The Latest: Trump administration halts immigration applications from 19 countries

The Trump administration is pausing all immigration applications such as requests for green cards for people from 19 countries banned from travel earlier this year, as part of sweeping immigration changes in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard troops.

The changes were outlined in a policy memo posted Tuesday on the website of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency tasked with processing and approving all requests for immigration benefits.

The pause puts on hold a wide range of immigration-related decisions such as green card applications or naturalizations for immigrants from those 19 countries the Trump administration has described as high-risk. It’s up to the agency’s director, Joseph Edlow, on when to lift the pause, the memo said.

The administration in June banned travel to the U.S. by citizens of 12 countries and restricted access for those from seven others, citing national security concerns.

Here’s the latest:

Trump-backed Republican Matt Van Epps wins US House special election in Tennessee

The Republican won the nationally watched special election in Tennessee for a U.S. House seat Tuesday, maintaining his party’s grip on the conservative district with help from President Donald Trump. But the comparatively slim margin of victory fueled Democratic hopes for next year’s midterms as the party grasps for a path back to power in Washington.

A military veteran and former state general services commissioner from Nashville, Van Epps defeated Democratic state Rep. Aftyn Behn to represent the 7th Congressional District.

With 99% of votes counted, Van Epps’ lead was around 9 percentage points. The previous Republican who held the seat won by 21 points last year, and Trump carried the district by 22 points.

Behn, who ran as an unapologetic progressive, ran up a huge margin in Davidson County, which is the most Democratic county in the district and home to Nashville. But Van Epps carried the rest of the district, including many deep-red counties throughout central Tennessee, as he tied himself tightly to Trump.

▶ Read more about the special election in Tennessee

Pete Hegseth faces deepening scrutiny from Congress over boat strikes

Hegseth barely squeaked through a grueling Senate confirmation process to become secretary of defense earlier this year, facing lawmakers wary of the Fox News Channel host and skeptical of his capacity, temperament and fitness for the job.

Just three months later, he quickly became embroiled in Signalgate as he and other top U.S. officials used the popular Signal messaging application to discuss pending military strikes in Yemen.

And now, in what may be his most career-defining moment yet, Hegseth is confronting questions about the use of military force after a special operations team reportedly attacked survivors of a strike on an alleged drug boat off the coast of Venezuela. Some lawmakers and legal experts say the second strike would have violated the laws of armed conflict.

▶ Read more about Pete Hegseth and Congress

Group spends $250K in ads showing US citizen, Army veteran snared in immigration arrest

The group led by Trump critics is launching an online advertising campaign featuring an Army combat veteran who was detained by immigration agents and held in custody for three days this summer.

The ad by Home of the Brave shows George Retes talking about encountering a line of immigration officials on the road while heading to work outside Los Angeles.

The Department of Homeland Security says the agents were executing criminal search warrants at marijuana sites in the area and that Retes “became violent and refused to comply with law enforcement.” The images showed Retes stepping outside his car in the middle of a protest and gesturing with his arm before the agents surrounded his car.

Home of the Brave is targeting people who’ve seen ads run on streaming platforms by the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last 30 days.

Chinese government expresses its opposition to any US move to shut down Venezuelan air space

“China opposes any actions that violate the purposes and principles of the U.N. Charter and infringe on other countries’ sovereignty and security,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said Wednesday in Beijing.

President Donald Trump said last weekend that the airspace above and surrounding Venezuela should be considered “closed in its entirety.” The South American country rejected Trump’s declaration.

China opposes interference in Venezuela’s affairs “under any pretext,” Lin said.