The Trump administration branded Chicago a “war zone” Sunday as a justification for deploying soldiers against the will of local Democratic officials, while a judge blocked the White House from sending troops to another Democrat-run city.

An escalating political crisis across the country pits President Donald Trump´s anti-crime and migration crackdown against opposition Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.

In the newest flashpoint, Trump late Saturday authorised deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, despite the opposition of elected leaders, including the mayor and state Governor JB Pritzker.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended the move on Sunday, claiming on Fox News that Chicago is “a war zone.”

But Pritzker, speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union” show, accused Republicans of aiming to sow “mayhem on the ground. They want to create the war zone, so that they can send in even more troops.”

In a statement, the governor called the proposed deployment “Trump´s invasion,” saying “there is no reason” to send troops into Illinois or any other state without the “knowledge, consent, or cooperation” of local officials.

A CBS poll released Sunday found that 58% of Americans oppose deploying the National Guard to cities.

Trump — who last Tuesday spoke of using the military for a “war from within” — shows no sign of backing off his hardline campaign.

On Sunday, he falsely claimed that “Portland is burning to the ground. It´s insurrectionists all over the place.”

Key ally Mike Johnson, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives, echoed the president´s rhetoric Sunday, telling NBC that National Guard troops deployed in the US capital, Washington, had responded to a “literal war zone” — a characterisation at odds with reality.

No to ‘martial law’

Trump’s campaign to use the military on home soil hit a roadblock late Saturday in Portland, Oregon, when a court ruled the deployment was unlawful.

Trump has repeatedly called Portland “war-ravaged,” but US District Judge Karin Immergut issued a temporary block, saying “the president´s determination was simply untethered to the facts.”

“This is a nation of Constitutional law, not martial law,” Immergut wrote in her ruling.

Although Portland has seen scattered attacks on federal officers and property, the Trump administration failed to demonstrate “that those episodes of violence were part of an organised attempt to overthrow the government as a whole” — thereby justifying military force, she said.

One of Trump´s key advisors, Stephen Miller, called the judge´s order “legal insurrection.”

Another court order issued late Sunday blocked the deployment of National Guard soldiers from other states, according to Oregon´s attorney general and California Governor Gavin Newsom, who earlier announced he was suing to stop the mobilisation.

“A federal judge BLOCKED Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to DEPLOY 300 OF OUR NATIONAL GUARD TROOPS TO PORTLAND,” said Newsom, whose press office has deliberately copied the president´s abrasive, all-capitals style.

“Trump’s abuse of power won’t stand,” Newsom added.

• Measures taken under Saudi Vision 2030: Ministry of Hajj, Umrah
• Adds initiative reflects Kingdom’s vision to facilitate Muslims.
• Nusuk Umrah platform launched for aspirants of direct Umrah.
  

Saudi Arabia’s authorities permitted holders of various types of visas to perform Umrah during their stay in the kingdom under the Saudi Vision 2030.

“All holders of visas of various types can perform Umrah during their stay in the kingdom,” the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah has confirmed in a statement.

The Ministry stated that the visas cover multiple categories, including personal and family visit visas, electronic tourist visas, transit or stopover visas, work permits, and other types can visit Makkah to perfrom Umrah.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah added that the initiative reflects the Kingdom’s ongoing commitment to facilitating the arrival of Muslims from across the globe, enabling them to perform their religious duties with comfort and peace of mind.

“This comes as part of the Ministry’s efforts to facilitate procedures for the guests of Allah and to expand the number of beneficiaries of the services provided within the Hajj and Umrah system, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030,” it said in the statement.

The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah added that it has recently launched the “Nusuk Umrah” platform for those wishing to perform Umrah directly. Through the platform, users can select a suitable package and issue an Umrah permit electronically with ease, in an integrated digital experience that allows booking services and selecting preferred times with great flexibility.

“These facilitative measures reflect the keenness of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince — may Allah protect them — to enable Muslims to visit the Two Holy Mosques and perform their rituals in a spiritual and safe environment, while providing the finest services that enrich the experience of the guests of Allah and make their faith journey easier.”

• Lescure’s nomination is a nod to the left.
• Far right, hard left threaten to bring down govt.
• France unbowed MPs renew call for election.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Sunday named Roland Lescure, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, as finance minister in a new government that political rivals threatened to topple quickly if it failed to break with past Macron policies.

Lescure, who was swift to rally behind Macron when he first ran for the presidency in 2017, briefly spent time in the Socialist Party early in his career. While his nomination was widely seen as a nod to the left ahead of further delicate cross-party budget negotiations, left-wing lawmakers were unimpressed.

Budget talks have grown increasingly fraught, requiring delicate trade-offs between three ideologically opposed blocs — Macron’s ruling centrist minority, the far right and the left — which can bring down the minority government if they unite against it.

Lawmakers from the hard-left France Unbowed party said a no-confidence motion would be filed immediately. The first big test for Lecornu, 39, Macron’s fifth prime minister in two years, will be a speech on Tuesday outlining his policy programme.

Budget crisis

Lecornu’s two predecessors, Francois Bayrou and Michel Barnier, were brought down by parliament over efforts to rein in France’s public spending at a time when ratings agencies and investors are closely watching the country’s fiscal deficit, the largest in the euro zone.

Lecornu has said he appreciates the calls for a break from the past eight years under Macron’s leadership. His political opponents said Macron’s latest cabinet represented continuity.

“We made it clear to the Prime Minister: It’s either a break with the past or a vote of no confidence. The government announced this evening … is all about continuity and absolutely nothing about the break with the past that the French people demand,” Jordan Bardella, president of the nationalist National Rally party, wrote on X.

Hard-left lawmaker Eric Coquerel wrote on X: “For the third time since the July 2024 elections, Emmanuel Macron is once again imposing on us a government of losers and policies that have been rejected at the ballot box.”

Le Marine Returns to Government

Former finance minister Bruno Le Maire, who oversaw France’s “whatever it costs” response to the COVID-19 pandemic, was appointed defence minister. He will now shape French thinking on how Europe should bolster European security as US President Donald Trump demands the European Union do more to support Ukraine.

Several key ministers remained in their posts, including Jean-Noel Barrot at the foreign ministry, Bruno Retailleau at the interior and Gerald Darmanin at justice.

Underlining the government’s fragility, Retailleau, a conservative, expressed discontent at the distribution of portfolios among ruling alliance partners and called an emergency party meeting on Monday.

France Unbowed lawmakers reiterated their call for a presidential election — something Macron has ruled out.

Courting The Socialists 

Lescure, 58, will face a tough balancing act: securing either support or abstention from the Socialists, while preserving Macron’s pro-business legacy and keeping conservatives and liberals on board.

The Franco-Canadian and former senior executive at Natixis Asset Management will also need to be mindful of the far right’s budget sensitivities, given their readiness to try toppling the government once more.

To win over the Socialists, Lecornu has proposed a wealth tax long demanded by the left, and ruled out using special powers to push the budget through parliament without a vote. They have so far called his overtures insufficient.

“Without a change in policy, the Socialists will vote against the government,” Socialist Party Secretary General Pierre Jouvet told BFM TV.