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PORTLAND, Ore. — Federal immigration agents shot and wounded two people in a vehicle outside a hospital in Portland on Thursday, a day after an officer fatally shot a woman in Minnesota, authorities said.

The shooting drew hundreds of protesters to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building at night, and Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield vowed to investigate “whether any federal officer acted outside the scope of their lawful authority” and refer criminal charges to the prosecutor’s office if warranted.

The Department of Homeland Security said the vehicle’s passenger was “a Venezuelan illegal alien affiliated with the transnational Tren de Aragua prostitution ring” who was involved in a recent shooting in the city. When agents identified themselves to the occupants during a “targeted vehicle stop” in the afternoon, the driver tried to run them over, the department said in a statement.

“Fearing for his life and safety, an agent fired a defensive shot,” it said. “The driver drove off with the passenger, fleeing the scene.”

There was no immediate independent corroboration of that account or of any gang affiliation of the vehicle’s occupants. During prior shootings involving agents from President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdowns in U.S. cities, including the fatal one Wednesday in Minneapolis, video evidence has cast doubt on the administration’s characterizations of what prompted the shootings.

Trump and his allies have consistently blamed the Tren de Aragua gang for being at the root of violence and drug dealing in some U.S. cities.

The Portland shooting escalates tensions in a city that has long had a contentious relationship with Trump, including due to his recent failed effort to deploy National Guard troops there. The city saw long-running nightly protests outside the ICE building.

According to the Portland Police bureau, officers initially responded to a report of a shooting outside Adventist Health hospital at 2:18 p.m. Thursday.

A few minutes later, police received information that a man who had been shot was asking for help in a residential area a couple of miles away. Officers went there and found a man and a woman with gunshot wounds. Officers determined that they were injured in the shooting with federal agents, police said.

Their conditions were not immediately known. Portland police said officers applied a tourniquet to one of them.

City Council President Elana Pirtle-Guiney said during a meeting that “as far as we know, both of these individuals are still alive, and we are hoping for more positive updates throughout the afternoon.”

At a nighttime news conference, Police Chief Bob Day said the FBI was leading the investigation and he had no details about the events that led to the shooting.

Mayor Keith Wilson and the City Council called on ICE to end all operations in Oregon’s largest city until a full investigation is completed.

“We stand united as elected officials in saying that we cannot sit by while constitutional protections erode and bloodshed mounts,” they said in a statement. “Portland is not a ‘training ground’ for militarized agents, and the ‘full force’ threatened by the administration has deadly consequences.”

Wilson also suggested at a news conference that he does not necessarily believe the federal government’s account of the shooting: “There was a time we could take them at their word. That time is long past.”

Democratic State Sen. Kayse Jama, who lives near where it took place, said Oregon is a welcoming state — but he told federal agents to leave.

“You are not welcome,” Jama said. “You need to get the hell out of Oregon.”

The city officials said “federal militarization undermines effective, community‑based public safety, and it runs counter to the values that define our region. We’ll use every legal and legislative tool available to protect our residents’ civil and human rights.”

They urged residents to show up with “calm and purpose during this difficult time.”

Several dozen people gathered in the evening near the scene where police found the wounded people.

“It’s just been chaos,” said one, Anjalyssa Jones. “The community is trying to get answers.”

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, an Oregon Democrat, urged protesters to remain peaceful.

“Trump wants to generate riots,” he said on the social platform X. “Don’t take the bait.”

WASHINGTON — The White House said Thursday that it was not feasible to save the East Wing because of structural issues, past decay and other major concerns as officials shared details of President Donald Trump’s planned ballroom at a public meeting of the commission charged with approving it.

Josh Fisher, director of the White House Office of Administration, said an unstable colonnade, water leakage, mold contamination and other problems made it more economical to tear down the East Wing to make room for the $400 million ballroom than to renovate it.

“Because of this and other factors, the cost analysis proved that demolition and reconstruction provided the lowest total cost ownership and most effective long-term strategy,” Fisher told members of the National Capital Planning Commission.

