Prepared for the Office of Public Affairs (OPA)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Editorial Note: The DHS Daily Briefing is a collection of news articles related to Department’s mission. The inclusion of particular stories is not intended to reflect their importance, nor is it intended to endorse the political viewpoints or affiliations included in news coverage.

The Washington Post [4/5/2025 5:15 PM, Maegan Vazquez, 31735K] reports government attorneys slammed a judge’s order to return a Salvadoran immigrant to the United States, arguing in a Saturday filing that the judge’s directive was “indefensible” and that the United States has “no authority” to make a sovereign nation release the man. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis directed the administration to arrange the return of Kilmar Abrego García, a Salvadoran immigrant married to a U.S. citizen, by no later than 11:59 p.m. Monday. The Justice Department’s response asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit to step in and immediately pause Xinis’s order. "The United States does not have control over Abrego Garcia. Or the sovereign nation of El Salvador. Nevertheless, the court’s injunction commands that Defendants accomplish, somehow, Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States in give or take one business day. That order is indefensible," Justice Department lawyers wrote. The appeal argues at length that the government has no power to return Abrego García because he is in the custody of the Salvadoran government, though the Trump administration says it is paying El Salvador about $6 million for the detention of deportees. Xinis’s ruling followed an extraordinary admission from a Justice Department lawyer at the hearing Friday that even he has struggled to obtain answers about why officers deported Abrego García, despite a court order forbidding it because he had fled death threats from gang members in El Salvador. The Trump administration deported the longtime Maryland resident to a prison filled with alleged gang members. The hasty removal of Abrego García and hundreds of other immigrants to El Salvador’s notorious Terrorism Confinement Center, where human rights groups have said inmates have faced beatings and shortages of food and water, has spurred criticism that the Trump administration has imprisoned people for matters that are typically civil violations of immigration law. Government officials have argued that they are deporting serious offenders, but they have not identified most of them or provided evidence to support their allegations. The Los Angeles Times [4/5/2025 8:28 PM, Michael Kunzelman, 13342K] reports U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Friday ordered the administration to “facilitate and effectuate” Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. by late Monday night. Justice Department lawyers asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to immediately pause the judge’s order. “A judicial order that forces the Executive to engage with a foreign power in a certain way, let alone compel a certain action by a foreign sovereign, is constitutionally intolerable,” they wrote. The appeals court asked Abrego Garcia’s lawyers to respond to the government’s filing by Sunday afternoon. Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested in Maryland and deported last month despite an immigration judge’s 2019 ruling that shielded him from deportation to El Salvador, where he faced likely persecution by local gangs. His mistaken deportation, described by the White House as an “administrative error,” has outraged many and raised concerns about expelling noncitizens who were granted permission to be in the U.S. During a court hearing Friday in Greenbelt. Md., Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni conceded to Xinis that Abrego Garcia should not have been removed from the U.S. or sent to El Salvador. Reuveni could not tell the judge upon what authority he was arrested in Maryland. “I’m also frustrated that I have no answers for you for a lot of these questions,” he said. But by Saturday, Reuveni had been placed on leave by the Justice Department, a department spokesperson confirmed. His name was not on Saturday’s filing to the appeals court. “At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States. Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences,” Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi said in a statement. CBS News [4/5/2025 7:35 PM, Staff, 51661K] reports Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran national, was arrested in Maryland and deported last month despite an immigration judge’s 2019 ruling that shielded him from deportation to El Salvador, where he faced likely persecution by local gangs. His mistaken deportation, described by the White House as an "administrative error," has outraged many and raised concerns about expelling noncitizens who were granted permission to be in the U.S. Dozens of supporters gathered at the Greenbelt, Maryland, federal courthouse for Friday’s hearing. A cheer erupted in the courtroom when Xinis ruled in favor of Abrego Garcia, whose wife, a U.S. citizen, was in attendance. Xinis, who was nominated by President Barack Obama, said there was no legal basis for Abrego Garcia’s detention and no legal justification for his removal to El Salvador, where he has been held in a prison that observers say is rife with human rights abuses. During Friday’s hearing, Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni conceded to Xinis that Abrego Garcia should not have been removed from the U.S. or sent to El Salvador. Reuveni could not tell the judge upon what authority he was arrested in Maryland.

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AP [4/5/2025 10:58 AM, Michael Kunzelman, 48304K]
Telemundo Washington DC [4/5/2025 7:02 PM, Michael Kunzelman, 38K]

The Washington Post [4/5/2025 11:20 PM, Perry Stein and Katie Mettler, 31735K] reports the Justice Department suspended a veteran lawyer after he said in court that officials mistakenly deported a man to prison in his home country of El Salvador and conceded that he did not know the legal basis for the expulsion. Erez Reuveni had worked at the Justice Department for nearly 15 years, most recently as the acting deputy director of the Office of Immigration Litigation. A Justice Department official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a personnel matter, said he was put on indefinite leave. In response to questions about Reuveni, Attorney General Pam Bondi said: “At my direction, every Department of Justice attorney is required to zealously advocate on behalf of the United States. Any attorney who fails to abide by this direction will face consequences.” Reuveni appeared in federal court in Maryland on Friday after the government’s extraordinary admission that it should not have deported Kilmar Abrego García on March 15 as part of a surprise airlift of purported gang members to the Terrorism Confinement Center in El Salvador. Reuveni acknowledged the mistake in court Friday and told a judge that he did not know what authority the U.S. used to deport Abrego García. Six years ago, an immigration judge found that Abrego García had testified credibly that he could be harmed or killed by gang members in El Salvador and should not be removed. “My answer to a lot of these questions is going to be frustrating,” Reuveni told U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in federal court in Maryland. “And I’m frustrated that I don’t have answers to a lot of these questions.” Reuveni is the latest career staffer to be fired or removed from their position for being viewed as disloyal or ill equipped to carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda. New York Times first reported on his removal. CBS News [4/5/2025 7:25 PM, Scott MacFarlane, Jacob Rosen, 51661K] reports that during a federal hearing Friday in Greenbelt, Maryland, in which U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ruled that Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned to the U.S. by April 7, Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni frequently failed to answer Xinis’ questions, and made multiple critical comments of his agency in court, saying he wasn’t given sufficient information by the Justice Department for some of Friday’s arguments. "The facts are conceded, plaintiff Abrego Garcia should not have been removed," Reuveni said during the hearing. "There is no warrant for his arrest. There is no statement of probable cause," Judge Paula Xinis stated. "What is the actual document that got this process started?". Reuveni responded, "I do not have that order. It is not in the record.” When further questioned about why the government is not able to return Abrego Garcia, Reuveni said he "asked the government the same question," and did not receive an answer. Reuveni argued the case Friday after being promoted on March 21 to acting deputy director of the Justice Department Office of Immigration Litigation.

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The Hill [4/5/2025 11:18 PM, Filip Timotija, 12829K]
CNN [4/5/2025 10:40 PM, Evan Perez, Paula Reid and Katie Bo Lillis, 22131K]
FOX News [4/5/2025 10:04 PM, Brie Stimson and Bill Mears, 46189K]
Washington Examiner [4/5/2025 9:32 PM, Zach LaChance, 2296K]

CNN [4/5/2025 10:34 PM, Betsy Klein, Jamie Gangel and Josh Campbell, 908K] reports Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is expected to take aim at the Department of Homeland Security in the coming days, seeking potentially major cuts to personnel across its agencies, including the US Secret Service, multiple sources tell CNN. DHS is bracing for what could amount to significant layoffs, four sources familiar with the matter who were granted anonymity to speak freely told CNN, though no final decisions have been made, and the ultimate scale and scope has not been set. This week, two of the sources said, there was back-and-forth negotiation and lobbying between DOGE, the White House, and Homeland Security leadership, with each of the department’s components expected to be impacted differently. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is expected to be decimated, one of the sources said. Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement are also facing potential cuts, two of the sources said. A senior DHS official told CNN the department is “determined to eliminate government waste that has been happening for decades at the expense of the American taxpayer. Across DHS, we will be eliminating non-mission critical positions and bureaucratic hurdles that undermine our mission to secure the homeland. Secretary Noem is determined to return DHS to its core mission of keeping America safe.” CNN has reached out to DHS and DOGE for comment. The Secret Service declined to comment. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expected to send an email to her department’s personnel in the coming days laying out the expected cuts, with a separate email in the works detailing potential options for employees to include voluntary separations and early retirements. One of the sources made clear that Noem’s name may be on that email – but it is top Trump aide Stephen Miller, DOGE and other White House staff making the key decisions. Cuts to the Secret Service would come at a particularly challenging time for the agency, which has been strained by what top officials have cast as an unprecedented and dynamic threat environment, including two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump last summer. The agency has been wracked with low morale, burnout, low staffing, and retention issues. The agency spent an unprecedented $2 million last February on a television recruiting advertisement, tapping blockbuster movie director Michael Bay for the ad. Officials have repeatedly argued in testimony on Capitol Hill following the assassination attempt on Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, that the agency is underfunded and under-resourced.

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Washington Examiner [4/5/2025 6:43 PM, Zach LaChance, 2296K]

