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.

CBS News [8/25/2025 3:09 PM, Kaia Hubbard, 45245K] Video: HERE reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being processed for deportation to Uganda, the Department of Homeland Security said, after he was taken into custody Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, days after his release from criminal custody. Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, was mistakenly deported to his home country in March and held in a notorious Salvadoran prison for months before being returned to the U.S. in June where he was jailed on federal human smuggling charges. A judge ruled that he should be released from detention ahead of a trial set for January. Abrego Garcia was freed from pretrial detention last Friday. CBS News reported on Saturday that his attorneys were then sent a court-required notice of his potential deportation to Uganda. He arrived at the ICE facility on Monday morning to check in, speaking in Spanish to supporters who had gathered in a show of support outside of the facility. "There was no need for them to take him into ICE detention. He was already on electronic monitoring from the U.S. Marshals Service and basically on house arrest," his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said. "The only reason that they’ve chosen to take him into detention is to punish him. To punish him for exercising his constitutional rights." Sandoval-Moshenberg filed a new lawsuit on Abrego Garcia’s behalf on Monday challenging his confinement and deportation to any country "unless and until he had a fair trial in an immigration court." The U.S. district court in Maryland soon issued an order preventing the government from immediately removing Abrego Garcia from the U.S. or altering his legal status, meaning his deportation is on hold for now. The court has issued the standing order in all cases involving migrant detainees challenging the legality of their detentions in recent months, a move the Justice Department is challenging as unlawful. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement that ICE had arrested Abrego Garcia and was "processing him for deportation." DHS said he is "being processed for removal to Uganda." The U.S. reached an agreement with Uganda to accept some deportees last week. "President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer," Noem said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Politico [8/25/2025 4:47 PM, Josh Gerstein and Kyle Cheney, 2100K] reports U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis on Monday ordered the administration to keep Abrego in a detention facility in Virginia while she weighs his renewed effort to prevent immigration officials from abruptly casting him out of the country for a second time in five months. His lawyers say the administration offered to deport him to Costa Rica — but only if he pleaded guilty to the human smuggling charges he faces in Tennessee. Costa Rica has agreed to accept him and give him refugee status, and Abrego has consented to being sent there. Early Monday morning, surrounded by a crowd of supporters and accompanied by his wife, Abrego showed up at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Baltimore for a scheduled “check-in.” ICE officers detained Abrego on the spot, his attorney Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg said at a press conference outside the building where his client was arrested. The Department of Homeland Security said he would be “processed for removal to Uganda.” In a last-ditch legal maneuver on Monday morning, Abrego asked Xinis to block his quick deportation and instead ensure he receives another full immigration trial and a chance to contest the circumstances of his removal from the country. A Homeland Security spokesperson called Abrego’s latest legal action “a desperate Hail Mary attempt.” The AP [8/25/2025 5:49 PM, Brian Witte, Travis Loller, Michael Kunzelman, and Ben Finley, 37974K] reports Abrego Garcia’s attorneys quickly filed a lawsuit to fight his deportation until a court has heard his claim for protection, stating that the U.S. could place him in a country where “his safety cannot be assured.” The lawsuit triggered a blanket court order that automatically pauses deportation efforts for two days. The order applies to immigrants in Maryland who are challenging their detention. Within hours of Abrego Garcia’s detention, his lawyers spoke with Department of Justice attorneys and a federal judge in Maryland, who warned Abrego Garcia cannot be removed from the U.S. “at this juncture” because he must be allowed to exercise his constitutional right to contest deportation. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said overlapping court orders temporarily prohibit the government from removing Abrego Garcia, and that she would extend her own temporary restraining order barring his deportation. Breitbart [8/25/2025 10:59 AM, Staff, 2608K] reports Abrego Garcia’s attorneys said they expected he would be taken into ICE custody during the check-in after the Trump administration announced over the weekend its intention to deport him to Uganda. “There was no need to take him into ICE detention. … The only reason they took him into detention was to punish him,” for using his constitutional right to speak up and fight proceedings, Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of Abrego Garcia’s attorneys, said Monday morning. Abrego Garcia was reunited with his family last week after 160 days of separation. He now faces deportation to Uganda while he awaits trial for a human trafficking charge in Tennessee. Supporters held a vigil outside the ICE office ahead of his check-in. He had declined a plea deal that would have allowed him to “live freely” in Costa Rica after serving prison time in exchange for a guilty plea for federal human smuggling charges. The Department of Homeland Security now wants to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, one of the latest countries with a deal with the Trump administration to accept deportees. “Despite having requested and received assurances from the government of Costa Rica that Mr. Abrego would be accepted there, within minutes of his release from pretrial custody, an ICE representative informed Mr. Abrego’s counsel that the government intended to deport Mr. Abrego to Uganda and ordered him to report to ICE’s Baltimore Field Office Monday,” lawyers said in their court filing. “There can be only one interpretation of these events: the DOJ, DHS, and ICE are using their collective powers to force Mr. Abrego to choose between a guilty plea followed by relative safety, or rendition to Uganda, where his safety and liberty would be under threat.” Bloomberg [8/25/2025 12:38 PM, Erik Larson, 75K] reports President Donald Trump hailed Abrego Garcia’s arrest during an Oval Office appearance on Monday with US Attorney General Pam Bondi. Trump said "liberal courts" were to blame for earlier rulings in favor of Abrego Garcia, calling him an "animal." "He will be processed for removal to Uganda," the Department of Homeland Security said in a post on X on Monday, citing an earlier announcement Secretary Kristi Noem. "President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer," Noem said in a separate post. FOX News [8/25/2025 10:57 AM, Breanne Deppisch, 40019K] Video: HERE Trump’s border czar Tom Homan told Fox News in an interview Sunday night that Abrego Garcia was "absolutely" going to be deported from the U.S,, and said Uganda is "on the table" as the third country of removal. "We have an agreement with them. It’s on a table, absolutely," Homan said in an interview on "The Big Weekend Show" Sunday evening. "He is absolutely going to be deported," Homan reiterated.