It was the most comprehensive explanation to date for the dramatic demolition of the East Wing, which caused a public stir when it began in October with little advance notice.

The commission’s chairman, Will Scharf, who is also a top White House official, said he thought the project would ultimately be approved.

The project’s architect, Shalom Baranes, joined Fisher to provide a high-level view of the proposal to the commission. Baranes showed the panel renderings of the ballroom and views of the White House complex from the north and south with the addition.

Baranes said the design could include adding a second story to the West Wing colonnade to help make the White House more uniform with the new ballroom on the east side. But such a step would also dramatically alter the iconic space outside the Oval Office.

Fisher and Baranes said the project includes more than just a ballroom, and will also streamline visitor access to the White House and make unspecified improvements to Lafayette Park across the street.

Some of the 12 commissioners raised concerns, most vocally Democrat Phil Mendelson, who asked several questions about the ballroom’s size and location and whether those might change going forward. Baranes said “anything’s possible,” but added that the plans had been thoroughly studied.

Mendelson, who is also chairman of the D.C. Council, asked if the planned ceiling height of 38 to 40 feet could still be lowered before the final structure is finished and received assurances that the number wasn’t fully set. “It still seems to me it’s overwhelming the existing building,” Mendelson said.

Baranes said the idea would be to build the ballroom’s height to ensure it matches the rest of the White House. “The heights will match exactly,” he said.

Scharf listened to those and other questions Mendelson raised. Upon completion, however, the ballroom is expected to be larger than the rest of the existing White House.

Mendelson also asked why the project hadn’t been presented in its entirety to the commission before the East Wing was demolished. Fisher said some aspects of the ballroom construction were of a “top secret nature” and needed to be dealt with.

Scharf repeated his past assertions that the planning commission doesn’t usually have jurisdiction over site work and demolition on any project, including at the White House.

After the meeting, he expressed confidence that the project will receive the go-ahead.

“I certainly, based on the presentation today, I fully expect that the commission will … approve this project,” Scharf told reporters. “I think you just saw a very positive response to these preliminary drawings.” He acknowledged Mendelson’s concerns and suggested they would be addressed.

Only commissioners were allowed to ask questions and offer feedback at the meeting. A more formal review, including public testimony and votes, is expected after the White House submits a more detailed proposal. The panel’s next meeting is Feb. 5.

Before the meeting adjourned, Scharf argued that the White House needed a larger, more elegant space for major functions. He recalled visiting Windsor Castle last year with Trump and said, that when the president likely hosts King Charles III of Great Britain, “more likely than not, he will be hosted in a tent on the South Lawn with porta-potties.”

Scharf also said after the meeting that the commission is interested in more than whether the ballroom is a good idea. He said their concerns extend to how it affects the White House visitor experience and how the building fits in with others in the area and across the city.

Plans only recently offered

The White House in December submitted its ballroom plans to the commission, which is one of two federal panels that review construction on federal land — usually before ground is broken. The National Trust for Historic Preservation has sued to halt construction of the ballroom, accusing the Trump administration of violating federal laws by proceeding before submitting the project for the independent reviews, congressional approval and public comment.

Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the Trust, said in a statement afterward that the White House presentation was a “good and necessary first step.” She urged the administration to comply with all legally required review and approval processes before starting construction.

A summary on the commission’s website said the purpose of the “East Wing Modernization Project” is to “establish a permanent, secure event space within the White House grounds” that provides increased capacity for official state functions, eliminates reliance on temporary tents and support facilities, and “protects the historic integrity and cultural landscape of the White House and its grounds.”

A comprehensive design plan for the White House prepared in 2000 identified the “need for expanded event space to address growing visitor demand and provide a venue suitable for significant events,” the summary said. It added that successive administrations had “recognized this need as an ongoing priority.”

Ballroom’s size and scope has grown

Trump, a Republican serving his second term, has been talking about building a White House ballroom for years. Last July, the White House announced a 90,000-square-foot space would be built on the east side of the complex to accommodate 650 seated guests at a then-estimated cost of $200 million. Trump has said it will be paid for with private donations, including from him.