NPR [4/5/2025 11:38 PM, Juliana Kim, 29983K] reports demonstrators gathered across the country on Saturday, many animated by differing issues, but united in opposition to the Trump administration with the single message: "Hands off!" Organizers said more than 1,300 "Hands Off!" rallies of varying sizes took place on Saturday. Since President Trump took office in January, various protests have taken place against his administration’s plans and policies — from the mass firing of federal workers to immigration raids to the involvement of billionaire Elon Musk in the federal government. Saturday’s protests appeared to be the most widespread to date of Trump’s second term. "There are so many issues," said Kelley Laird from Rockville, Md., who attended a rally in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. "They’re coming after education, coming after health care, coming after the arts, coming after the press." In Boston, protesters gathered to push back against the federal cuts on research and against the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University doctoral student who was arrested by federal agents in plain clothes, as member station WBUR reported. In Sylva, N.C., over 300 people came together to oppose cuts to national parks, education and veteran services, according to BPR News. And in Portland, Ore., several thousand people rallied against what they describe as an "illegal, billionaire power grab" by Trump and Musk, OPB reported. In D.C., thousands filled the grass near the Washington Monument, holding up signs supporting reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, Social Security, veterans benefits, and opposing tariffs. Laird and her neighbors said they formed a group chat after Trump took office this year. They use the group chat, named "Sisters of the resistance," to coordinate attending protests together and offer support. "We need to form community to bolster each other up because we have to be in this for the long run," said Emily Peck, who started the group chat. Many attendees who spoke to NPR said they felt compelled to show up, because new concerns keep emerging. "This  is first time that I am trying to regularly participate," said Patty Kim, a retired federal worker, who attended the D.C. rally with her husband. "I felt so frustrated and paralyzed by the bunch of things that are going on that undermine human rights and humanity in this country that I love, that I had to do something." CNN [4/5/2025 10:06 PM, Alaa Elassar, Shania Shelton and Mina Allen, 908K] reports millions of people took part in protests against President Donald Trump and Elon Musk across all 50 states and globally on Saturday, organized by a pro-democracy movement in response to what they call a “hostile takeover” and attack on American rights and freedoms. Over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country – anywhere “we can make sure they hear us,” organizers said. “Hands Off!” demands “an end to this billionaire power grab.” “Whether you are mobilized by the attacks on our democracy, the slashing of jobs, the invasion of privacy, or the assault on our services – this moment is for you,” the event flyers state. “We are setting out to build a massive, visible, national rejection of this crisis.” Nearly 600,000 people had signed up to attend the events, some of which took place in major cities like London and Paris, according to Indivisible, one of the organizations leading the movement in collaboration with a nationwide coalition that includes civil rights organizations, veterans, women’s rights groups, labor unions and LGBTQ+ advocates. Organizers say they have three demands: “an end to the billionaire takeover and rampant corruption of the Trump administration; an end to slashing federal funds for Medicaid, Social Security, and other programs working people rely on; and an end to the attacks on immigrants, trans people, and other communities.” The AP [4/5/2025 8:59 PM, Dave Collins, 48304K] reports that thousands of protesters in cities dotting the nation from Midtown Manhattan to Anchorage, Alaska, including at multiple state capitols, assailed Trump and billionaire Elon Musk ‘s actions on government downsizing, the economy, immigration and human rights. Asked about the protests, the White House said in a statement that “President Trump’s position is clear: he will always protect Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid for eligible beneficiaries. Meanwhile, the Democrats’ stance is giving Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare benefits to illegal aliens, which will bankrupt these programs and crush American seniors.”

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Telemundo [4/5/2025 3:27 PM, Alexandra Marquez and Matt Lavietes, 164K]

Washington Post [4/5/2025 9:51 AM, Jacob Bogage, 31735K] reports federal immigration officials are seeking to locate up to 7 million people suspected of being in the United States unlawfully by accessing confidential tax data at the Internal Revenue Service, according to six people familiar with the request, a dramatic escalation in how the Trump administration aims to use the tax system to detain and deport immigrants. The two agencies have still not reached an agreement on how much data or how the IRS would share it. But immigration enforcement officials on Thursday increased the volume of their request, according to the people familiar with it, who spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of professional reprisal. DHS officials initially said they would send preliminary queries about 2 million taxpayers and would eventually seek help locating 7 million individuals, the people said. IRS officials were aghast, according to people familiar with the discussion, and lawyers from both agencies have spent recent days negotiating the details. Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause has told subordinates that she expects the agency to ultimately comply with the Trump administration’s aim of using IRS systems to help in immigration enforcement, The Post has reported.

Reuters [4/6/2025 6:22 AM, Andrew Chung, 41523K] reports Republican President Donald Trump and his Democratic predecessor Joe Biden may not agree on much, but there is one issue on which they have been united: The need to blunt a powerful weapon that federal judges have been deploying at a quickly rising clip. Top lawyers for each president separately urged the U.S. Supreme Court to limit the authority of judges to issue nationwide - or "universal" - injunctions that can stop a government policy in its tracks. "This court should declare that enough is enough," Sarah Harris, serving at the time as the Trump administration’s acting U.S. solicitor general, told the justices in a March 13 filing seeking to unshackle his executive order to restrict automatic U.S. birthright citizenship. Elizabeth Prelogar, the solicitor general under Biden, less than three months earlier in a New Year’s Eve bid to unblock an anti-money laundering law frozen by a federal judge, told the justices that these orders are causing "substantial disruption.” The power of a single judge to issue a nationwide injunction has become pivotal in the question of whether Trump can quickly implement his aggressive agenda, pushing the limits of presidential power. Several cases either already awaiting action by the Supreme Court or heading toward nine justices involve such a judicial order. "No president likes them, whether that’s a Democratic president or Republican president, because they’re really a method of cabining executive power," said University of Virginia law professor Amanda Frost, who has studied these judicial remedies. The pressure on the Supreme Court or Congress to limit these injunctions is building. Trump on March 20 called the situation "toxic" and urged the Supreme Court to act. Trump and fellow Republicans have escalated their attacks on judges who have impeded his executive actions - to purge federal workers, shutter agencies, slash federal funding, bar transgender people from military service, target perceived enemies and broadly roll back workplace diversity programs, among others. The president’s call for Congress to impeach U.S. District Judge James Boasberg, who issued an order to halt the swift deportation of alleged Venezuelan gang members after Trump invoked a little-used 1798 law, drew an extraordinary rebuke from U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts. The stakes are escalating, with Boasberg on Thursday suggesting Trump’s administration had violated his order.

Los Angeles Times [4/6/2025 6:00 AM, Tim Sullivan, 13342K] reports that, last month, President Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law giving him immense powers to deport noncitizens in a time of war. His use of that law was aimed at Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that he has repeatedly and falsely claimed to be part of an "invasion" of criminal immigrants in the United States. Within 24 hours of Trump’s March 14 decree, more than 130 Venezuelans were deported to the Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT — a prison in Tecoluca, El Salvador, notorious for its conditions — even as a U.S. judge ordered the planes carrying them to turn around. Trump had long promised to invoke the Alien Enemies Act to combat illegal immigration. The law crafted during the presidency of John Adams had been used just three times: during the War of 1812 and the two world wars. The Trump administration had begun moving closer to calling the migrant issue a war, most notably by designating eight Latin American criminal groups, including Tren de Aragua, as "foreign terrorist organizations.” U.S. immigration authorities use a series of "gang identifiers" to spot members of Tren de Aragua. Some are obvious, such as evidence of trafficking drugs with known gang members. Some are more surprising: Chicago Bulls jerseys, "high-end urban street wear," and tattoos of clocks, stars and crowns, according to government instructional material filed in court by the American Civil Liberties Union. Ordinary tattoos were key to marking many deported men as Tren members, according to documents and lawyers.

AP [4/5/2025 1:13 PM, Tim Sullivan] reports along with talk about falling egg prices and a vow to expel "corrupt forces" from the U.S. government, President Donald Trump noted that hundreds of members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua had been arrested. Trump was previewing drama to come that would involve clandestine flights to another continent, a notorious prison, innocents among criminals and a dramatic confrontation between his assertions of presidential power and a federal judge who Trump said had overreached. The president’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to justify deporting more than 130 Venezuelan men, some of them gang members and others who claim to have been in the United States legally and were seemingly expelled because of their ordinary tattoos, played out over a frenetic 24 hours. The Trump administration is now urging the Supreme Court for permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg soon could rule on whether there are grounds to find anyone in contempt of court for defying his court order.

AP [4/5/2025 10:38 AM, Tim Sullivan, 48304K] reports on Friday, March 14, President Donald Trump invoked the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 law giving him immense powers to deport noncitizens in a time of war. His use of that law was aimed at Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan gang that he has repeatedly and falsely claimed as part of an invasion of criminal immigrants. Over the next 24 hours, more than 130 Venezuelans were deported to an El Salvadoran prison even as a U.S. judge ordered the planes carrying them to turn around. The Trump administration is now urging the Supreme Court for permission to resume deportations of Venezuelan migrants to El Salvador under the Alien Enemies Act. Boasberg soon could rule on whether there are grounds to find anyone in contempt of court for defying his court order.

USA Today [4/6/2025 6:01 AM, Lauren Villagran, 75858K] reports Gustavo Garagorry proudly voted for President Donald Trump, even though he knew it could complicate life for relatives who benefitted from Biden-era immigration programs. The programs were "a disaster" for the country, said Garagorry, who serves as president of Miami’s Venezuelan American Republican Club. The Biden administration convinced millions of people they were coming legally, he said, when the benefits came with risks in fine print: They could be deported if a different president changed the rules. "The Democrats are always toying with migrants’ emotions," said Garagorry, a naturalized U.S. citizen. "But they’ve not done anything but create chaos and make promises they can’t keep.” Garagorry’s family members are among the roughly 1.5 million people who didn’t sneak over the border or overstay a visa but took a path endorsed by President Joe Biden. They’re a sliver of the nation’s estimated 13.7 million unauthorized immigrants, according to the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute. Now that his family members are in danger of losing their legal status, Garagorry doesn’t blame Trump; he blames his predecessor. Biden’s "legal pathways" were underpinned by law but as executive actions could still easily be undone. Trump is now using his own executive authority to revoke these programs and the legal status of those who participated. Since taking office, Trump has ordered the Department of Homeland Security to: transform the CBP One application that allowed 936,000 migrants to make an appointment at a port of entry into the CBP Home, self-deportation app, enabling people to identify themselves as they leave the country; cancel the humanitarian parole, or temporary permission to enter the country, offered by the Biden administration to 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans; and revoke the Temporary Protected Status that covers 540,000 Venezuelans and Haitians, many of whom entered via CBP One or special parole. The programs were scheduled to begin expiring Monday, with cancelation dates rolling out from this month until the fall. A judge suspended the Monday deadline that would have canceled the status of some 350,000 Venezuelans with TPS. These immigrants "followed the rules," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, a nonprofit that advocates for pro-immigrant policies. "They entered the country with the formal permission of the U.S. government.” Stephen Miller, an architect of Trump’s immigration crackdown and a White House advisor, describes the immigrants who arrived during the Biden years as "invading armies and foreign trespassers.” "If you illegally invaded our country the only ‘process’ you are entitled to is deportation," he said Tuesday in a post on X.

ap7am.com [4/5/2025 5:50 AM, Staff] reports in an administrative error, the US government mistakenly issued an email to several Ukrainian refugees, notifying them that their provisional legal status would be terminated in 7 days and ordering them to leave the country. The notice received by the Ukrainians who sought refuge in the US following the war with Russia caused panic among the immigrants this week. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acknowledged the error on Friday. "A message was sent in error to some Ukrainians who entered the United States under the Uniting for Ukraine program," said DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin in a statement. The email, sent on April 3, read, "DHS is now exercising its discretion to terminate your parole," referring to the temporary legal status that the Biden administration granted to hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians. "Unless it expires sooner, your parole will terminate 7 days from the date of this notice," it stated. The agency also took the step of withdrawing the email on Friday, sending a follow-up message to the recipients, American broadcaster CBS reported. "You may have received an email notification titled ‘Notice of Termination of Parole.’ The DHS sent this email to you in error. No action will be taken with respect to your parole," it read.

