli personnel. Treasury designated ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda and Phakiso Mochochoko, head of the ICC's Jurisdiction Division, under IEEPA. The sanctions marked the first time the United States had imposed economic coercive measures against an international judicial institution and its personnel.

AG Sessions issues Matter of A-B restricting asylum for domestic violence and gang violence victims

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issues a precedent decision in Matter of A-B- (27 I&N Dec. 316), reversing a prior BIA ruling and holding that victims of domestic violence and gang violence generally do not qualify for asylum based on membership in a particular social group. The decision instructs immigration judges to apply a more restrictive standard when adjudicating social group claims. Advocacy organizations file nationwide challenges. Federal courts later enjoin portions of the policy.

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Sessions issues Matter of A-B-, restricting domestic-violence asylum claims

Attorney General Jeff Sessions certified Matter of A-B- to himself and issued a sweeping decision on June 11, 2018 that overruled Matter of A-R-C-G- and held that domestic violence and gang violence victims generally do not qualify for asylum as members of a particular social group. Sessions used the AG self-certification power — an unchecked authority allowing the AG to personally overrule the Board of Immigration Appeals — to reshape asylum law without congressional action. The decision instructed immigration judges nationwide to apply the new standard immediately.

SCOTUS upholds Ohio voter purge process in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute 5-4

The Supreme Court rules 5-4 in Husted v. A. Philip Randolph Institute (584 U.S. 627, 2018) that Ohio's process for removing voters from registration rolls does not violate the NVRA. Ohio's "supplemental process" identifies potential non-residents via undeliverable confirmation notices and then removes them after four years of non-voting. Justice Alito's majority holds that the NVRA permits states to use multi-factor assessments and does not mandate indefinitely keeping inactive registrations. Dissenters, led by Justice Sotomayor, warn the process erroneous purges eligible but disengaged voters.

Sessions issues Matter of A-B-, barring asylum for domestic violence survivors

Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued Matter of A-B- on June 11, 2018, overturning a Board of Immigration Appeals precedent and ruling that domestic violence and gang violence survivors generally cannot qualify for asylum in the United States. Sessions invoked his statutory authority to certify immigration cases to himself and issue binding precedents, holding that claims based on "private violence" perpetrated by non-government actors fall outside the protected social groups recognized under asylum law. The decision reversed asylum granted to a Salvadoran domestic violence survivor, directly affecting tens of thousands of pending and future Central American asylum cases.

Truman signs Administrative Procedure Act

President Harry Truman signed the Administrative Procedure Act on June 11, 1946, after both chambers passed it without dissent. The APA set the rules every federal agency must follow when issuing regulations, including public notice and comment, written findings, and judicial review. The statute became the foundational charter for the administrative state and the procedural anchor every later court ruling on agency power would cite.