He later upped the ballroom’s capacity to 999 people and, by October, had demolished the East Wing. In December, he updated the price tag to $400 million — double the original estimate.

The White House had announced few other details about the project but has said it would be completed before Trump’s term ends in January 2029.

ALBANY, N.Y. — A judge disqualified a Trump administration federal prosecutor from overseeing investigations into New York Attorney General Letitia James, ruling Thursday that he is not lawfully serving as an acting U.S. attorney.

U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield blocked subpoenas requested by John Sarcone, the acting U.S. attorney for the Northern District of New York. The judge said the Department of Justice did not follow statutory procedure after judges declined to extend Sarcone’s tenure last year.

Schofield joined several other federal judges across the country who have ruled that actions taken by top federal prosecutors were invalid because of unusual methods that the Trump administration used to get them the jobs. People were given the power of a U.S. attorney outside of the normal U.S. Senate confirmation process or were allowed to serve until federal judges in their district could decide whether they could stay.

“When the Executive branch of government skirts restraints put in place by Congress and then uses that power to subject political adversaries to criminal investigations, it acts without lawful authority. Subpoenas issued under that authority are invalid. The subpoenas are quashed, and Mr. Sarcone is disqualified from further participation in the underlying investigations,” the judge said in her decision.

Schofield said Sarcone is not lawfully serving as acting U.S. attorney and that any “of his past or future acts taken in that capacity are void or voidable as they would rest on authority Mr. Sarcone does not lawfully have.”

James, a Democrat, had challenged Sarcone’s authority after he issued subpoenas seeking information about lawsuits she filed against Republican President Donald Trump, claiming he had committed fraud in his business dealings, and separately against the National Rifle Association and some of its former leaders.

Justice Department lawyers argued Sarcone was appointed properly and that the subpoenas were valid. James claims the inquiry into her lawsuits is part of a campaign of baseless investigations and prosecutions of Trump’s perceived enemies.

The department said in a email Thursday it “will continue to fight and defend the President and the Attorney General’s authority to appoint their U.S. Attorneys.”

James’ office issued a statement calling Thursday’s ruling “an important win for the rule of law.”

“We will continue to defend our office’s successful litigation from this administration’s political attacks,” the statement said.

Emails seeking comment were sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice.

Last month, a panel of judges from the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia sided with a lower-court judge’s ruling disqualifying Alina Habba from serving as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor.

In November, a federal judge dismissed criminal cases against former FBI Director James Comey and James after concluding that the hastily installed prosecutor who filed the charges, Lindsey Halligan, was unlawfully appointed to the position of interim U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia.

A similar dynamic has played out in Nevada, where a federal judge disqualified the Trump administration’s pick to be U.S. attorney there. And a federal judge in Los Angeles disqualified the acting U.S. attorney in Southern California from several cases after concluding he had stayed in the job longer than allowed.

In New York, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi appointed Sarcone to serve as the interim U.S. attorney in March. When his 120-day term elapsed, judges in the district declined to keep him in the post.

Bondi then appointed Sarcone as a special attorney and designated him first assistant U.S. attorney for the district, moves that federal officials say allow him to serve as an acting U.S. attorney.

The judge, who sits in New York City, took issue with the Justice Department’s actions.

On “the same day that the judges declined to extend Mr. Sarcone’s appointment, the Department took coordinated steps — through personnel moves and shifting titles — to install Mr. Sarcone as Acting U.S. Attorney. Federal law does not permit such a workaround,” she wrote.

“The people of the Northern District of New York deserve a qualified, independent prosecutor, not a political loyalist,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said in a prepared statement.

Sarcone was part of Trump’s legal team during the 2016 presidential campaign and worked for the U.S. General Services Administration as the regional administrator for the Northeast and Caribbean during Trump’s first term.

Schofield said the federal government could reissue the subpoenas at the direction of a lawfully authorized attorney.

Joshua Naftalis, a Manhattan federal prosecutor for 11 years before entering private practice in 2023, said Schofield was agreeing with the other judges who have disputed the authority of designated top prosecutors.

“It’s always a big deal when judges say that the U.S. attorney doesn’t have the authority,” he said.