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The Wall Street Journal [8/25/2025 3:11 PM, Louise Radnofsky, Mariah Timms and Jack Morphet, 646K] reports a federal judge in Maryland temporarily blocked the Trump administration from attempting to re-deport Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the man it had mistakenly sent to a mega-prison in El Salvador and then returned to the U.S. and charged with human smuggling. The U.S. government is “absolutely forbidden at this juncture to remove Mr. Abrego Garcia from the continental United States,” U.S. Judge Paula Xinis said on Monday. She said she would hear additional arguments from lawyers in the coming days. Abrego Garcia, whose case has become a flashpoint in the debate over the administration’s immigration policies, is facing removal to Uganda, a country to which he has no ties. His lawyers said in a court filing that he had rejected a government deal in which he would have been deported to Costa Rica if he agreed to plead guilty to the human-smuggling charges. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed ahead of the hearing that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested Abrego Garcia and was processing him for deportation. “We will not stop fighting till this Salvadoran man faces justice and is OUT of our country,” she had said days earlier. The Trump administration has repeatedly alleged that Abrego Garcia is a member of the violent MS-13 gang and has said that he “will never walk America’s streets again.” Government lawyers have said in court that if he is released from detention in the U.S., immigration officers would quickly take him into their custody and fly him to any country that has agreed to accept immigrants expelled from the U.S., so long as that country isn’t El Salvador. FOX News [8/25/2025 4:32 PM, Breanne Deppisch, 40019K] reports Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, Abrego Garcia’s attorney, said Monday that he filed the emergency motion after his client was taken into immigration custody at the ICE Field Office in Baltimore, after he appeared there as a condition of his pretrial release from criminal custody. The new filing asks a judge to block Abrego Garcia’s removal from the U.S. until his immigration case can play out via the proper channels, ensuring due process protections — including the right to a reasonable fear interview before being removed to a third country. Judge Paula Xinis said that she planned to move quickly in weighing the emergency request, telling both Justice Department lawyers and attorneys for Abrego Garcia to confer privately to hash out a proposed briefing schedule, with an eye towards Friday as a possible date for an evidentiary hearing. The judge said she would hold off on any decisions until after the hearing. Xinis noted at the outset that she believed an extension of her current temporary restraining order might be "necessary," in light of the administration’s stated plans to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, even as she acknowledged that the information before her was preliminary. The Hill [8/25/2025 4:00 PM, Ella Lee, 12414K] reports that Xinis emphasized Monday that Abrego Garcia isn’t going anywhere, for now. But the government also suggested that Abrego Garcia’s deportation was “not imminent.” Xinis also noted that nothing in the record indicates that Uganda would not send Abrego Garcia back to El Salvador after receiving him. Costa Rica, meanwhile, offered assurance that Abrego Garcia could move freely. Xinis also ordered the government not to move Abrego Garcia from the detention facility in Virginia where his lawyer said he’s being housed, to ensure he has access to counsel as the lawsuit progresses. The government and Abrego Garcia’s lawyers were directed to propose a briefing schedule, including dates for an evidentiary hearing, by Tuesday morning. CNN [8/25/2025 3:45 PM, Devan Cole, Alison Main, and Priscilla Alvarez, 23245K] Video HERE reports Abrego Garcia is currently being held at a detention facility in Virginia, his attorney said. “Regardless of what happens today in my ICE check-in, promise me this,” Abrego Garcia said at a rally with members of his family, immigration activists and community leaders before reporting to the ICE facility on Monday. “Promise me that you will continue to pray, continue to fight, resist and love, not just for me, but for everybody.” Reuters [8/25/2025 5:04 AM, Daniel Trotta, 45746K] reports that the Trump administration’s push to deport Abrego, 30, to an African country where he has no ties is the latest twist in a saga that began in March, when U.S. authorities sent him to El Salvador. Abrego was brought back in June to face criminal charges of transporting migrants living illegally in the United States, and was released on bond on Friday. He has pleaded not guilty and his lawyers have accused the administration of vindictive prosecution. He has denied the administration’s claims that he is a gang member.

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FOX News [8/25/2025 3:52 PM, Cameron Arcand, 40019K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is unleashing on Democrats who have condemned the move by ICE to detain Kilmar Abrego Garcia and deport him to Uganda. Abrego Garcia is a Salvadoran national who was arrested by ICE on Monday at his check-in at the agency’s office in Baltimore, Maryland, and he’s expected to be deported to a third-party country, likely Uganda. "Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not and will never be a Maryland Man – he is a criminal illegal alien from El Salvador and public safety threat," a senior DHS official told Fox News Digital in an exclusive statement. "It is insane that sanctuary politicians chose to glorify and stand with an MS-13 gang member over the safety of American citizens. President Trump and Secretary Noem are not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser and child predator, to terrorize American citizens any longer." District Judge Paula Xinis ruled on Monday afternoon that Abrego Garcia cannot yet be deported to Uganda until his legal team can have a shot at fighting it, according to multiple media outlets. In a news release first shared with Fox News Digital, DHS is specifically taking aim at a handful of posts on X from Democratic lawmakers.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 8:22 PM, Sam Barron, 4779K] reports that, appearing on Newsmax on Monday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not mince words when discussing Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who remains jailed after a judge blocked his deportation to Uganda. "This man is a suspected terrorist known to affiliate and be friends with MS-13 members," Noem said on "The Record With Greta Van Susteren." "He’s an extremely dangerous individual. A known wife-beater. This is someone that should never be free in the United States of America, and bringing him to justice is incredibly important to the safety of the American people.” A federal judge on Monday ordered that Abrego Garcia not be moved from a Virginia detention facility to ensure he has access to counsel. Noem blamed activist judges and liberals for Abrego Garcia remaining in the United States. They "have gone to the mat defending this terrorist and individual who is out there partnering with other criminals to break the law and to create criminal activities against vulnerable Americans," Noem said. "They have stood with him and fought for him just to oppose President Trump. I am just shocked every single day by the amount of… extreme liberals who… stand with him because of their opposition to this administration.” Noem said she hopes Abrego Garcia remains detained until he is brought to justice. "He’s off the streets today… which means the American people are safe," Noem said. "But we are really hoping that he will continue to face penalties for what he has done. We’ll continue to use every piece of tool in the toolbox that we have to continue to make sure that he isn’t here in this country, endangering individuals who are citizens of the United States.” Noem noted Abrego Garcia has been accused of domestic abuse by his wife, though she later recanted. "This is no Maryland father, no Maryland man," Noem said. "This is not the average typical person that Democrats and elected officials have said. He is a terrorist. He is a wife-beater. He is someone who trafficked individuals and even solicited minors for nude pictures and for pornography. He’s a horrible individual who needs to be held accountable for his crimes.”

