Trump administration’s decision to end DACA is temporarily blocked by a judge

SANFRANCISCO — A federal judge on Tuesday night temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s decision to end a program protecting young immigrants from deportation.

U.S. District Judge William Alsup granted a request by California and other plaintiffs to prevent President Donald Trump from ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program while their lawsuits play out in court.

Judge Alsup said lawyers in favor of DACA clearly demonstrated that the young immigrants “were likely to suffer serious, irreparable harm” without court action. The judge also said the lawyers have a strong chance of succeeding at trial.

DACA has protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who overstayed visas. The program includes hundreds of thousands of college-age students.

U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in September that the program would be phased out, saying former President Barack Obama had exceeded his authority when he implemented it in 2012.

The judge’s ruling came on the same day that Mr. Trump suggested that an immigration agreement could be reached in two phases — first by addressing young immigrants and border security with what he called a “bill of love,” then by making comprehensive changes that have long eluded Congress.

Gerrymandering in N.C.

A panel of federal judges struck down North Carolina’s congressional map on Tuesday, declaring it unconstitutionally gerrymandered and demanding that the Republican-controlled General Assembly redraw district lines before this year’s midterm elections.

The ruling was the first time that a federal court had blocked a congressional map because the judges believed it to be a partisan gerrymander, and it deepened the political chaos that has enveloped North Carolina in recent years.

AT&T fears Chinese spying

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei had been looking for a way to crack into the U.S. market, and it thought it had finally found a partner in Dallas-based carrier AT&T.

But plans of a business deal evaporated this week after concerns about security and ties to the Chinese government, according to reports by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. According to the reports, AT&T has decided not to carry Huawei’s smartphones. Both reports cited unnamed sources. AT&T declined comment. Huawei’s plans for growth in the U.S. led to heightened scrutiny by Congress. A group of lawmakers wrote a letter to the Federal Communications Commission in December, saying Congress has “long been concerned about Chinese espionage in general, and Huawei’s role in that espionage in particular,” according to the Times’ report. It said the business deal could make the company’s smartphones more common in the U.S. and put the country at risk if government officials start to use them.

Gators on ice

CHARLOTTE,N.C. — A North Carolina swamp park has posted a video explaining how alligators survive in a frozen pond, and it’s both creepy and bizarre.

The cold-blooded animals essentially allow themselves to be frozen in place, with their noses just above the surface, according to a video posted on Facebook by Shallotte River Swamp Park in Ocean Isle Beach. That’s about 200 miles east of Charlotte.

What passersby see is noses and teeth – really big teeth – sticking out of the ice. That ice formed last week when a massive “bomb cyclone” storm blew up the coastline, bringing record lows. The family-owned outdoor adventure park’s “alligators on ice” video has received tens of thousands of views on Facebook.

The alligators seem to instinctively know when the water is about to freeze, according to a spokesman for the park. They respond by sticking their nose above the surface at just the right moment, allowing the water to freeze around them.

As for what happens if someone steps on a frozen alligator, experts said it’s not likely the animal will react. At least not while the water is still frozen around them.

Arpaio’s Senate bid

PHOENIX— Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was spared a possible jail sentence last year when his political ally President Donald Trump pardoned his criminal conviction for disobeying a judge’s order, announced Tuesday he plans to run for the U.S. Senate seat now held by Jeff Flake.

The 85-year-old lawman tweeted he is seeking the post to support Mr. Trump’s policies.

Mr. Arpaio was found last year guilty of criminal contempt of court for intentionally disobeying a federal judge’s 2011 order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

The retired sheriff did not immediately return a phone message left Tuesday by The Associated Press.