Florida Politics [4/5/2025 4:50 PM, A.G. Gancarski] reports U.S. Sen. Rick Scott has some tips for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. “As a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I remain committed to securing our territorial borders, robustly enforcing our immigration laws, combating the flow of deadly fentanyl and other drugs into our country, and improving response and recovery efforts in the aftermath of natural disasters,” he wrote Noem on Friday. To that end, Scott advises ending “catch and release” immigration enforcement, expanding the maritime authority of Customs and Border Protection to 24 nautical miles, requiring advance contracts for debris removal as a precondition for FEMA reimbursement, and cracking down on Chinese influence in the U.S. “I look forward to working with you to address the nation’s threats and further our shared goal of ensuring safety and security for all Americans,” Scott wrote.

CNN [4/6/2025 6:00 AM, Hanna Park, 908K] reports that, at Columbia University, which has long borne witness to protests and dissent, the atmosphere has shifted under a new regime of policy changes ostensibly aimed at heightening security, according to CNN interviews with more than a dozen students and faculty. Students who spoke with CNN – most of whom requested to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals – described a tense mood on campus as the changes take hold. The atmosphere is far from what Maria, a master’s student at Columbia whose name has been changed to protect her identity, imagined when she enrolled last spring. "I put my money down for Columbia thinking that I would be going to a prestigious university known as a protest university, home of some of the largest human rights student movements in the country. But then two days later, the (pro-Palestinian protest) encampment started and NYPD came onto campus," she told CNN. The Manhattan campus has become the reluctant poster child for President Donald Trump’s actions aimed at higher education. The administration has wielded its immigration authority to cancel the visas of hundreds of international students and visitors in the US and used the power of the purse to push for sweeping policy changes on campuses. Federal officials argue the moves are meant to combat antisemitism and bolster national security. Universities – especially elite institutions – have for decades billed themselves as champions of free speech, and for many students and faculty, the stakes of the current controversy extend far beyond partisan politics – it’s about safeguarding the core values of free expression and the right to dissent.

Breitbart [4/5/2025 12:39 PM, Randy Clark, 2923K] reports federal authorities arrested 133 illegal aliens during an enhanced immigration enforcement operation focused on criminal offenders and other immigration violators. The five-day operation in western, central, and northern New York involved federal agents from myriad agencies, including ICE, FBI, DEA, CBP, USCIS, and U. S. Customs and Border Protection. In what has become common practice in recent weeks, multiple federal agencies have banded together to conduct a targeted deportation operation in New York as part of President Trump’s "Operation Take Back America." The operation calls for all federal law enforcement agencies to collaborate in the fight against illegal immigration, drug cartels, and the trafficking of dangerous drugs and human beings. The operation included a worksite enforcement component involving federal violations of bringing in and harboring certain aliens. According to ICE, the most notable arrests included three illegal aliens convicted of homicide-related offenses, a citizen of the Dominican Republic convicted of sexual conduct with a child, and a citizen of South Africa facing current charges related to distribution and possession of child pornography.

NBC News [4/5/2025 8:43 PM, Andy Weir and Emily Berk, 44742K] reports the march began with a rally organized by the Jefferson County Democratic Committee, which included a written statement from New York Attorney General Letitia James, who said she was “heartbroken and angry” by the family’s detainment. A handful of counter-protesters joined the march outside Homan’s home, but the demonstrations remained peaceful. Organizers said they were surprised by the large turnout. “We’ve seen it occur right in the last 60 days across the country, but when it happens in your backyard, I think that’s what garners people’s attention,” Jefferson County Democratic Committee chair Corey Decillis said. The three children and mother were detained after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents searched a dairy farm on March 27 during a separate child pornography investigation. The New York Immigration Coalition, a nonprofit that campaigns for immigrant rights, told NBC News that the family is currently being held in Texas. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond Saturday night to a request for comment about the protest or the family’s detention, but Homan defended the operation during an interview Thursday with WWNY 7News. “It wasn’t a raid. It was a search warrant execution at a house where a family was found in the country illegally. ICE is doing everything by the book. Once the investigation gets to the point where we don’t have an interest in this family, then a decision will be made on release,” Homan said.

FOX News [4/5/2025 11:35 AM, Staff, 46189K] reports border czar Tom Homan responds to reports that a planned protest is slated to take place outside his New York home and a dropoff in border encounters under the Trump administration. [Editorial note: consult vide at source link]

Breitbart [4/5/2025 6:06 PM, Staff, 2923K] reports Panama hopes to maintain a "respectful" relationship with the United States, even as President Donald Trump has repeated threats to retake the Panama Canal, Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said Saturday. His comments came ahead of a visit next week by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a trip made more urgent against the backdrop of Trump’s threats and his allegations of Chinese interference in the canal. "We discussed illegal migration, organized crime, drug trafficking and (other issues)," Martinez-Acha wrote on X of a call Friday with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau. "It was a cordial and constructive exchange.” "I reiterated that all cooperation from Panama will take place under the framework of our constitution, our laws, and the Canal Neutrality Treaty," he wrote. "Relations with the US must remain respectful, transparent and mutually beneficial.” The US State Department said Landau had "expressed gratitude for Panama’s cooperation in halting illegal immigration and working with the United States to secure a nearly 98 percent decrease in illegal immigration through the Darien jungle," an arduous path northward followed by many migrants. The two officials also discussed the sale last month by the Hong Kong company CK Hutchison to giant US asset manager BlackRock of its concession in ports at either end of the Panama Canal, Martinez-Acha added. Panama’s comptroller has been conducting an audit of Hutchison since January. Landau "recognized Panama’s actions in curbing malign Chinese Communist Party influence," the State Department said. The deal was set to close on April 2 but has been held up as Chinese regulators pursue an investigation. The United States and China are the two biggest users of the Panama Canal, which handles five percent of global maritime trade, giving it vital economic and geostrategic importance. It was inaugurated by the United States in 1914 and has been in Panamanian hands since 1999.

VOZ [4/5/2025 8:32 PM, Luis Francisco Orozco] reports "I would say that even my visit to Colombia with the president there were contentious. It was a contentious discussion. The meeting in Colombia lasted an hour and a half, starting with him criticizing our government for about a half an hour and talking how TDA members were misunderstood, and that they were people who needed more love and more understanding. He talked about how some cartel members were his friends, and so I told him clearly that we’ll never legalize drugs in our country. If he really thought TDA members needed love and understanding, I would send him all that he can handle so that he could love them more and see what he could do to rehabilitate these evil creatures," Noem commented during the interview. A few minutes after the publication of Noem’s interview with Newsmax, the Colombian government rejected the words of the Homeland Security secretary, explaining that her statements about President Petro were "incorrect." In a statement, the South American country’s Foreign Ministry said that "The Government of Colombia categorically rejects the statements made by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem," adding further that "you cannot build solid relations on incorrect statements." Noem’s visit to Colombia was part of a tour that began in El Salvador, where the Homeland Security Secretary visited the notorious max security prison CECOT, built by Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to house members of his country’s most dangerous gangs. In this same prison, the Salvadoran government has housed hundreds of members of the Aragua Train deported by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. While there have been numerous allegations that some of those sent to this prison would not be members of the Venezuelan criminal gang, both Noem and other U.S. government officials have defended these deportations.

AP [4/5/2025 6:31 PM, Staff, 5269K] reports Colombia on Saturday described as "incorrect" statements made by U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem regarding her meeting with President Gustavo Petro last week. The Andean nation reaffirmed its commitment to work jointly with Washington to address challenges such as migration and the fight against transnational criminal organizations. "The United States can and should be a key ally in the common purpose of overcoming decades of violence and building peace throughout Colombian territory," the Colombian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "However, that effort will only be possible if it is based on a mutual, sincere and truth-based commitment. Solid relations cannot be built on incorrect statements," it added. The statement did not mention what exactly those statements were. However, the U.S. security secretary recently told a U.S. television network that her meeting with the leftist Colombian leader was "controversial". "It started with him criticizing our government for about half an hour and talking about how the members of the Aragua Train are misunderstood, who in reality were just people who needed more love and understanding. He talked about how some of the cartel members were his friends," Noem stated. The Tren de Aragua gang, which emerged from Venezuela’s prisons and has extended its criminal operations to other countries in the region, was described by the United States as an invading force. Last month, President Donald Trump’s administration deported more than 200 Venezuelans for their alleged links to the criminal organization, in a move that was legally challenged and condemned by the Venezuelan government as a human rights violation. The Foreign Ministry said Colombia has carried out actions aimed at dismantling the Tren de Aragua in national territory that have resulted in the capture of 103 members since 2022, including four leaders since 2024, "contributing to thwarting their plans (for) expansion and their impact in the region."

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [4/6/2025 1:22 AM, Staff, 2454K]

Bloomberg [4/5/2025 4:52 PM, Andreina Itriago, 16228K] reports Colombia said it’s acting “decisively” against transnational organized crime after a senior US official described the country’s president as being sympathetic to drug traffickers and gang members. Operations against the Tren de Aragua gang have “significantly weakened” its consolidation in Bogota and thwarted its expansion plans, Colombia’s Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement. On Saturday, a leader of the Clan del Golfo known as Chirimoya was killed during a joint operation with the country’s police and US Drug Enforcement Administration, it also said. The Colombian government was responding to remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that her hour-and-a-half meeting late last month with President Gustavo Petro had been “contentious.” According to Noem, Petro said during the encounter that some cartel members were his friends and that Tren de Aragua members are “just people that needed more love and more understanding.” The Colombian foreign ministry responded: “You can’t build strong relationships on incorrect statements.” This is the second spat between the countries since President Donald Trump began his second term. On Jan 26, Petro refused to allow US military planes carrying Colombian migrants being deported from the US to land in the country, which led Trump to announce sweeping tariffs on the Andean nation, before abruptly withdrawing the threat. Noem’s visit in late March came after Colombian Foreign Affairs Minister Laura Sarabia told Bloomberg she intends to reset diplomacy with the US after that brief tariff war.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 6:40 PM, Staff, 31735K] reports that, if not for President Donald Trump’s self-inflicted wounds from the tariffs he unveiled on Wednesday, the biggest White House story this past week might have been his purge of six National Security Council staffers and the top two officials at the National Security Agency. The ax fell on Thursday, a day after Trump met with far-right conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer. In the Oval Office, she urged the president to fire the staffers on the dubious grounds that they were insufficiently loyal. Trump acknowledged that Loomer gives him personnel advice — and “sometimes I listen to those recommendations” — but denied doing so in this case. Loomer, however, claimed credit. Trump says he wants to be known as the most transparent president in U.S. history. In that case, he should explain to Americans why so many political appointees whom he placed in critical security jobs only three months ago needed to be fired so soon. Loomer suggested there had been a "vetting failure.” If so, it would cast doubt on the competence of Sergio Gor, the director of the presidential office of personnel, who joined Trump’s roughly 30-minute meeting with Loomer, along with Vice President JD Vance and Chief of Staff Susie Wiles. If Trump agrees with Loomer’s explanation, then what changes will he institute to prevent such hiring mistakes from being repeated? Americans have a right to know. Obviously, this is not an optimal way to effectively lead a government amid so much global chaos. Loomer does not seem to be a particularly trustworthy adviser to the president. She has amplified a conspiracy theory on social media claiming that the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, were an inside job. She has described her beliefs as "pro-white nationalism." During the Republican presidential primary, she falsely accused Casey DeSantis, wife of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, of faking her breast cancer. In 2023, Trump moved to give her a role on his campaign but backed off after some of his most loyal supporters, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia), protested.

