Trump faces twin crises: ICE shootings and legal defeat

Two men have been shot dead by ICE agents in separate incidents in Maine and Texas, raising questions about the tactics used by immigration officers and bringing back a big political problem for Donald Trump, the BBC’s North America editor Sarah Smith has reported. The deaths come as the president also suffered a legal defeat in an unprecedented battle with his own government, a ruling that experts warn could have notable repercussions. On Monday, a federal judge in Florida ruled that Trump and his legal team had improperly used a $10bn (£7.4bn) lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to extract personal benefits from the government. In a 56-page report reprimanding the deal, Judge Kathleen Williams said Trump’s initial filing of the lawsuit was an attempt to gain “judicial legitimacy for a ‘settlement’ that had no viable basis in law or fact”. The twin developments threaten to alienate key swing voters as the president faces a growing backlash on one of the biggest issues he ran his election campaign on. The video report, produced by Cai Pigliucci, filmed by Ian Druce and edited by Meiying Wu, highlights how the ICE shootings are impacting Trump’s popularity. The legal battle, meanwhile, could further erode support among moderates who are already uneasy about the administration’s approach to immigration enforcement. With both controversies unfolding simultaneously, the White House is confronting a volatile political landscape that shows no sign of calming.