President Donald Trump has changed his mind again on mass deportation by ordering the resumption of raids targeting work sites in the agriculture and hospitality industries, just days after officials halted them under pressure from big business.

Trump’s Department of Homeland Security reversed the brief pause in raids on farms, meatpacking plants and hotels that was implemented last week after the president vowed to make “big changes” in his mass deportation push to spare those industries that employ millions of undocumented immigrants.

The situation has left business owners unclear on exactly what the Trump policy is.

“There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” said Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokeswoman, referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The changes reflect the big divisions within Trump’s political coalition and his administration over his stated goal to deport millions of undocumented immigrants, including the large amount of low-wage workers who are mainstays of American farms, food-processing plants, hotels and restaurants, among other essential service and manufacturing industries.

Warring interest groups and advisers, like big business and right-wing populists, are battling for Trump’s ear on immigration. He has lurched between contradictory positions like at times saying he wants to deport anyone who came to the U.S. without proper documentation while at other times suggesting that he is only interested in snaring violent criminals or gang members.

Last week, Trump drew immediate backlash from even his most fervent supporters after he acknowledged that his hard-line policies were hurting certain industries that rely on immigrant labor, like farming, hotels and restaurants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials then issued a directive pausing most raids on those work sites to align with Trump’s position.

FDA promises faster drug approvals

U.S. regulators will begin offering faster reviews to new medicines that administration officials deem as promoting “the health interests of Americans,” under a new initiative announced Tuesday.

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency will aim to review select drugs in one to two months. FDA’s long-standing accelerated approval program generally issues decisions in six months for drugs that treat life-threatening diseases. Regular drug reviews take about 10 months.

Since arriving at the FDA in April, Makary has repeatedly told FDA staff they need to “challenge assumptions” and rethink procedures. In a medical journal commentary published last week, Makary suggested the agency could conduct “rapid or instant reviews,” pointing to the truncated process used to authorize the first COVID-19 vaccines under Operation Warp Speed.

Trump seen giving TikTok another reprieve

President Donald Trump suggested on Tuesday that he would likely extend a deadline for TikTok’s Chinese owner to divest the popular video sharing app.

Trump had signed an order in early April to keep TikTok running for another 75 days after a potential deal to sell the app to American owners was put on ice.

“Probably yeah, yeah,” he responded when asked by reporters on Air Force One whether the deadline would be extended again.

Trump also said he thinks Xi would “ultimately approve” a deal to divest TikTok’s business in the United States.

He indicated in an interview last month with NBC that he would be open to pushing back the deadline again.

If announced, it would be the third time Trump has extended the deadline.

Judge orders health funds restored to cities

A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from clawing back millions in public health funding from four Democrat-led municipalities in GOP-governed states.

It’s the second such federal ruling to reinstate public health funding.

U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington, D.C., issued a preliminary injunction Tuesday sought by district attorneys in Harris County, Texas, home to Houston, and three cities: Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tenn., and Kansas City, Mo. The decision means the federal government must reinstate funding to the four municipalities until the case is fully litigated.

“The federal government cannot simply ignore Congress and pull the plug on essential services,” Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee said. “Today’s decision ensures we can keep doing the work that protects our residents — from tracking disease outbreaks to providing vaccinations and supporting vulnerable families.”

Their lawsuit, filed in late April, alleged $11 billion in cuts to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention programs that had been approved by Congress are being unconstitutionally withheld. They also argued the administration’s actions violate Department of Health and Human Services regulations.

Texas will no longer fund border wall

Texas has stopped putting new money toward building a U.S.-Mexico border wall, shifting course after installing only a fraction of the hundreds of miles of potential barrier that Republican Gov. Greg Abbott set out to construct four years ago.

State lawmakers approved a new Texas budget that does not include continued funding for the wall, which had been a multibillion-dollar priority for Abbott as part of a sprawling immigration crackdown. He even took the unusual step of soliciting private donations for construction, saying in 2021 that many Americans wanted to help.

On Tuesday, Abbott’s office said President Donald Trump’s aggressive efforts to curb immigration allowed the state to adjust.

— From news services