Daily Caller [8/26/2025 1:10 AM, Hailey Gomez, 985K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Democrats for defending "sick individual" Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia on Fox News’ "Hannity" Monday. Despite the Trump administration seeking to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda, Obama-appointed U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis ordered that he remain detained in the U.S. until an evidentiary hearing is held, according to NBC News. While outlining the allegations against Abrego Garcia and his suspected ties to the MS-13 gang, Fox’s Sean Hannity told Noem he will "never understand" why Democrats are rallying behind the alleged gang member. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: Feds Arrest Brother Of Illegal Migrant Truck Driver Accused Of Killing Three In Accident). "I don’t understand it either, Sean," Noem said. "In fact, let’s not forget that Abrego Garcia also solicited minors, children, for naked pictures, for pornography. I mean, he’s a sick individual that’s known to be a terrorist and a human trafficker. And these Democrats and liberals stand beside him. They sing for him. They chant for him to be released so that he can perpetuate more crimes on our communities.” "It’s just, overwhelmingly, these woke activists will be rejected. They will not be elected or supported by the American people, because I’m out on the streets every single day with our law enforcement officers. I’m out there talking to individuals and meeting with victims of these crimes," Noem added. "They’re so thankful that they have President Trump in the White House. They’re so thankful that they have a president that’s finally enforcing the law and putting American citizens first, not terrorists like Abrego Garcia.” Since March, Democrats have rallied behind Abrego Garcia after he was deported to El Salvador’s mega-prison by the Trump administration, with Democrat Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen leading the push for lawmakers to meet with him in Central America. By June, the illegal immigrant was brought back to the U.S. to face criminal charges related to human smuggling. After his release on Friday from a Tennessee prison, Abrego Garcia was taken again by federal immigration authorities early Monday morning, with the administration seeking to deport him to Africa or Central America. However, Xinis temporarily halted the deportation by the afternoon, noting that among the "several grounds" for which she may exercise jurisdiction, one is that Uganda has not agreed to offer the illegal immigrant protections, NBC News reported. Prior to his detention on Monday, Abrego Garcia attended a rally with supporters who oppose his deportation by the Trump administration. During the event, Abrego Garcia told supporters to "remember" that he is free and will be "reunited" with his family, according to NBC News. "I want to thank each and every one of you who marched. Lift your voices, never stop praying and continue to fight in my name," Abrego Garcia said in Spanish before a translator repeated in English.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 9:24 AM, Staff, 4779K] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia on Monday at its Baltimore field office, beginning a new round of deportation proceedings against the illegal migrant whose earlier removal to El Salvador made him a symbol of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. "Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote in an X post Monday. "President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer." Garcia, 30, was released from custody in Tennessee on Friday after more than five months of detention and returned to his family’s home in Maryland. He had been ordered to check in with ICE on Monday morning and arrived surrounded by supporters chanting "Sí se puede." Officials have offered to deport him to Costa Rica if he accepts a plea deal on charges of transporting migrants living illegally in the U.S. Without a plea, he could be removed to Uganda, which his lawyers say is far more dangerous. Abrego has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges, claiming he was vindictively prosecuted for contesting his earlier deportation.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 9:51 PM, Sam Barron, 4779K] reports Lauren Bis, deputy assistant secretary for media relations at the Department of Homeland Security, told Newsmax on Monday that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is no longer a threat to Americans. Bis appeared on "Rob Schmitt Tonight" after a federal judge on Monday ordered that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who entered the U.S. illegally, not be moved from a Virginia detention center to ensure he has access to counsel. The judge’s ruling blocked his deportation to Uganda. The Trump administration maintains that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 criminal gang. "We constantly, every single day, are fighting against activist judges that try to stop us from filling, fulfilling the American people’s mandates to deport criminal, illegal aliens," Bis said. "But President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem have taken strong action. They’ve arrested this individual and made sure this known public safety threat – a gang member, a human trafficker, someone who is soliciting child pornography, a wife-beater – that he is arrested, and he is no longer a threat to the American people," she said. Bis criticized elected officials such as Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., who have supported Abrego Garcia, even drinking margaritas with him. "This would be laughable if it weren’t so disgusting," Bis said. "Sen. Van Hollen had margaritas with a man. Meanwhile, his constituent, Rachel Morin, was murdered by an illegal alien led into this country by the Biden administration. And we don’t see him ever say anything about the victims of illegal alien crime. "Where are these people? For Rachel Morin, a real Maryland mom, someone who would be here today if it weren’t for the reckless border policies of the Biden administration.”

Breitbart [8/25/2025 12:30 PM, John Binder, 2608K] reports efore he was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Monday morning, accused MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia — an illegal alien from El Salvador — met again with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), who says he will not "stop fighting for justice and due process for all.” Abrego Garcia’s deportation to El Salvador months ago spurred Democrats to go all-in on defending him despite allegations that he is a member of the MS-13 gang and was involved with a multi-state human trafficking ring.The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Abrego Garcia with human smuggling, while accusing him of domestic violence and abuse of women, and ordered that he be returned to the United States from a prison in El Salvador. On Friday of last week, a judge released Abrego Garcia from federal custody on parole and today, ICE agents arrested him when he checked in with immigration officials. Officials with the Trump administration have said Abrego Garcia will be deported to Uganda. Van Hollen, who infamously traveled to El Salvador to meet with Abrego Garcia, met again with the accused MS-13 gang member and is demanding ICE release him from custody. "I was glad to have the opportunity to speak with Kilmar Ábrego García this morning and welcome him back to Maryland after what has been a long and torturous nightmare," Van Hollen said in a statement on Sunday: “It was the first time I have talked to him since our meeting in El Salvador. During our conversation, I shared with him that I and many others have been fighting for months to ensure that his constitutional due process rights were respected despite Trump’s efforts to deny them at every turn. The federal courts and public outcry forced the Administration to bring Ábrego García back to Maryland, but Trump’s cronies continue to lie about the facts in his case and they are engaged in a malicious abuse of power as they threaten to deport him to Uganda – to block his chance to defend himself against the new charges they brought. As I told Kilmar and his wife Jennifer, we will stay in this fight for justice and due process because if his rights are denied, the rights of everyone else are put at risk.”

New York Post [8/25/2025 4:25 PM, Jennie Taer, 43962K] reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s attorney slammed Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s plan to deport the alleged MS-13 gangbanger to Uganda, where "he doesn’t even speak the language" — even though the African country’s official language is English. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, one of his lawyers, pledged to "fight tooth and nail against any form of deportation to Uganda" or nearby countries. US District Judge Paula Xinis, an appointee of former President Barack Obama, later paused the plan to deport Abrego Garcia to Uganda until the Trump administration gives him the opportunity to contest his removal, according to the Washington Post. Abrego Garcia, 30, was again detained by ICE Monday, bringing him a step closer to being deported to Uganda. "Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation," Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. "President Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer."