He said subpoenas aren’t typically issued by a single prosecutor so the ruling might not directly affect other investigations brought through the prosecutor’s office.

WASHINGTON — The Senate has agreed to display a plaque honoring the police who defended the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack, rebuffing House Speaker Mike Johnson who has said the commemorative memorial does not comply with the law.

The action happened swiftly, with brief debate, in floor action Thursday. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina had announced during this week’s fifth anniversary of the Capitol siege that he would seek to ensure the plaque is installed, partnering with Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon, who was also working on the situation, and Sen. Alex Padilla of California. No senators objected.

“A lot of people said it was a dark day for democracy,” Tillis said about Jan. 6, 2021, describing his memory of hearing the thousands of people — “thugs,” he said — lay siege to the Capitol as Congress was tallying the 2020 election results.

He said that because of the work of the law enforcement officers, it became a great day for democracy. “We came back and completed our constitutional duty to certify the election,” he said. “We owe them eternal gratitude and this nation is stronger because of them.”

This week, senators stepped up after learning the plaque, which had been approved by Congress more than three years ago, was nowhere to be found at the Capitol. Instead, many House lawmakers have been hanging up replicas outside their office doors.

The Senate also appeared to be motivated by the shifting narrative from President Donald Trump ‘s White House about what happened Jan. 6, 2021, when his supporters stormed the building after he urged them go to Capitol Hill to confront Congress over Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory.

Trump himself shifted blame for the attack during a speech this week in which he said he only intended for his supporters to march peacefully to the Capitol. Moreover, the White House produced a glossy new report also shifting blame for the deadly riot — on Democrats, for Biden’s victory over Trump, and on the police for their response to the mob.

“It’s so important we be honest with the American people about what happened,” Merkley said, as he called the resolution up for passage.

“It’s so important we recognize those who defended our democratic republic on that day,” he said, and that “people know we can back, as senators and House members, and finished our work that day, for the peaceful transfer of power.”

Padilla said part of the context is the White House’s new website that he said is an “attempt to rewrite history.” He said that “dishonors” the officers.

“The Senate bipartisan commitment to real history is strong,” he said.

The plaque, according to the law, was intended to be placed at the West front of the Capitol where some of the fiercest fighting took place. It was required to be installed in 2023, a year after the legislation had passed.

The new resolution directs the Architect of the Capitol to “prominently display” the plaque in a “publicly accessible” location in the Senate wing of the Capitol until it can be placed in its permanent location.

To display the plaque in its intended location would require agreement with the House.

The office of Johnson, a Republican who before becoming the House speaker led efforts to object to the 2020 election results, said this week that the plaque, as constructed, does not comply with the law.

Police have sued to have the plaque put on display, as required, but Trump’s Justice Department is trying to dismiss the lawsuit.

Tillis said part of the “technical implementation problem” was a concern that the law specified the plaque would honor all the officers involved, but the plaque only lists the various law enforcement agencies that responded to help the Capitol Police that day.

He said there will be a digital component, presumably a website, that will list all the names. The number of officers runs into the thousands.

“You’ll see how many people came here,” he said.

ALEPPO, Syria — Clashes between government and Kurdish forces in a contested area in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo intensified Thursday after Syrian authorities ordered civilians to evacuate.

Syrian authorities opened a corridor for civilians to evacuate for a second day and tens of thousands fled.

The government of Aleppo province gave residents until 1 p.m. local time to evacuate in coordination with the army. State news agency SANA, citing the army, said the military would begin “targeted operations” against the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid half an hour after that deadline.

The military later issued a series of maps with the areas under evacuation order.

An Associated Press journalist at the scene heard sporadic sounds of shelling as civilians streamed out of the area Thursday morning. More than 142,000 people have been displaced across the province, according to the Aleppo Central Response Committee.

“There’s a large percentage of them with difficult medical issues, elderly people, women, and children,” said Mohammad Ali, operations director with the Syrian Civil Defense in Aleppo.