USA Today [4/6/2025 4:01 AM, Dace Potas, 75858K] reports more and more, right-wing commentators and elected officials are claiming that illegal immigrants are not worthy of due process. The Trump administration seems to agree, both in their words and their actions. That has led to at least one case of mistaken deportation. The case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s deportation was such a mess that a judge on Friday ordered he be returned from El Salvador. In issuing the ruling, the judge called the deportation an “illegal act.” White House officials are focused on deporting by any means necessary, but they seem not to care at all about ensuring the accuracy of these deportations. Due process is an important safeguard against abuse, ensuring that the government is not acting with haste or malice. Republicans are wrong when they argue that it is irrelevant, even for illegal immigrants. Many of these recent deportations have come through the Alien Enemies Act, which reduces the burden of due process on deportations during wartime. The use of the act has been the subject of a heated legal battle and has spurred public debate about due process for deportees.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 1:51 PM, David Ignatius, 31735K] reports politicization is a special poison for intelligence and national security officials. It skews judgment and encourages false or misleading reporting. It rewards those who curry favor and punishes those who tell the truth. Eventually, it leads to paralysis, as officials become fearful of taking any step that could get them into trouble. This poison is now leaching into the intelligence community, following interventions by the White House over the past week that have derailed experienced professionals at the NSA, the NSC and the CIA. The victims aren’t part of some imaginary “deep state.” They are veteran officials of the agencies that protect Americans from catastrophe. Intelligence agencies need competent leaders because a president needs them to act quickly and decisively in a crisis.

AP [4/6/2025 12:09 AM, Didi Tang, 48304K] reports after hiding in Thailand for seven years, two Cambodian journalists arrived in the United States last year on work visas, aiming to keep providing people in their Southeast Asian homeland with objective, factual news through Radio Free Asia. But Vuthy Tha and Hour Hum now say their jobs and legal status in the U.S. are at risk after President Donald Trump recently signed an executive order gutting the government-run U.S. Agency for Global Media. The agency funds Radio Free Asia and other outlets tasked with delivering uncensored information to parts of the world under authoritarian rule and often without a free press of their own. Both men said they’re worried about providing for their families and being allowed to stay in the U.S. They say it’s impossible to return to Cambodia, a single-party state hostile to independent media where they fear being persecuted for their journalistic work. The administration has been dismantling or slashing the size of federal agencies, leading tens of thousands of government workers and contractors to be fired or put on leave. But the targeting of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, whose decades-old networks aim to extend American influence abroad, means journalists who have defied authoritarian regimes to help fulfill a U.S. mission of delivering pro-democracy programming could be deported and face harassment and persecution in their homelands. Eleven journalists associated with the U.S.-funded media outlets are behind bars overseas, including RFA’s Shin Daewe, who is serving 15 years in Myanmar on a charge of supporting terrorism. At least 84 U.S. Agency for Global Media, or USAGM, journalists in the United States on work visas could face deportation, including at least 23 “at serious risk of being immediately arrested upon arrival and potentially imprisoned,” according to the advocacy group Reporters Without Borders and a coalition of 36 human rights organizations. “It is outrageous that these journalists, who risk their lives to expose the extent of repression in their home countries, might be completely abandoned,” said Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders. “The U.S. Congress must take responsibility for protecting these reporters and all USAGM-funded outlets, funded by Congress itself,” Bruttin said. “This responsibility is not just moral — it stems from the United States’ commitment to defending the principles of democracy and press freedom.” The Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee did not respond to requests for comment. The White House did not comment.

Washington Examiner [4/5/2025 7:00 AM, Anna Giaritelli, 2296K] reports the Trump administration is moving forward with the White House’s agenda of arresting and deporting criminal illegal immigrants in the United States, with significant arrests across the country this week. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested criminals from coast to coast this week who have convictions of crimes against children, drug distribution, assault, and suspected gang associations. The arrests are part of the Trump administration’s goal of carrying out the "largest-ever" deportation operation in national history, which commenced on Jan. 20.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 7:00 AM, María Luisa Paúl, 31735K] reports although wrongful detentions and deportations of U.S. citizens aren’t unheard-of, recent news reports of at least seven alleged cases have alarmed attorneys, civil rights advocates and immigration scholars who say they reveal the dangers of a system accelerating with few safeguards. As the Trump administration pushes for mass deportations, expands federal enforcement and shutters oversight offices, experts warn citizens are increasingly at risk of getting caught in the dragnet. The U.S. government does not release data on how often ICE wrongfully detains or deports U.S. citizens. But investigations by media outlets, research institutes and oversight agencies have revealed that ICE has arrested, detained, deported and issued detainers — requests to local jails to hold a person in custody — for thousands of citizens since the agency was created in 2003. One 2011 study estimated that roughly 1 to 1.5 percent of deportees are U.S. citizens.

Blaze.com [4/5/2025 5:04 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1668K] reports a motley crew of leftists descended on the nation’s capital on Saturday. Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas was on the scene, capturing some of the less inhibited among the activists resort to their apparent default: dehumanizing rhetoric. As part of a nationwide "Hands Off!" protest, some radicals ambled to the National Mall to express their displeasure with President Donald Trump and his popular agenda. While uniformly anti-Trump, there was a variety of grievances expressed by the cacophonic mob even though the organizers made clear that they had three reasons for mobilization. The reasons were: to stop Trump and Elon Musk’s imagined "illegal power grab"; to condemn the administration and congressional Republicans for supposedly "gutting services, raising prices, and racing towards slashing Medicaid, Social Security, and more"; and to clutch pearls about the administration’s supposed pursuit of "destruction for the benefit of their billionaire allies.” Of course, numerous protesters veered off message, dusted off the slogans of yesteryear, and championed the causes of Black Lives Matter, gender ideology, and an unaccountable federal bureaucracy. Other radicals farther afield donned keffiyehs and swarmed the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Potomac Center Plaza as part of the separate "April 5 March on Washington.” Those in this second camp, which Rosas tracked over the course of the day, protested the Trump administration’s foreign policy as well as its enforcement of federal immigration law; demonized ICE agents; condemned the deportation of pro-Hamas radicals, including Turkish national Rumeysa Ozturk; criticized Israel; and reaffirmed their "commitment to the liberation of Palestine.” The groups that ultimately swarmed the ICE headquarters included the Palestinian Feminist Collective, the climate alarmist group Planet Over Profit, and the local chapters of the George Soros-funded Students for Justice in Palestine — a group endorsed last year by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a Gaza-based terrorist group that combines Marxist-Leninist ideology with Arab nationalism. Outside the ICE offices, protesters demanded the release of Mahmoud Khalil and other pro-Hamas international students facing deportation.

NBC News [4/5/2025 4:33 PM, Sarah Fitzpatrick and Tom Winter, 44742K] reports the Tate brothers, who recently traveled to the United States while facing human trafficking and sex related charges in their home country of Romania, may now be under federal criminal investigation in the U.S., according to a new civil lawsuit filing. The filing, made in Palm Beach County, Florida, on behalf of four anonymous defendants being sued by Andrew and Tristan Tate seeks to pause a civil defamation case “until the United States federal investigation and/or prosecution by the Department of Justice for the Southern District of New York of Andrew and Tristan Tate has concluded.” If accurate, the revelation of a federal investigation in the U.S. marks a new chapter in the brothers’ ongoing legal sagas, which spans two continents. Danielle Pinter, an attorney at the National Center on Child Exploitation filed the motion. Pinter did not immediately respond to NBC News’ questions or request for comment. Joseph McBride, attorney for the Tate brothers downplayed the significance of the motion, characterizing it as “pathetic delay tactics by a group of weak lawyers running from a fight in the Florida Defamation Case, because they know the evidence is overwhelmingly on our side.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment. The Tate brothers were arrested in 2022 near Bucharest, Romania’s capital, along with two Romanian women. All four were indicted by Romania prosecutors last year.

New York Post [4/5/2025 8:31 PM, Anna Young, 54903K] reports a Venezuelan immigrant who was detained by ICE in Illinois last month was temporarily released from custody to save his ailing brother in need of a kidney transplant. José Gregorio González, 43, was granted one-year humanitarian parole with supervision and freed from an ICE facility in Broadview Friday where he reunited with his brother, Jose Alfredo Pacheco, who has end-stage renal disease and needs the life-saving organ transplant, according to local reports. “I didn’t think I’d be here,” González said in Spanish at a press conference following his release, WGN reported, adding that he planned to call his mother so she could see him and Pacheco together again. “It’s been something unforgettable.” González arrived in Chicago last year and has since served as his sibling’s caregiver. He was picked up by immigration agents on March 3 shortly after the duo arrived home from a kidney dialysis appointment, which Pacheco attends multiple times a week. They were also in the process of seeing if González was a positive match for a kidney donation, NBC News reported. “He was picked up because he does have a removal order in his case,” Peter Meineck, an attorney with The Resurrection Project, told WGN. Meineck said González was initially denied entry at the southern border and detained by ICE for several months before he was granted temporary supervised release to help his brother. He still faced a pending removal order despite wearing an ankle monitor and checking in with his ICE officer, ABC News reported.