The AP [8/25/2025 12:17 PM, Staff, 37974K] reports on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, 182 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees submitted a formal declaration of dissent addressed to members of Congress. The Katrina Declaration lists six “dissents,” sounding the alarm on the administrative gutting of FEMA’s ability to protect the Americans during emergencies. Under the direction of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, FEMA employees have witnessed the administrative hurdles with the funding, staffing, and mission authority of FEMA, resulting in reported delays such as those during the July 2025 floods in Kerrville, Texas. Meanwhile, one-third of FEMA’s employees have been forced out, further eroding our nation’s disaster response capacity. The Katrina Declaration warns that the stripping of FEMA’s statutory authorities places American communities in grave danger. The 182 FEMA signatories denounce the censorship of climate science, the removal of vital risk data from public access, and the improper and abrupt reassignment of FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With the Katrina Declaration, FEMA employees join their federal colleagues at the National Institute of Health (the Bethesda Declaration), the Environmental Protection Agency (the EPA Declaration of Dissent), and NASA (the Voyager Declaration) who have chosen Stand Up For Science as the platform for their interagency effort to cease capacity diminishing changes at federal agencies. “It is a privilege to support our civil servants in warning congress and our nation about the multitude of risks to the public that stem from changes at FEMA,” says Colette Delawalla, Stand Up for Science Founder and Executive Director. She continued, “we must not forget about what happened before, during, and after Hurricane Katrina. Many of the current policy changes at FEMA had their roots in post-Katrina assessment. We must do better.” In solidarity with the signatories of the Katrina Declaration, Stand Up For Science urges Congress to uphold its constitutional oversight duty to protect Americans by restoring the safeguards this Administration is dismantling. The AP [8/25/2025 4:19 PM, Staff, 37974K] reports "Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration," the letter states. The statement in it is noteworthy not only for its content but for its overall existence; a fierce approach toward critics by the Trump administration has caused many in the federal government to hesitate before locking heads with the White House. The letter coincides with the 20th anniversary week of Hurricane Katrina, when more than 1,800 people died and profound failures in the federal response prompted Congress to pass the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The letter warns that poor management and eroded capacity at FEMA could undue progress made to improve the agency through that law. It comes after months of upheaval at FEMA. One-third of the agency’s full-time workforce has left or been fired, including many high-level staff. The agency’s acting chief, Cameron Hamilton, was fired in May and replaced by another acting head, David Richardson. Neither has prior emergency management experience. FEMA’s response to the July Texas floods that killed at least 136 people came under criticism after reports that survivor calls to FEMA went unanswered and Urban Search and Rescue teams deployed late because of a policy by which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must personally approve expenditures above $100,000. The letter contains six "statements of opposition" to current policies at FEMA, including the expenditure approval policy, which the signatories say reduces FEMA’s ability to perform its missions. CBS News [8/25/2025 10:36 PM, Joe Walsh, Nicole Sganga, 45245K] reports that only 35 people signed their names to the letter, with the rest opting for anonymity due to "the culture of fear and suppression cultivated by this administration.” It’s addressed to several congressional committees and the FEMA Review Council, which was formed by President Trump earlier this year. The declaration alleges that Mr. Trump’s picks to lead FEMA "lack proper qualifications," and decries the Trump administration for cutting FEMA’s staff. "Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator," the open letter reads. It also castigates FEMA for terminating grants meant to help state and local governments prepare their infrastructures to withstand natural disasters and extreme weather. Two-thirds of the counties that have received those grants voted for Mr. Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris, a CBS News investigation found earlier this year. A federal judge blocked cuts to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program earlier this month. In response to the letter, FEMA acting press secretary Daniel Llargues said the Department of Homeland Security is "committed to ensuring FEMA delivers for the American people." He said the agency has been "bogged down by red tape, inefficiency, and outdated processes," and defended the Trump administration’s handling of natural disasters so far this year. "The Trump Administration has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help," Llargues said. "It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo. But our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Politico [8/25/2025 11:13 PM, Zack Colman, 2100K] reports that the letter said FEMA lacks qualified leadership, jeopardizing the nation’s ability to prepare for and respond to events. They also laid out several systemic concerns, some of which they said violated the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006. The federal government’s handling of that 2005 storm, the costliest in U.S. history, sparked a national conversation about FEMA’s role. It also shined a light on the nation’s preparedness for disasters that are becoming increasingly severe due to warming from climate change, which is fueling more destructive storms through hotter ocean temperatures, higher seas and heavier rainfall. The letter said DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s pattern of reviewing all contracts over $100,000 has slowed responsiveness, causing delays in deploying urban search and rescue teams in the wake of July 4 flooding that killed 138 people in central Texas. They said that process runs afoul of PKEMRA, which said the secretary cannot “substantially or significantly reduce the authorities, responsibilities, or functions of the Agency or the capability of the Agency to perform those missions, authorities, responsibilities.” The Hill [8/25/2025 10:22 AM, Rachel Frazin, 12414K] reports that a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, defended the Trump administration’s moves. "The Department of Homeland Security, under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, is committed to ensuring FEMA delivers for the American people. For too long, FEMA was bogged down by red tape, inefficiency, and outdated processes that failed to get disaster dollars into survivors’ hands. The Trump Administration has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help," the spokesperson said in a statement. "It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo. But our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems," the statement continued, pointing to reforms including "Rapid, upfront funding was provided in New Mexico following recent flooding — a shift away from slow, reimbursable models that left families waiting for years in the past.”