Kurdish forces said at least 12 civilians were killed in the Kurdish-majority neighborhoods, while government officials reported at least nine civilians have been killed in the surrounding government-controlled areas in the fighting that broke out Tuesday. Dozens more on both sides have been wounded. It was not clear how many fighters were killed on each side.

Each side has accused the other of deliberately targeting civilian neighborhoods and infrastructure, including ambulance crews and hospitals.

Clashes intensified in the afternoon, with continuous exchanges of shelling and drone strikes, and tanks could be seen rolling into the contested neighborhoods. The SDF-affiliated Internal Security Forces said they had “destroyed two armored vehicles and inflicted casualties on the attackers” as they advanced.

Aleppo governor Azzam al-Gharib, meanwhile, said Thursday evening that “a large number” of SDF fighters had defected or fled. Late in the evening, as clashes subsided, government forces began to deploy in largely-abandoned neighborhoods where the fighting had taken place.

Churches hosting displaced people

St. Ephrem Syrian Orthodox Church in Aleppo city was hosting about 100 people who had fled the fighting. Parishioners donated mattresses, blankets and food, priest Adai Maher said.

“As soon as the problems started and we heard the sounds (of clashes), we opened our church as a shelter for people who are fleeing their homes,” he said.

Among them was Georgette Lulu, who said her family is planning to travel to the city of Hasakeh in SDF-controlled northeast Syria when the security situation allows.

“There was a lot of bombing and loud noises and a shell landed next to our house,” she said. “I’ve been through these circumstances a lot so I don’t get frightened, but my niece was really afraid so we had to come to the church.”

Hassan Nader, a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs in Aleppo said about 4,000 were staying in shelters in the city while tens of thousands had gone to other areas of the province, and the ministry was working with NGOs to supply them with food, medicine and other necessities.

Political impasse

The clashes come amid an impasse in political negotiations between the central state and the SDF.

The leadership in Damascus under interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a deal in March with the SDF, which controls much of the northeast, for it to merge with the Syrian army by the end of 2025. There have been disagreements on how it would happen. In April, scores of SDF fighters left Sheikh Maqsoud and Achrafieh as part of the deal.

Officials from the central government and SDF met again on Sunday in Damascus, but government officials said that no tangible progress had been made.

Some of the factions that make up the new Syrian army, formed after the fall of former President Bashar Assad in a rebel offensive in December 2024, were previously Turkey-backed insurgent groups that have a long history of clashing with Kurdish forces.

In the city of Qamishli in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, thousands of protesters gathered Thursday, chanting, “SDF, we are with you until death.”

Sawsan Khalil, a protester in Qamishli who was displaced from Afrin in Aleppo province in a 2018 Turkish offensive against Kurdish forces there, called for the international community “to feel for the Syrian people who have been killed for no reason” in Aleppo.

Izzeddin Gado, co-chair of the Qamishli City Council accused the government forces of “following a foreign and regional agenda from Turkey.”

International concerns

The SDF has for years been the main U.S. partner in Syria in fighting against the Islamic State group, but Turkey considers the SDF a terrorist organization because of its association with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a long-running insurgency in Turkey. A peace process is now underway.

Despite the long-running U.S. support for the SDF, the Trump administration in the U.S. has also developed close ties with al-Sharaa’s government and has pushed the Kurds to implement the March deal.

A U.S. State Department official said in a statement Thursday that U.S. envoy Tom Barrack was trying to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.

Barrack later posted on X, “Just this past week, we stood on the threshold of successfully concluding the March 10, 2025 integration agreement,” a goal that he said remains “eminently achievable.”

“Together with our allies and responsible regional partners, we stand ready to facilitate efforts to de-escalate tensions and to afford Syria and its people a renewed opportunity to choose the path of dialogue over division,” he said.

Turkey’s Ministry of National Defense said Thursday that the “operation is being carried out entirely by the Syrian Army” while Turkey is “closely monitoring.”

“Syria’s security is our security,” the statement said, adding that “Turkey will provide the necessary support should Syria request it.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan described the SDF as the “greatest obstacle for peace in Syria.”

The United Nations expressed concern at the violence and called for de-escalation.