AP [4/6/2025 1:18 AM, Valerie Gonzalez, 48304K] reports Leonardo Baez and Nora Avila-Guel’s bakery in the Texas community of Los Fresnos is a daily stop for many residents to share gossip over coffee and pick up cakes and pastries for birthdays, office parties or themselves. When Homeland Security Investigations agents showed up at Abby’s Bakery in February and arrested the owners and eight employees, residents of Los Fresnos were shocked. Abby’s Bakery doesn’t employ violent criminals and Baez and Avila-Guel are not the people who border czar Tom Homan calls the “worst of the worst” and says are the priority for mass deportations. “I was surprised because I know that they’re not taking advantage of the people,” Esteban Rodriguez, 43, said after pulling into the bakery’s parking lot to discover it was closed. “It was more like helping out people. They didn’t have nowhere to go, instead of them being on the streets.” The reaction in the town of 8,500 residents may show the limits of support for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown in a majority Hispanic region dotted with fields of cotton, sugarcane and red grapefruit where Republicans made gains in last year’s elections. Cameron County voted for a GOP president for the first time since 2004. For neighboring Starr County, it was the first time since 1896. Now, Baez and Avila-Guel, a Mexican couple who are legal U.S. permanent residents, could lose everything after being accused of concealing and harboring immigrants who were in the U.S. illegally. It’s a rare case in which business owners face criminal charges rather than just a fine.

NBC News [4/5/2025 8:07 AM, Kimmy Yam, 50804K] reports Badar Khan Suri, a Georgetown University professor and postdoctoral scholar who was arrested and targeted for deportation by the Trump administration last month, was most concerned for his students after he was detained, according to members of the Georgetown community. Suri, who was born in India and in the U.S. on a student visa, had been teaching a course on minority rights in South Asia at the university’s School of Foreign Service (SFS). A student and faculty members told NBC News that amid the shock of his arrest, Suri still kept his class at the forefront of his mind. Suri, who has been a postdoc at Georgetown for the past three years, was accused by the Department of Homeland Security of “actively spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.” ICE did not immediately return NBC News’ request for comment. But assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin addressed Suri’s detention on X, saying that “Suri has close connections to a known or suspected terrorist, who is a senior advisor to Hamas.”

Washington Times [4/5/2025 2:26 PM, Staff, 1814K] reports college officials across the United States are raising concerns about a new wave of visa revocations targeting international students. The Trump administration has begun terminating students’ legal status with little warning or clear justification, forcing many to leave the country immediately. At Minnesota State University in Mankato, officials discovered five international students had their visas revoked after running a status check prompted by the detention of a Turkish student at the University of Minnesota. Similar cases have emerged at Arizona State, Cornell, North Carolina State, University of Oregon, University of Texas, University of Colorado, Tufts and University of Alabama. Some students appear to have been targeted under an obscure law barring noncitizens whose presence could have "serious adverse foreign policy consequences" — a provision Trump invoked in a January order addressing campus antisemitism. However, many affected students have no connection to political activism. Some face deportation over minor infractions like traffic violations or misdemeanors that had already been reported to authorities. In several cases, universities report being unable to find any protest involvement or controversial social media posts from affected students.

Times Now News [4/5/2025 1:45 PM, Arun Nair] reports the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently declared that it will only recognise two biological sexes—male and female. The latest update - which aligns with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January 2025, titled ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’ - applies to all pending and future immigration benefit requests filed on or after April 2, stated the Immigration department’s release. "There are only two sexes—male and female," stated Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security.
McLaughlin further added that the policy aligns with how Trump promised the American people "a revolution of common sense", and that "includes making sure that the policy of the US government agrees with simple biological reality." The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) recently declared that it will only recognise two biological sexes—male and female. The latest update - which aligns with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in January 2025, titled ‘Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government’ - applies to all pending and future immigration benefit requests filed on or after April 2, stated the Immigration department’s release. "There are only two sexes—male and female," stated Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the Department of Homeland Security. McLaughlin further added that the policy aligns with how Trump promised the American people "a revolution of common sense", and that "includes making sure that the policy of the US government agrees with simple biological reality."

The Hill [4/6/2025 6:00 AM, Laura Kelly, 12829K] reports Republican senators are brushing off concerns that high-profile arrests and deportations of foreign students may ostracize a group that is a major contributor to the U.S. economy. International students injected $43.8 billion into the U.S. last year, a key economic influx that has rebounded from a major downturn during the pandemic. California, New York and Texas are the states with the highest rate of foreign students. But some Republican senators say Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s student visa cancellations, high-profile arrests and push for deportations of student protesters are about protecting American national security, though many of the exact charges are unknown and sealed in the courts. While Rubio said he has canceled more than 300 visas, it’s unclear how many of those are for foreign students. "They can be" an asset to the U.S. economy, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said of the students. But he put his full support behind the Trump administration’s rooting out individuals it says are supporting or sympathizing with terrorist organizations, though lawyers and advocates say they are only exercising free speech. "I hope it has a chilling effect on antisemites and racists and those who would engage in violent harassment from coming to this country," Cruz said. "I’d like all of them to stay away and those who are here to promptly go home to their own countries and not threaten Americans here at home.” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), former head football coach at Auburn University, said foreign students can be an asset to the U.S. economy, but falsely claimed that they are taking university slots from Americans. "The problem is we’re turning down a lot of qualified students in America that are being replaced by foreign students, and that shouldn’t happen," Tuberville said. Referred to as the "enrollment cliff," colleges are preparing for drops in applications as the number of young Americans are declining.

NBC News [4/6/2025 1:37 AM, Denise Chow, 44742K] reports the University of Massachusetts Amherst confirmed Saturday that five international students at the school have had their visas revoked by federal authorities. Javier Reyes, chancellor of the university, called the incidents “troubling news” in a letter that was published online Friday evening. “In each of the five cases, the students’ legal status to remain in the United States has been revoked,” Reyes wrote. “The university was not notified by federal authorities of these status revocations and only became aware as a result of proactive checks in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) database.” He added that the school is working with the Massachusetts attorney general, and he advised international students on school-sponsored visas to reach out to UMass’ Office of Global Affairs if they “receive any communications (phone calls or emails) purporting to be from the federal government.” A spokesperson for the university said officials there have “no reason to believe that these revocations are connected to campus activism.”

Reported similarly:
FOX News [4/5/2025 9:48 PM, Brie Stimson, 46189K]

Los Angeles Times [4/5/2025 10:34 PM, Jaweed Kaleem, 1330K] reports the Trump administration has canceled dozens of international student visas at California campuses, including UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine and Stanford, university leaders, students and faculty at campuses confirmed to The Times. Education officials over the weekend struggled to assess the extent of the revocations. The actions are part of mass visa cancellations that appear to have unfolded at campuses across the country on Friday and caught school administrators by surprise. Other campuses to announce visa revocations include the University of Kentucky, University of Oregon and Ohio State University. While many actions by the Trump administration to cancel student visas and arrest students last month targeted pro-Palestinian activists, the reasons for these changes were unclear. Spokespeople from the State Department did not reply Saturday to questions from The Times about California student visas. Asked whether the visa cancellations had to do with students who protested or other matters, Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in an email, “we’d have to look on a case by case basis.” She did not reply to a question about the number of visas revoked in California or how many of the state’s campuses were affected.

Reported similarly:
San Francisco Chronicle [4/5/2025 4:50 PM, St. John Barned-Smith, 5046K]

FOX News [4/5/2025 7:22 PM, Alexandra Koch, 46189K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Saturday announced the U.S. will revoke visas held by South Sudanese passport holders and no others will be issued, effective immediately. Rubio attributed the change to "the failure of South Sudan’s transitional government to accept the return of its repatriated citizens in a timely manner," according to a statement posted on X. The U.S. Department of State on Saturday wrote in a statement that it is time for the transitional government of South Sudan to "stop taking advantage" of the U.S. "Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is critically important to the national security and public safety of the United States," according to the statement. "Every country must accept the return of its citizens in a timely manner when another country, including the United States, seeks to remove them. " The department said it "will be prepared to review these actions when South Sudan is in full cooperation." The East African country is on the verge of civil war, with escalating armed conflict, mass displacement and severe food insecurity. Previously, the U.S. Embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, suspended its operations to include visa, passport and other routine consular services on April 22, 2023. The move comes after the Trump administration in February ended a deportation shield for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans in the U.S. The Department of Homeland Security (DSH) said it would revoke the status of more than 300,000 nationals protected by temporary protected status. The Trump administration has deported more than 100,000 illegal migrants since taking office, according to a New York Post report citing a DHS official. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for the Republic of South Sudan did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. United Nations South Sudan declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [4/5/2025 7:46 PM, Edward Wong and Hamed Aleaziz, 145325K]
The Hill [4/5/2025 10:21 PM, Filip Timotija, 12829K]
CBS News [4/5/2025 8:00 PM, Staff, 51661K]
Washington Examiner [4/5/2025 11:02 PM, Staff, 2296K]

FOX News [4/5/2025 10:43 PM, Jasmine Baehr and Lawrence Edward, 10702K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is already collecting over $200 million per day in extra revenue as it enforces a massive new wave of tariffs under President Donald Trump’s "Liberation Day" plan. "CBP has successfully implemented 13 tariff-related presidential actions during this Administration," a CBP spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business. "Serving on America’s frontline, CBP strictly enforces all laws and Presidential directives to secure our economic sovereignty." Using powers under the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA), the Trump administration is targeting goods from dozens of countries, including China. On April 3, the U.S. imposed a 25% tariff on all passenger vehicles and light trucks imported from any country, and on Saturday, a 10% global tariff took effect under IEEPA, with certain exclusions, CBP said. Beginning April 9, 86 countries will face new reciprocal tariffs ranging from 11% to 50%, with some exclusions, and on May 2, products from China and Hong Kong valued at or under $800 and shipped outside the international postal system will no longer be eligible for duty-free treatment and will be subject to standard duties, according to CBP. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/5/2025 10:26 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 46189K] reports two U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers have been charged with taking bribes to let people enter the country without showing documents at America’s busiest border crossing. CBP Officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez worked at the San Ysidro Port of Entry and prosecutors say they let dozens of vehicles carrying illegal immigrants pass through without proper checks in exchange for thousands of dollars. According to court documents unsealed Thursday, investigators found phone messages between the officers and human smugglers in Mexico. They also found large unexplained cash deposits in the officers’ bank accounts. "Any Customs and Border Protection agent who helps smugglers is breaking their oath and putting our national security at risk," said Acting U.S. Attorney Andrew Haden.

AP [4/5/2025 1:29 PM, Staff] reports two U.S. border inspectors in Southern California have been charged with taking thousands of dollars in bribes to allow people to enter the country through the nation’s busiest port of entry without showing documents, prosecutors said. U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers Farlis Almonte and Ricardo Rodriguez were assigned to immigration inspection booths at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. They were charged after investigators found phone evidence showing they had exchanged messages with human traffickers in Mexico and discovered unexplained cash deposits into their bank accounts, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. Prosecutors said the officers waved dozens of vehicles carrying people without documents. They said both men were paid thousands for each vehicle they waved through. There have been five U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to the San Diego area to face similar corruption charges in the last two years.