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CNN [8/25/2025 2:31 PM, Gabe Cohen, 23245K]
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New York Times [8/25/2025 7:30 PM, Santul Nerkar, 143795K] reports Ismael Zambada García, a Sinaloa cartel founder who for decades evaded Mexican and U.S. authorities before a covert capture straight out of a narco thriller, pleaded guilty on Monday to drug trafficking. Mr. Zambada García, also known as El Mayo, helped start the cartel decades ago with Joaquín Guzmán Loera, also known as El Chapo. He built a sophisticated criminal network that trafficked cocaine, heroin and other illegal drugs across the border into the United States, wielding power through mass murder and political corruption to protect and expand the business. He will be sentenced to life in prison on Jan. 13. Appearing before Judge Brian M. Cogan in Federal District Court in Brooklyn on Monday, Mr. Zambada García, 75, swiveled slightly in his chair as he listened to proceedings through a Spanish interpreter. He pleaded guilty to one count of taking part in a continuing criminal enterprise and one count of racketeering conspiracy. “I started getting involved with illegal drugs in 1969, when I was 19 years old,” Mr. Zambada García said in a prepared statement in court, “and I planted marijuana for the first time.” “I recognize the great harm that illegal drugs have done to the people of the United States and Mexico and elsewhere,” he said. The plea means the cartel’s two most influential founders will be behind bars for life. Mr. Guzmán Loera was sentenced to life in prison in the same courthouse in 2019, after being found guilty of running a criminal enterprise that funneled billions of dollars’ worth of drugs into the United States. Mr. Zambada García’s plea was a symbol of the continuing threat to the cartels’ power. Sustained crackdowns by the U.S. and Mexican governments, along with a bloody civil war, have fractured their operations and depleted their ranks. Pam Bondi, the U.S. attorney general, celebrated Monday’s outcome as evidence of the success of President Trump’s fight against violent drug cartels, though Mr. Zambada García was captured during the administration of former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. In a news conference, she called the plea a “landmark victory” for the Justice Department.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [8/25/2025 2:23 PM, Kyle Schnitzer and David Propper, 43962K]
Washington Post [8/25/2025 1:50 PM, Shayna Jacobs, 29079K]
AP [8/25/2025 1:10 PM, Michael R. Sisak, 37974K]
Reuters [8/25/2025 5:00 PM, Luc Cohen and Nate Raymond, 45746K]
ABC News [8/25/2025 2:11 PM, Aaron Katersky, 27036K]
CBS Miami [8/25/2025 4:44 PM, Jake Rose, 45245K]
FOX News [8/25/2025 5:50 PM, Greg Wehner, 40019K]
USA Today [8/25/2025 6:27 PM, Josh Meyer, 64151K]

Reuters [8/25/2025 7:48 PM, Steve Holland, 4779K] reports the United States has ordered additional ships to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump’s effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the deployment said on Monday. The USS Lake Erie, a guided missile cruiser, and the USS Newport News, a nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, will arrive in the region by early next week, said the sources, who asked to remain anonymous. The sources declined to detail the specific mission of the deployments but have said that recent movements are aimed at addressing threats to U.S. national security from specially designated "narco-terrorist organizations" in the region. Last week sources told Reuters the United States has ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of the same effort. The USS San Antonio, USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale were to have arrived off the coast of Venezuela as early as Sunday. The ships are carrying 4,500 service members, including 2,200 Marines, the sources said. Trump has made cracking down on drug cartels a central goal of his administration, part of a wider effort to limit migration and secure the U.S. southern border. The Trump administration designated Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel and other drug gangs as well as Venezuelan criminal group Tren de Aragua as global terrorist organizations in February, as Trump stepped up immigration enforcement against alleged gang members.

Bloomberg [8/25/2025 12:35 PM, Staff, 19085K] reports that Venezuela vowed to reinforce security along its border with Colombia as President Donald Trump’s administration sends US warships to the southern Caribbean. Nicolas Maduro’s regime deployed 15,000 police and military officers to the border states of Zulia and Tachira, Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said Monday at a press conference. The forces will be joined by an unspecified number of boats, aircraft and drones. “The president has ordered this deployment to guarantee peace,” Cabello said. “If they want to enter through the border, they won’t be able to.” Three US warships, carrying more than 4,000 sailors and Marines, are set to approach the region to counter drug cartels. Trump has rattled Latin American leaders by reportedly ordering the Defense Department to prepare for potential military operations.

Cabello asked neighboring Colombia to do the same on its side of the border, saying the two countries have “great relations.” Last week, Maduro dismissed news of the US deployment but nonetheless called on Venezuelans to unite and join militias. State television is now running ads promoting the enlistment drive.

CBS News [8/25/2025 11:51 AM, Kathryn Watson, 45245K] reports President Trump on Monday signed an executive order to push Washington, D.C., and other localities to end cashless bail for arrested suspects, threatening to withhold federal funding from cities that fail to end the program. It’s the latest move in the president’s federal crackdown on crime. Mr. Trump also signed an order directing the Justice Department to investigate instances of flag burning, although the Supreme Court in 1989 ruled that the First Amendment protected symbolic speech, including flag burning. The executive order on cashless bail charges Attorney General Pam Bondi with identifying jurisdictions in the U.S. that have cashless bail policies, and withholds or revokes federal grants to those jurisdictions. "We’re ending it," Mr. Trump said of cashless bail before he signed the executive order in the Oval Office. "But we’re starting by ending it in D.C., and that we have the right to do through federalization.” The move comes as the National Guard and federal law enforcement are dispersed throughout the district, patrolling the streets. In the last 11 days, the White House says no murders have taken place in the district. D.C. introduced cashless bail in the 1990s over civil rights concerns, becoming one of the first cities in the country to do so. "That was when the big crime in this country started," Mr. Trump said Monday, speaking of cashless bail. "They kill people and they get out. Cashless bail, they thought it was discriminatory to make people put up money because they just killed three people lying on the street.” The president also signed an executive order Monday stating it’s the government’s objective to hold as many suspects captured in D.C. in federal custody as possible, and to charge them with federal crimes. The president also signed an executive order encouraging federal law enforcement agencies to hire additional personnel so they can surge law enforcement to D.C.

Reported similarly:
FOX News [8/25/2025 7:54 AM, Emma Colton Fox, 40019K]

New York Times [8/25/2025 6:20 PM, John Ismay, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, 143795K] reports President Trump directed the Defense Department on Monday to take a larger role in domestic law enforcement, including by “quelling civil disturbances,” as he threatens to broaden deployments of the National Guard in cities run by his political enemies. The executive order, released by the White House on Monday morning, also formalizes the creation of specially trained National Guard units in the District of Columbia and all 50 states that can be mobilized quickly for “ensuring the public safety and order.” The Pentagon did not immediately respond to questions about the order, which came two weeks after Mr. Trump declared a “crime emergency” in the District of Columbia and deployed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital, over the objections of local officials who have said crime in the city is at its lowest level in decades. In a statement, the White House said the president was ordering “common-sense measures to ensure long-term safety of our nation’s capital.” The statement said the executive order would increase “participation across agencies” in enabling more specially trained personnel to deliver on Mr. Trump’s campaign promise and “constitutional obligation to make D.C. safe and beautiful again.” Mr. Trump has mused openly about expanding the deployments to other cities, particularly Democratic strongholds like New York, Chicago and Baltimore, saying crime there is out of control. On Monday, Mr. Trump said he could “solve” crime in Chicago in a week, though he hedged about whether he planned to move ahead with sending troops there. While Guard troops have been temporarily mobilized by governors in the past to respond to natural disasters and occasionally for civil unrest, the order appears to carve out a much larger domestic role for the National Guard. According to government documents, Guard troops can be mobilized for duty within a state or territory by a governor in response to “a crisis or a natural disaster, or in support of special events when local, tribal and state capabilities are overwhelmed, exhausted or unavailable.” The president can also federalize the Guard himself, as Mr. Trump did in deploying members of the California National Guard to Los Angeles in June — over the objections of the state’s governor. Monday’s order appears to create a force of Guard soldiers that could be called out by the White House regardless of whether state and local law enforcement are available and able to handle civil disturbances, raising significant legal questions. “Quelling civil disturbances is the responsibility of state and local law enforcement except in the most extreme instances,” said Elizabeth Goitein, a senior director at the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University’s law school. “Having soldiers police protests, as this order envisions, threatens fundamental liberties and public safety, and it violates a centuries-old principle against involving the military in domestic law enforcement.” Under an 1878 law called the Posse Comitatus Act, it is normally illegal to use federal troops on domestic soil for policing purposes. But Mr. Trump, in federalizing the California Guard, invoked a statute, Section 12406 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, that allows him to call National Guard members and units into federal service under certain circumstances, including during a rebellion against the authority of the federal government.

The Hill [8/25/2025 3:18 PM, Alex Gangitano, 12414K] reports more than 1,000 arrests have been made since federal law enforcement was sent into Washington, D.C., earlier this month, the White House announced Monday. Overall, 111 firearms have been seized and six known gang members have been arrested, including a MS-13 and a Tren de Aragua gang member, according to the White House. Additionally, 49 homeless encampments have been cleared by the multi-agency teams. Of the 1,007 total arrests since Aug. 7, 86 of them were made Sunday night, which included 37 immigrants lacking permanent legal status. More than 2,100 federal law enforcement officers patrolled Sunday night, during which 10 illegal firearms were seized and arrests included for carrying a pistol without a license, assaulting a federal officer and assaulting a National Guard member, among other charges.

CBS Baltimore [8/25/2025 6:55 AM, Staff, 45245K] reports some National Guard members in Washington, D.C., likely fewer than 50, were to be armed starting Sunday night, a military official told CBS News. Video later confirmed that some of the troops were carrying weapons. Nearly 2000 troops are stationed in the city. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [8/25/2025 8:38 AM, Michael Dorgan, 40019K] reports National Guard units deployed in Washington, D.C., as part of the Trump administration’s effort to slash violent crime have been authorized to carry firearms, the D.C. National Guard has announced — and some troops have already been observed armed on patrol. The Guard said on Saturday it had formally authorized members supporting Joint Task Force–DC to carry their service-issued M17 pistols. Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard, the Guard’s interim commander, said the decision came at the direction of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and in coordination with local and federal law enforcement. The Guard stressed that the weapons are for personal protection and that troops operate under strict rules for use of force, including de-escalation techniques. "This decision is not something taken lightly," Blanchard said. "We are in coordination with our law enforcement partners and all appropriate review processes are in place." The Associated Press, citing a Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak publicly, reported that some Guard units would be armed with handguns and others with rifles. An AP photographer also observed South Carolina Guardsmen with holstered handguns outside Union Station on Sunday. "Our task force members incorporate de-escalation techniques within the D.C. National Guard rules for the use of force," said Col. Larry Doane, commander of Joint Task Force–DC. "Incorporating all of these measures ensures they are fully prepared to support law enforcement and safeguard the residents of Washington, D.C.”

CBS News [8/25/2025 8:57 AM, Staff, 45245K] reports some National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., are now armed, a military official told CBS News. Meanwhile, President Trump has indicated he might deploy troops to cities like Chicago and New York as part of his crime crackdown. Natalie Brand has the latest from the White House, while Marc Raimondi, a fellow at the National Security Institute, has more details. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [8/25/2025 2:43 PM, Mark Sherman, Ashraf Khalil, and Sophia Tareen, 1648K] reports that public schools reopened Monday in the nation’s capital with parents on edge over the presence of thousands of National Guard troops, some armed, and federal law enforcement officers. Even as President Donald Trump again touted a drop in crime that he attributed to his extraordinary effort to take over policing in Washington, D.C., the district’s mayor was lamenting the effect of Trump’s actions on children. "Parents are anxious," Mayor Muriel Bowser said at a news conference, noting that some might keep their children out of school because of immigration concerns. "We know that our schools are the safest places for our students. And we invest a lot in their learning. And if they’re not at school, they can’t take advantage of that learning. So, I would just call on everybody to leave our kids alone, let them get a great start to their school day and school year and the rest of their lives," she said. The week began with some patrolling National Guard units now carrying firearms. The change stemmed from a directive issued late last week by his Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. A statement from the joint task force that has taken over policing in the nation’s capital said units began carrying their service weapons on Sunday and that the military’s rules say force should be used "only as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm." It said the force is committed to protecting "the safety and wellbeing" of Washington’s residents. Bowser reiterated her opposition to the National Guard’s presence. "I don’t believe that troops should be policing American cities," she said.

ABC News [8/25/2025 5:48 PM, Michelle Stoddart, Lalee Ibssa, and Alexandra Hutzler, 27036K] reports President Donald Trump on Monday said he is still prepared to order National Guard troops to American cities besides the nation’s capital, but that he wanted local officials to request his help. The comments come after Trump threatened Chicago as the next city he would target after his administration’s federal takeover of Washington, prompting pushback from Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, who on Monday afternoon called the proposed actions "un-American." Trump went back and forth repeatedly on Monday over whether the government should wrest control or wait to be asked. Meanwhile, Pritzker and Chicago officials are speaking out against Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard.

Washington Examiner [8/25/2025 1:55 PM, Mike Brest, 1563K] reports that President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday that called for the creation of a "quick reaction force" made up of National Guard troops available for "rapid nationwide deployment." Many of the details of this rapid response team’s operational design remain unknown, though it demonstrates the president’s willingness to deploy the National Guard for public safety concerns. The executive order also called on Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to direct each state’s Army and National Guard to be trained to assist law enforcement in quelling civil disturbances. In recent months, Trump has deployed the California and Washington, D.C. National Guards and is openly considering deploying them to Chicago. Trump was prompted to deploy the California National Guard to Los Angeles due to violent protests against the administration’s aggressive deportation efforts, while he deployed the D.C. National Guard to help local and federal law enforcement crack down on crime. The president’s executive order also called on the D.C. National Guard to create and expand a specialized unit to focus on public safety. Hegseth approved the guard members in D.C. to carry their service weapons late last week. Several GOP-led states, including West Virginia, South Carolina, Ohio, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee, have sent members of their own National Guard to help with the D.C. mission.