CNN [4/5/2025 2:00 PM, Mohammed Tawfeeq, 22131K] reports the Canadian government is warning citizens visiting the United States that US border officials have the authority to search travelers’ electronic devices – including phones, laptops, and tablets – without providing a reason. In a revised travel advisory posted online, it urges Canadians to "expect scrutiny" when crossing the border and warns that refusing to comply involves risks including device seizure, travel delays, or the denial of entry for non-US citizens. Under US law, Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents may demand passwords to unlock devices during inspections. Travelers who refuse the demand risk having their electronics confiscated and may face long delays. The advisory recommends placing devices in airplane mode before crossing to prevent unintended downloads of remote files, which could complicate screenings. The move follows recent incidents involving such searches. The US Supreme Court has upheld the authority of border agents to conduct warrantless device searches, citing the "border search exception" to the Fourth Amendment.

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [4/5/2025 3:38 PM, Randy Thanthong-Knight, 16228K]

Telemundo [4/5/2025 5:40 PM, Staff, 2454K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration on Saturday revoked visas for students on several of its campuses, without offering further details, the University of California confirmed in a statement. "This is a fluid situation, and we continue to monitor and assess its implications for the university community and those affected. We are committed to doing everything possible to support all members of our community in exercising their rights under the law. In doing so, the university will continue to comply with all applicable state and federal laws," university officials say in the statement. The document says the university is "aware that international students at several of our campuses have been affected by recent SEVIS cancellations," referring to the U.S. Government’s Student and Exchange Visitor Information System database. University leaders and faculty confirmed to the LA Times that students at UCLA, UC San Diego and Stanford campuses have been affected by the cancellations. At UCLA, the revocations affected at least eight international students, according to faculty groups. It is unclear whether any students were detained by immigration authorities or why their visas were canceled. At UC San Diego, Chancellor Pradeep Khosla said in a message issued late Friday that the visas of five students had been revoked. He said the university received the notification "without notice." Khosla said a sixth student was "stopped at the border, denied entry and deported to his home country." "The federal government has not explained the reasons behind these terminations," Khosla wrote. "The students have been notified and we are working directly with them to provide support." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [4/5/2025 7:00 AM, Anna Phillips, Jake Spring, Kevin Crowe and Dan Diamond, 31735K] reports torrential rain fell on Eastern Kentucky in July 2022, turning creeks into rivers that roared through the valleys and hollows, wrecking hundreds of homes and killing 45 people. Since then, the state has been trapped in a cycle of seemingly never-ending disasters, exhausting storm-weary residents in impoverished small towns. During Donald Trump’s first presidency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency launched a program to break this cycle, awarding billions of dollars to states to repair levees, elevate flood-prone homes and shore up drinking water systems. The program was built on research showing it is many times less expensive to protect against future damage from natural disasters than to pay for repairs and rebuilding afterward. FEMA is now canceling plans to award these grants for the 2024 fiscal year, according to an internal memo reviewed by The Washington Post. As Trump’s second administration looks to slash federal spending, money given to states by the federal government after disasters strike could also be in jeopardy. The president has said he wants to eliminate FEMA and shift responsibility for disaster response to the states — which experts said are unprepared to respond to catastrophic disasters without federal assistance. The agency plans to review earlier grants and claw back funding for those that have not yet been paid out, the memo said. A FEMA spokeswoman said the program, known as BRIC, is ending “non-mission critical programs.”

CNN [4/5/2025 4:33 PM, Gene Norman, Karina Tsui, Rebekah Riess, 22131K] reports severe thunderstorms and relentless rain are triggering catastrophic flooding across the middle of the US this weekend, as areas already hit hard by a recent string of storms and tornadoes remain in the path of this current system. The storms have killed at least nine people across Tennessee, Missouri, Indiana and Kentucky since Wednesday. In Franklin County, Kentucky, a 9-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop, police said. There are 41 million people at risk for severe storms Saturday from the Ohio River Valley southwestward to southeast Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Saturday is the third consecutive day of level 4 of 4 risk of flooding rain across the Mississippi Valley, including parts of Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee and Mississippi. Residents in these areas will likely see the peak of "life-threatening" flash floods on Saturday afternoon to evening, when rainfall will be at its heaviest. The three-day stretch of the highest possible flooding threat is almost unheard-of outside hurricane season. Very heavy showers and thunderstorms will continue to move repeatedly over portions of central and eastern Arkansas and western Tennessee over the next few hours. The high rainfall rates from these storms will lead to life-threatening and locally catastrophic flash flooding. The storms have already prompted tens of thousands of power outages across the region and delays for more than 4,000 flights within, into or out of the US on Saturday.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 2:18 PM, Matthew Cappucci and Gaya Gupta, 31735K] reports a destructive and relentless storm continued to fuel threats of flash floods and tornadoes Saturday, while rescue teams worked across communities in the Mid-South and parts of the Mississippi Valley devastated by heavy rains and flooding in the days before. At least nine people across four states have been killed so far, including a young boy on his way to school and a fire-chief in Missouri assisting with search-and rescue efforts. Much of the devastation thus far has focused on areas from Arkansas to Kentucky, and the National Weather Service continued to warn of major flooding expected to begin again late Saturday afternoon and continue through Sunday morning, calling it a “particularly dangerous and life-threatening” situation. Localized rain totals could exceed a foot, and near 15 inches in some areas, by the time the precipitation draws to a close Sunday night. Until the storm wanes, flooding will be widespread as more waves of moisture continue to pass repeatedly over the beleaguered and already saturated region.

NewsMax [4/5/2025 5:18 PM, Staff, 4998K] reports another round of torrential rain and flash flooding came Saturday for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned some deadly tornadoes. Day after day of heavy rains have pounded the central U.S., rapidly swelling waterways and prompting a series of flash flood emergencies in Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas. The National Weather Service said 45 river locations in multiple states were expected to reach major flood stage, with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges, and other critical infrastructure possible. At least seven people were killed as the tornadoes destroyed entire neighborhoods, with more twisters possible in places this weekend. Flooding killed at least two more in Kentucky: a 9-year-old boy swept away Friday on his way to school and a 74-year-old whose body was found Saturday inside a fully submerged vehicle in Nelson County, authorities said. And interstate commerce is affected. The extreme flooding across a corridor that includes the major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis, Tennessee, could lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather. The outburst comes at a time when nearly half of NWS forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates after Trump administration job cuts — twice that of just a decade ago. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday that the Ohio River had risen 5 feet in 24 hours and would continue to swell for days. "We expect this to be one of the top 10 flooding events in Louisville history," he said. Flash flood emergencies continued to be issued Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, and Tennessee, with more heavy rains and damaging winds in the mix. Hundreds of Kentucky roads were impassable Friday because of floodwaters, downed trees, or mud and rock slides. And the number of closures were likely to increase with more rain Saturday, said Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reopened early Saturday after floodwaters from the Little River receded, giving a much needed reprieve. But still more rainfall was on its way Saturday and Sunday, said Mayor James R. Knight Jr.

Reported similarly:
AP [4/5/2025 4:34 PM, Bruce Schreiner and Obed Lamy]

The AP [4/6/2025 4:53 AM, Bruce Schreiner and Obed Lamy, 48304K] reports another round of torrential rain and flash flooding came Saturday for parts of the South and Midwest already heavily waterlogged by days of severe storms that also spawned deadly tornadoes. Forecasters warned that rivers in some places would continue to rise for days. Overnight into Sunday morning there were new tornado warnings issued in Alabama and Mississippi, along with flash flood warnings in several counties in Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee. Day after day of heavy rains have pounded the central U.S., rapidly swelling waterways and prompting a series of flash flood emergencies in from Texas to Ohio. The National Weather Service said dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach what the agency calls “major flood stage,” with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible. At least 16 weather-related deaths have been reported since the start of the storms, including 10 in Tennessee. NewsMax [4/6/2025 5:38 AM, Staff, 4998K] reports that day after day of heavy rains have pounded the central U.S., rapidly swelling waterways and prompting a series of flash flood emergencies in from Texas to Ohio. The National Weather Service said dozens of locations in multiple states were expected to reach what the agency calls " major flood stage," with extensive flooding of structures, roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure possible. At least 16 weather-related deaths have been reported since the start of the storms, including 10 in Tennessee. A 57-year-old man died Friday evening after getting out of a car that washed off a road in West Plains, Missouri. Flooding killed two people in Kentucky — a 9-year-old boy swept away that same day on his way to school, and a 74-year-old whose body was found Saturday inside a fully submerged vehicle in Nelson County, authorities said. Also Saturday a 5-year-old died at a home in Little Rock, Arkansas, in a weather-related incident, according to police. No details were immediately provided. Tornadoes earlier in the week destroyed entire neighborhoods and were responsible for at least seven of the deaths. And interstate commerce is affected — the extreme flooding across a corridor that includes the major cargo hubs in Louisville, Kentucky, and Memphis could lead to shipping and supply chain delays, said Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather. The outburst comes at a time when nearly half of NWS forecast offices have 20% vacancy rates after Trump administration job cuts — twice that of just a decade ago. Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg said Saturday that the Ohio River rose 5 feet (about 1.5 meters) in 24 hours and would continue to swell for days. "We expect this to be one of the top 10 flooding events in Louisville history," he said. Flash flood emergency and tornado warnings continued to be issued Saturday across Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky, with more heavy rains and damaging winds in the mix. All of eastern Kentucky was under a flood watch through Sunday morning. Hundreds of Kentucky roads across the state were impassable because of floodwaters, downed trees or mud and rock slides. Downtown Hopkinsville, Kentucky, reopened in the morning after floodwaters from the Little River receded, giving a much-needed reprieve, but still more rainfall was on its way, Mayor James R. Knight Jr. said. "We got a little rain, but most of it went north of us," Knight said. "Thank goodness on that. Gave us a little break.”

Reported similarly:
CNN [4/6/2025 4:15 AM, Karina Tsui, 908K]

AP [4/5/2025 3:38 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports a 9-year-old boy was found dead in Kentucky after officials say he was swept away by floodwaters while walking to his school bus stop. The death of Gabriel Andrews stunned residents in Kentucky’s capital city and sparked questions from some who wondered why the Franklin County school district chose not to cancel in-person classes Friday when strong storms produced flash flooding. Several other school districts in the area canceled classes Friday. Frankfort police were alerted around 6:35 a.m. Friday that the boy had been caught in floodwaters. Police started a search-and-rescue mission, and the boy was found dead about two hours later.