Reported similarly:
Axios [8/25/2025 12:58 PM, Avery Lotz, 14595K]
CNN [8/25/2025 1:25 PM, Zachary Cohen, Haley Britzky, and Donald Judd, 23245K]
NewsMax [8/25/2025 5:32 PM, Michael Katz, 4779K]

ABC News [8/25/2025 6:52 PM, Staff, 27036K] reports President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create National Guard units in Washington, D.C., and across the country that would be designated to tamp down civil protests and ensure public safety -- a job that historically and legally has belonged to civilian law enforcement. Critics called Trump’s desire to build a kind of rapid "reaction force" for civil unrest alarming, insisting his order pushes legal boundaries for the National Guard, an auxilary force whose mission is to help fight foreign enemies abroad or aid Americans in times of extraordinary crisis like hurricanes and floods. In an executive order signed Monday, Trump called on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to designate Army and Air National Guard members in each state who could rapidly deploy to help federal, state and local law enforcement "in quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate, as appropriate under the law.” The order also called on Hegseth to begin immediately training and equipping a "specialized unit" within the D.C. National Guard "that is dedicated to ensuring public safety and order in the Nation’s Capitol." The order says members of the unit would be "deputized" to enforce federal law. When asked for comment, the Pentagon said it’s reviewing the order and its requirements. Maj. Gen. Randy Manner, a former acting vice chief of the National Guard Bureau and vocal opponent of Trump’s reliance on Guard troops to aid law enforcement, said Trump’s orders were unnecessary and "100 percent political.” "The administration is trying to desensitize the American people to get used to American armed soldiers in combat vehicles patrolling the streets of America," Manner said. Trump wants Guard units "whose purpose is to, quite frankly, dominate and police the American people. And that is extremely disturbing," he added.

Federal News Network [8/25/2025 5:12 PM, Drew Friedman, 1147K] reports the White House ordered the creation of an online portal for individuals with law enforcement or "other relevant" experience to apply for the National Guard. The Trump administration is seeking to amplify the presence of the National Guard through further federal recruitment, a few weeks after President Donald Trump first deployed National Guard members to be stationed in Washington, D.C. The White House on Monday ordered the creation of a new online application portal for individuals with law enforcement experience or "other relevant backgrounds" to apply to join the National Guard forces. Trump’s Aug. 25 executive order called on the recently-formed "D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force" within the White House to begin hiring and training an additional "specialized" unit of the National Guard. That unit will include members from several different federal law enforcement agencies and "can be deployed whenever the circumstances necessitate," the order states. In other portions of Monday’s executive order, the White House directed the National Park Service to hire more police officers, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. to recruit more prosecutors focused on crime. The Trump administration also called on the Department of Housing and Urban Development to investigate instances of "non-compliance with crime-prevention and safety requirements" — and the Transportation Department to address "unsafe conditions" in D.C.’s transit system.

ABC News [8/25/2025 6:39 PM, Staff, 27036K] Video: HERE reports Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott comments on Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s invitation to President Donald Trump to visit the city as Trump threatens to deploy the National Guard there.

AP [8/25/2025 2:48 PM, Staff, 37974K] Video: HERE reports on the first day of school in Washington D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser said she sympathized with immigrant parents who may be keeping their children home for fear of being detained or arrested by ICE agents.

NPR [8/26/2025 5:00 AM, Carrie Johnson, 34837K] reports veteran defense lawyers and law enforcement experts have been warning about the potential for overreach since the federal government muscled its way into policing decisions in the nation’s capital nearly three weeks ago. Inside the federal courthouse in Washington, D.C., on Monday, those tensions broke into open court. A federal judge dismissed a weapons case against a man held in the D.C. jail for a week — concluding he was subject to an unlawful search. "It is without a doubt the most illegal search I’ve ever seen in my life," U.S. Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui said from the bench. "I’m absolutely flabbergasted at what has happened. A high school student would know this was an illegal search." The judge said Torez Riley appeared to have been singled out because he is a Black man who carried a backpack that looked heavy. Law enforcement officers said in court papers they found two weapons in Riley’s crossbody bag — after he had previously been convicted on a weapons charge. The arrest — and the decision to abandon the federal case — come at a time of heightened scrutiny on police and prosecutors in the District.

New York Times [8/25/2025 6:34 PM, Julie Bosman, 143795K] reports Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois has a message for President Trump: Keep the military out of Chicago. Mr. Pritzker, a Democrat, stood alongside the Chicago River on Monday afternoon, flanked by Mayor Brandon Johnson of Chicago, pastors, business leaders and community organizers, to push back on Mr. Trump’s offhand declaration that he would send the military into the city, as he had done in Los Angeles and Washington. “Calling the military into a U.S. city to invade our streets and neighborhoods and disrupt the lives of everyday people is an extraordinary action, and it should require extraordinary justification,” Mr. Pritzker said. “Look around you right now,” he said, gesturing to pedestrians strolling on the city’s popular riverwalk and the “L” trains rumbling nearby. “Does this look like an emergency?” Mr. Pritzker added that eight of the 10 states with the highest homicide rates were led by Republicans. Responding to his remarks, Abigail Jackson, a spokeswoman for the White House, wrote in an email: “If these Democrats spent half as much time addressing crime in their cities as they did going on cable news to complain about President Trump, their residents would be a lot safer.” On Friday, Mr. Trump said that he planned to target Chicago and New York for his next federal crackdown on crime, calling Chicago “a mess” and suggesting he was willing to use active-duty troops on city streets. “We’ll straighten that one out,” Mr. Trump said, adding, “I think Chicago will be our next, and then we’ll help with New York.” The alarm of city officials could be seen in the rare assembly of elected officials alongside Mr. Pritzker. At the lectern, Mayor Johnson noted Chicago’s progress in reducing crime, saying that Chicago does not rank among the top 25 most dangerous cities in the country. And the officials pointed out the politics behind Mr. Trump’s choices. “We are being targeted because of what and who we represent,” Mr. Johnson said, nodding to Chicago’s racial diversity and left-leaning politics. “As the mayor of this city, I can tell you that Chicagoans are not calling for military occupation.” It is uncertain whether Mr. Trump will actually take concrete steps to send National Guard troops into Chicago. When he did so in Los Angeles in June, he made rare use of federal powers in response to clashes over an immigration crackdown in the city. A specific provision within Title 10 of the U.S. Code on Armed Services allows the federal deployment of National Guard forces if “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion against the authority of the Government of the United States.”