AP [4/5/2025 8:36 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports that, after a devastating tornado ripped through the town on Wednesday, Dyersburg (Tenn.) residents had to take shelter three more times on Saturday due to tornado warnings as they prepared for possible flooding from heavy rains earlier. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX 13 Tampa Bay [4/5/2025 8:02 AM, Staff] reports Mr. Horner was on his vessel when he engaged in a confrontation with another boater. The confrontation actually stemmed from an incident that occurred on March 30, 2025, at about 5:30 in the morning in the same area. Mr. Horner was located and apprehended. It is still an open investigation. FWC, as well as the United States Coast Guard, their investigations are completely open.

FOX 35 Orlando [4/5/2025 1:10 PM, Annabelle Sikes] reports the charter boat captain at the center of a viral boating rage incident in Punta Gorda was arrested Friday night. Brock Horner, 40, is being charged with burglary with assault or battery, non-forced entry. Scott Weinberg, Horner’s original attorney, has told FOX 35 that he’s no longer representing him. Horner is currently being held in the Charlotte County Jail. Through a statement by his previous attorney, Horner apologized for his behavior, saying he was not proud of how he acted. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are conducting separate investigations due to the location of the incident.

Whatcom News [4/5/2025 12:02 PM, Staff] reports Agents with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) converged on a roofing business in Bellingham on April 2, 2025, to execute a federal search warrant “based on an ongoing criminal investigation in the unlawful employment of aliens without legal work authorization,” according to an ICE spokesperson. 37 people arrested were loaded onto buses and driven away according to witnesses at the scene. The office of US Representative Rick Larsen, representing Washington’s Second Congressional District (WA-02, which includes portions of Snohomish County and all of Skagit, Whatcom, Island and San Juan Counties) issued a press release on April 4, 2025, along with US representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Suzan DelBene (WA-01), Marilyn Strickland (WA-10), Emily Randall (WA-06), Adam Smith (WA-09) and Kim Schrier (WA-08). The press release said the 7 representatives had sent a letter to ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem voicing their concerns over the recent raid.

NBC 8 Portland [4/5/2025 8:20 PM, Libby Dowsett, 140K] reports the weather smiled on a milestone this week as the U.S. Coast Guard celebrated the 80th birthday of the oldest cutter west of the Mississippi. The cutter Bluebell and its crew are a staple at the Portland Rose Festival and along the local rivers. The crew’s main job is to make sure other ships are able to navigate waterways safely. Commanding Officer Mark Reilly said it takes a lot of work to keep an 80-year-old cutter continuing to do its mission. "It definitely doesn’t have the electronics the newer ships have, but the crew really keeps the ship going," Reilly said. The crew of 15 travels more than 500 miles on the Columbia, Willamette and Snake Rivers. It services navigation aids that ensure commercial vessels and cruise ships have safe passage on our rivers. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Bluebell is the second-oldest ship in the Coast Guard’s fleet and has spent its entire career in the Portland area. "It’s definitely been an honor to be in the Portland area, as well," Reilly added, "to kind of be the flagship for Portland and its people and keep the maritime transportation system here safe."

89.7 FM Unalaska [4/5/2025 7:12 PM, Maggie Nelson, 10K] reports the Unalaska Fire and Police Departments, along with members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Alaska State Troopers recovered the body of missing fisherman Jacob Riley Veeser Saturday morning. 28-year-old Veeser was reported missing Friday afternoon. City officials said in a press release that evening that he was last seen at midnight on April 4 walking down the GI “dolphin” dock at the UniSea Inc. processing plant. Local emergency personnel and the city ports department began a shoreline search for Veeser shortly before 7 p.m. Friday. The search was suspended a few hours later, around 10:30 p.m. Officials resumed the search Saturday morning. Veeser, a crewmember aboard the F/V Lady Alaska, was discovered in the water along Captains Bay Rd. around 10:30 a.m. Saturday. His next of kin and the State of Alaska Medical Examiner Office have been notified, the city said in an updated press release.

CNN [4/5/2025 8:02 AM, Ray Sanchez] reports the 28-year-old who gunned down three third graders and three staff members at The Covenant School in Nashville "used a great deal of manipulation" to conceal the extent of her mounting mental health struggles from her parents and therapists for years while planning a mass shooting, a police investigative report said. Bent on infamy and obsessed with mass killings and school shootings, Audrey Hale extensively chronicled her grievances against her parents and others she blamed for her fraught life as she stocked up on firearms and meticulously prepared for the March 27, 2023, massacre, according to the 48-page report released Wednesday. After two years of interviews and examinations of Hale’s digital devices, online accounts, video tapes, medical records and artwork and writings across 1,299 pages of notebooks, investigators found no culpability on the part of family members, therapists or the retailers who sold her guns in the years before the carnage at the private Christian school. In the report, the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department said Hale – based on available records – was sane but evidence pointed to worsening anxiety, depression and rage that she managed to withhold from her family and mental health professionals over the years.

CNN [4/5/2025 7:14 AM, Ray Sanchez] reports the former student who shot and killed three 9-year-olds and three adults at The Covenant School in Nashville in 2023 meticulously researched and planned the violent act for years, says a summary of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department’s investigation. Investigators pored over sketches and writings on thousands of pages of notebooks, Facebook and Instagram accounts, video tapes, digital devices and other items left behind by Audrey Hale, 28, who was gunned down by police shortly after the carnage on March 27, 2023. During their two-year investigation, they also examined medical and psychological records to show how Hale managed to manipulate her parents and therapists, concealing the extent of her mental health problems while preparing for the attack.

The Hill [4/5/2025 12:59 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12829K] reports the Trump administration named Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman as acting director of the National Security Agency (NSA) late Thursday, just hours after dismissing top officials, an agency spokesperson told The Hill. Hartman will also serve as acting commander for the U.S. Cyber Command and acting chief for the Central Security Service. Sheila Thomas was designated as acting deputy director, according to the official. The latest designation became effective after President Trump ousted NSA Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, and several other high-ranking security officials, over disputes about their loyalty prompted by far-right activist Laura Loomer. Brian Walsh, senior director of intelligence; Thomas Boodry, senior director of legislative affairs; and David Feith, senior director of technology and national security were also fired amid the fallout.

NewsMax [4/5/2025 10:42 AM, Jim Thomas, 4998K] reports President Donald Trump has dismissed Gen. Timothy D. Haugh as director of the National Security Agency and head of U.S. Cyber Command following allegations of disloyalty raised by presidential adviser Laura Loomer, prompting concern among lawmakers over potential impacts to national security, the New York Times reported. Gen. Timothy D. Haugh was relieved of his duties this week by President Trump after adviser Laura Loomer raised concerns about his loyalty and professional affiliations, according to U.S. officials and public statements made by Loomer. She urged the president to act against those she identified as disloyal or appointed during former President Biden’s administration, ABC News reported. The dismissal, however, prompted widespread speculation within government and intelligence circles. Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, former Cyber Command deputy, is now acting NSA director, The Washington Post reported. Sheila Thomas, former NSA executive director, is now acting deputy.

CNN [4/5/2025 5:09 PM, Alayna Treene and Steve Contorno, 908K] reports President Donald Trump arranged for far-right activist Laura Loomer to join him in the Oval Office this week for an extraordinary meeting that preceded a shake-up of his national security leadership, two sources familiar with their meeting told CNN. Their sit-down came after Loomer reached Trump by phone, the sources told CNN. As a result of their call, Trump instructed staff to invite her to the White House, the sources added. Within 24 hours of their meeting, the administration had fired the director and deputy director of the National Security Agency, the United States’ powerful cyber intelligence bureau, as well as staff members on the National Security Council. Loomer had advocated for their dismissal during her conversation with Trump, CNN previously reported. “This is called vetting,” Loomer wrote on X early Friday, adding of the NSA leaders: “Their firings are a blessing for the American people.” The stunning series of events recalled Trump’s first term, when informal advisers, fringe figures and longtime associates often bypassed traditional channels to gain direct access to the Oval Office. His aides have insisted the president’s second term would be marked by discipline and structure. Loomer’s previous inflammatory rhetoric has drawn rebukes from Republican leaders, and her access to then-candidate Trump was limited last fall after her appearances on the campaign trail alongside him prompted internal tensions and public criticism. Now, by securing a White House visit just 72 days into Trump’s second term, Loomer has once again cast a spotlight on the external sources shaping the president’s decision-making in what was supposed to be a closely guarded Oval Office. And it appears Loomer’s work isn’t finished. In the days since her meeting with Trump, Loomer has publicly accused the president’s advisers of failing to block Republicans whom she sees as unfaithful to Trump from top White House and administration jobs. In response to what she calls a “vetting crisis,” Loomer recently announced she was starting an opposition research firm to dig into the backgrounds of executive branch hires on her own.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 5:46 PM, Maegan Vazquez, 31735K] reports a growing number of conservatives are challenging President Donald Trump’s wide-reaching tariffs on allies and adversaries alike, with some questioning whether he has the authority to implement them. One of the first legal challenges isn’t coming from a fleet of corporate litigators for one of the many American companies forecasting that the import taxes will have a significant effect on their businesses. It’s coming from an influential, conservative-backed legal nonprofit representing a small stationery company. And in a Congress where both chambers hold a GOP majority, two Republicans — the longest-serving member of the Senate and a battleground district Nebraska representative endorsed by Trump last year — are leading the legislative branch’s hamstrung, bipartisan attempt to push back on the tariffs. The New Civil Liberties Alliance (NCLA) filed a complaint this week over the legality of Trump’s tariffs launched earlier this year on all Chinese imports, representing Florida-based Simplified, a stationery company owned by Emily Ley. The NCLA, a legal nonprofit with conservative backers such as industrialist Charles Koch and judicial activist Leonard Leo, was behind the lawsuits that led the Supreme Court to overturn a principle known as the Chevron deference last year, sharply curtailing the power of federal agencies to regulate vast parts of American life. The alliance argues that Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to justify the levies was unconstitutional because it does not authorize the president to impose tariffs; rather, it authorizes specific emergency actions, such as sanctions or freezing assets, to protect the nation from foreign threats. Trump also used the IEEPA to launch global “reciprocal” tariffs Wednesday.

Washington Post [4/5/2025 3:11 PM, Victoria Bisset, 31735K] reports China condemned the Trump administration’s tariffs after his 10 percent baseline tax went into effect Saturday, but reactions elsewhere were more muted, as foreign officials looked to talks to resolve the widening trade war. President Donald Trump’s Wednesday announcement of sweeping tariffs — including a 10 percent tax on most imported goods and an additional punitive import tax tailored individually for about 60 countries — caused outrage and confusion across the world. While retaliation from other countries is expected, some officials abroad have sounded a more conciliatory tone.

Daily Wire [4/5/2025 3:20 PM, Amanda Prestigiacomo, 4672K] reports President Donald Trump on Saturday told the American people to "hang tough" as short-term pain is felt from a slew of new tariffs, and also noted trillions of dollars in investments committed to the United States. This past week, Trump unveiled his "Liberation Day" plan for implementing reciprocal tariffs on imports to rectify what he views as a decades-long trade imbalance between the United States and other countries. "China has been hit much harder than the USA, not even close," the president posted on Truth Social. "They, and many other nations, have treated us unsustainably badly. We have been the dumb and helpless ‘whipping post,’ but not any longer.” "We are bringing back jobs and businesses like never before," Trump said. "Already, more than FIVE TRILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT, and rising fast!". Additionally, before Trump signed his order on Wednesday, Israel announced it would be removing all tariffs on United States products and Vietnam would cut duties on United States imports such as cars and liquified natural gas. Trump’s post added that his tariff plan is an "economic revolution" that America "will win.” "HANG TOUGH, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic," he said. "We will, MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!". As reported by The Daily Wire, Trump marked April 2 as "Liberation Day," and said foreign nations will now be charged roughly half of what they impose with tariffs, including China, India, and the European Union. "My fellow Americans, this is Liberation Day," Trump said in the Rose Garden on Wednesday. "April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again.” "For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike. American steel workers, auto workers, farmers, and skilled craftsmen … they really suffered gravely," he continued. "We’re not going to let anyone tell us that American workers and families cannot have the future that they deserve," Trump added. "We are going to produce the cars, ships, chips, airplanes, minerals, and medicines we need right here in America.”

Bloomberg [4/5/2025 6:15 PM, Ray Ndlovu, 16228K] reports Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said he’ll suspend tariffs on imports of US goods, seeking to turn Donald Trump’s levies on much of the world into an opportunity to reset strained relations. “In the spirit of constructing a mutually beneficial and positive relationship with the United States of America, under the leadership of President Trump, I will direct the Zimbabwean government to implement a suspension of all tariffs levied on goods originating from the United States,” Mnangagwa said Saturday on his official X account. The measure will “facilitate the expansion of American imports within the Zimbabwean market, while simultaneously promoting the growth of Zimbabwean exports destined” for the US, Mnangagwa said. Trump imposed an 18% tariff on Zimbabwe as part of his wide-ranging announcement on Wednesday. Tobacco is the southern African nation’s biggest export to the US. The US is Zimbabwe’s 11th-largest trading partner, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Bilateral trade totaled $157 million in 2023. Ties between Harare and Washington have largely been marked by hostility for more than two decades. The US placed Mnangagwa on the so-called Magnitsky sanctions list last year for alleged “gross abuses” after his disputed election victory in 2023. The US says its sanctions program in Zimbabwe targets about a dozen individuals and three entities, with American businesses free to review their interests with the country. In a pivot away from western partners, mineral-rich Zimbabwe has strengthened trade ties with China, Russia and recently the United Arab Emirates. The UAE is Zimbabwe’s largest export partner and has helped provide a lifeline for its economy.

AP [4/5/2025 5:21 PM, Astrid Suarez and Manuel Rueda, 48304K] reports a rebel group called the Commoners of the South has begun handing its weapons over to Colombia’s government, the Defense Ministry said Saturday, as part of peace talks expected to lead to the group’s disarmament in the coming months. The group of about 250 fighters operates in Colombia’s Southwestern Nariño province and has been in negotiations with the government since last year. “This is a historic moment,” Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a ceremony in the town of Pasto, where several accords with the group were outlined by officials. Sanchez said that over the past two days, the Commoners of the South have handed over land mines, grenades and rockets to an army unit that is destroying them. “Farmers will be able to walk without the fear of coming across a minefield,” Sanchez said. Until recently, the Commoners of the South was part of the National Liberation Army, or ELN, a group of about 6,000 fighters that is still fighting Colombia’s government. In May last year, the Commoners broke away from the ELN and began peace talks with the administration of President Gustavo Petro. That angered the ELN’s leadership and stymied its negotiations with Colombia’s government. Petro, who was part of a rebel group in his youth, has been staging peace talks with nine separate rebel groups and drug trafficking gangs in Colombia under a strategy known as “total peace.” Most of these negotiations have failed to reduce violence and so far only the Commoners of the South have agreed to begin a transition toward civilian life. “The Commoners of the South are only one of nine problems” faced by the Petro administration, said Gerson Arias, an analyst at the Ideas for Peace Foundation, a think tank in Bogota. “And they are only a small and marginal segment of Colombia’s armed groups,” he said.

New York Times [4/6/2025 12:01 AM, Megha Rajagopalan, 153395K] reports more than 100 chemical weapons sites are suspected to remain in Syria, left behind after the fall of the longtime president, Bashar al-Assad, according to the leading international organization that tracks these weapons. That number is the first estimate of its kind as the group, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, seeks to enter Syria to assess what remains of Mr. al-Assad’s notorious military program. The figure is far higher than any that Mr. al-Assad has ever acknowledged. The sites are suspected to have been involved in the research, manufacturing and storage of chemical weapons. Mr. al-Assad used weapons like sarin and chlorine gas against rebel fighters and Syrian civilians during more than a decade of civil war. The number of sites, and whether they are secured, has been a mystery since rebels toppled Mr. al-Assad last year. Now, the chemicals represent a major test for the caretaker government, which is led by the group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The group is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, but it has renounced its links to Al Qaeda. The stakes are high because of how deadly the weapons are, particularly when used in densely populated areas. Sarin, a nerve agent, can kill within minutes. Chlorine and mustard gas, weapons made infamous in World War I, burn the eyes and skin and fill the lungs with fluid, seemingly drowning people on land.

Breitbart [4/6/2025 6:33 AM, Simon Kent, 2923K] reports President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will sit down for more talks Monday in what will be be their second White House head-to-head since Trump’s return to office. The leaders are expected to discuss issues including tariffs, Gaza and the looming Iranian threat. AP reports the visit, confirmed by a White House official and Netanyahu’s office Saturday, comes as Israel deploys troops in a new security corridor across Gaza to pressure the Hamas terrorist group. Israel has pledged to escalate the war in Gaza until Hamas returns the remaining hostages seized in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war, disarms and leaves the territory. Israel also has halted all supplies of food, fuel and humanitarian aid into Gaza as it pressures the terrorist group and its supporters. Netanyahu’s office in a statement on social media said he and Trump would discuss "the tariff issue, the efforts to return our hostages, Israel-Turkey relations, the Iranian threat and the battle against the International Criminal Court.” Israel faces a 17 percent tariff imposition. Tariff talks would make Netanyahu the first foreign leader to travel to Washington in an attempt to negotiate a better deal with Trump. In February, Netanyahu became the first foreign leader invited to the White House during Trump’s second term. That initial meeting focused on Israel’s war with Hamas and the next steps as a ceasefire deal took hold. The U.S. is Israel’s closest ally and largest single trading partner. The two countries signed a free trade agreement 40 years ago and about 98 percent of goods from the U.S. are now tax-free.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [4/5/2025 4:35 PM, Staff, 51661K]

Bloomberg [4/6/2025 5:25 AM, Shruti Srivastava, 16228K] reports India is unlikely to immediately retaliate against President Donald Trump’s tariff imposition, and is focusing efforts on negotiating a bilateral trade deal with the US to bring down duties, according to a Indian government official. The South Asian country is seeking dialogue and not confrontation, the official said, adding that India has first mover advantage compared to rivals in the region. India plans to work toward a balanced and equitable trade deal with the US, the official said. All options are up for negotiation, and both goods and services will be discussed, according to the official. The government is also in touch with exporters on the expected impact and will help if they reach out. Trump last week announced a 26% tariff on US imports from India, dealing a blow to exporters and risking exacerbating a slowdown in an economy already suffering from weak consumer confidence. A lower negotiated rate could provide some relief, though escalating global trade tensions are still a threat. During his visit to Washington after Trump’s return to the Oval Office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the US president agreed to negotiate a bilateral trade deal by the fall of this year. The new tariffs are a setback for Modi’s government, which had already made several concessions to Trump on his trade and immigration agenda and indicated willingness to cut duties further on imports from America during a visit of US trade officials to New Delhi last month. India’s restraint from immediate retaliation contrasts with its neighbor China, which decided to impose a 34% retaliatory tariff on all goods imported from the US. The NSE Nifty 50 Index fared better than most Asian peers last week as the impact of the levies was deemed milder than that for other economies.

Reuters [4/5/2025 8:00 PM, Khanh Vu and Francesco Guarascio, 24727K] reports U.S. and Vietnamese businesses have asked the Trump administration to delay its planned 46% tariff on Vietnamese goods, saying the levy will hurt them and bilateral commercial relations. The Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi expressed concern to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in a letter dated Saturday, saying the tariff, to take effect on Wednesday, was "shockingly high". "Lower tariffs for products coming into Vietnam, and for products reaching the American consumer is what will help U.S. companies, the economy, and consumers," AmCham and VCCI said in a statement. "Higher tariffs will not.” The Southeast Asian country, a major regional manufacturing base for many Western companies, posted a trade surplus of over $123 billion with the U.S., its largest export destination, last year. President Donald Trump and Vietnamese leader To Lam agreed on Friday to discuss a deal to remove tariffs, both said after a phone call that Trump called "very productive". Even before Trump’s Wednesday announcement of sweeping global tariffs, Vietnam cut several duties as part of a series of concessions to the U.S., which also included pledges to buy more American goods, such as planes and agriculture products. AmCham and VCCI said: "A fast and fair agreement would add certainty for businesses and would help to rectify the trade imbalance between the two countries in a manner that benefits both countries.”

The Philippine Star [4/5/2025 12:00 PM, Ghio Ong, 360K] reports the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and its American counterpart held their eight-day Balikatan Exercise 40-25 Integration Training, which focused on maritime law and tactical enforcement. Ninety PCG officers from various units including the Maritime Security Law Enforcement Command, Special Operations Force, Weapons, Communications, Electronics and Information Systems Command and Fleet Water Group completed the exercises with the United States Coast Guard at the PCG’s headquarters in Port Area, Manila. The joint exercises ended on April 3. PCG Commodore Arnaldo Lim, exercise director for the PCG Task Force Balikatan 40-25, thanked the USCG’s Port Security Unit 305 for its help in carrying out the drills. “Your presence here reflects the depth of our alliance and the shared values that bind us across the seas,” said Lim. He added the PCG’s participation “underscores the growing importance of the law enforcement dimension in this partnership, particularly in areas such as humanitarian assistance, maritime safety and environmental protection.” The USCG was represented by Port Security Unit 305 commanding officer Commander John Elkins and International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Advisor Commander Christine Igesomar during the graduation rites of the Balikatan exercise.

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