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [8/25/2025 7:59 PM, Joe Barrett, Vera Bergengruen, and John McCormick, 646K]

AP [8/25/2025 8:46 PM, Staff, 37974K] Video: HERE reports Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson and numerous other elected Democrats gathered near the banks of the Chicago River Monday and blasted the administration’s plans to send the military to Chicago, calling it illegal and unconstitutional.

NPR [8/25/2025 6:57 AM, Steve Inskeep, 34837K] Audio HERE reports NPR’s Steve Inskeep asks Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson about President Trump’s threat to deploy the National Guard to his city. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

The Hill [8/25/2025 8:10 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12414K] Video: HERE reports Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) is bucking threats from President Trump to send National Guard troops to his city, saying Chicagoans will "not bend or cower" to the president’s will. In a statement on Sunday, Johnson said he is in "active communication" with local and state counterparts "as we prepare for any potential unconstitutional military deployments to Chicago." "The Governor, the Cook County Board President, and I are in complete alignment: Chicago is not calling for a military occupation of our city," Johnson said in a statement. "We are currently evaluating all of our legal options to protect the people of Chicago from unconstitutional federal overreach." "No matter what happens, the City of Chicago will not waver. We are Chicago. We will not bend or cower, and we will never break," he added. Trump on Friday said Chicago would likely be the next target of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. "I think Chicago will be … next," Trump told reporters at the White House. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [8/25/2025 9:58 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 12414K] reports Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.) on Sunday condemned President Trump’s reported plans to deploy troops in Chicago, saying there’s "no justification" for the move in Democratic cities. "President Trump’s illegal attempt to militarize Chicago will do nothing but spark chaos and create spectacle," Krishnamoorthi said in a statement Sunday. "There is no emergency in Illinois that warrants federalizing our National Guard or deploying active-duty troops into our communities—just as there was no justification in Washington or Los Angeles," the Illinois Democrat continued. More than 2,200 National Guard troops have deployed to Washington, D.C., as part of the joint task force that has taken over policing in the nation’s capital. Trump similarly deployed National Guard members to Los Angeles last month amid a surge in demonstrations against Trump’s immigration enforcement efforts. Trump said Friday that Chicago would likely be the next target of his efforts to crack down on crime, homelessness and illegal immigration. "I think Chicago will be … next," Trump told reporters at the White House.

The Hill [8/25/2025 9:25 AM, Alex Gangitano, 12414K] reports President Trump on Monday bashed Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) as "incompetent" amid threats from Trump to send National Guard troops into the Illinois city. "The incompetent Mayor of Chicago just stated that, in DC, where crime has been brought down to almost nothing, there have been no murders in 9 days, something which hasn’t happened in years, and people are safe again, only nine people have been arrested," Trump said on Truth Social. "That is wrong, hundreds of criminals have been held, captured, and arrested, and their guns have been taken away. DC IS SAFE AND BOOMING!!!". As of Sunday, there have been over 910 total arrests in Washington, D.C., and 101 firearms have been seized since federal law enforcement was sent into the nation’s capital on Aug. 7, according to the White House. On Saturday night alone, there were a total of 93 arrests and six illegal firearms seized, the White House said. Johnson on Sunday said Chicagoans will "not bend or cower" to Trump’s threats to turn a federal policing push next to Baltimore and Chicago, cities like D.C. that are overwhelmingly blue and represented by Democratic mayors. The mayor said he is in "active communication" with local and state counterparts "as we prepare for any potential unconstitutional military deployments to Chicago."

Daily Caller [8/25/2025 11:56 AM, John Loftus, 985K] reports as President Donald Trump weighs a federal takeover of Chicago, the city’s residents have been begging for help with a crime crisis that is growing out of control. Trump deployed federal law enforcement and National Guard troops throughout Washington, D.C., earlier in August, which has so far led to hundreds of arrests, many of whom were illegal aliens charged with crimes, including assault, rape, murder, DUIs, and drug smuggling. The administration is now eyeing a crackdown in Chicago, followed potentially by New York City. "Chicago is a mess," Trump told reporters Friday. "You have an incompetent mayor, grossly incompetent, and we’ll straighten that one out probably next, that will be our next one after this, and it won’t even be tough. And the people in Chicago, Mr. Vice President, are screaming for us to come." The Windy City is, indeed, in the midst of a crime spike, and for years, residents have been voicing their concerns to local politician and police officials, without much luck. In 2024, Chicago faced 28,443 violent crimes, with the number of aggravated assaults soaring to a two-decade high, according to a study from the Illinois Policy Institute. Despite this, city residents reported a reduction of 1,614 violent crimes compared to 2023, attributed to decreases in homicides, robberies, and criminal sexual assaults. Over the past ten years, the general trend has shown an upward trajectory in violent crimes, the study found. Meanwhile, the arrest rate remains low, with arrests made in only about 14% of violent crimes, a figure that has been steadily declining for the past 20 years, according to the institute.

Washington Post [8/25/2025 7:47 PM, Kim Bellware, Praveena Somasundaram and Ben Brasch, 29079K] reports that, After a stretch of sweltering summer heat, residents gathered for lunch Monday in Humboldt Park — a historically Puerto Rican neighborhood on the city’s West Side, dining on outdoor patios as business owners waved to neighbors passing by. The scene was a stark contrast to the “killing field” that President Donald Trump had described hours earlier. Trump has vowed to send in members of the National Guard to combat what he calls rampant crime that local leaders have failed to address, despite data showing violent crimes, including homicides, falling in recent years here and in many other large cities across the country. If the president follows through, Chicago could become the third major city to see a military presence this year. He sent troops into Los Angeles in June and into Washington, D.C., in August. While Chicagoans acknowledge problems in their city that need attention, some said the idea of armed uniformed personnel patrolling the streets is an outsize response that they worry is not only politically motivated, but antidemocratic. Through the middle of August, the Police Department reported a 23 percent decline in violent crime compared to the same period last year. “This is how it starts,” said Alexis Figueroa, 48, a an art gallery owner and North Side resident. “You do it in one city, they don’t complain enough, you do it in another, they don’t complain enough, you do it in the whole country — and then you do whatever the hell you want.” Pentagon officials have for weeks been preparing to mobilize forces to deploy to Chicago as Trump vows to crack down on crime, illegal immigration and homelessness. The plan, which Washington Post first reported Saturday, drew immediate condemnation from city and state leaders, who questioned Trump’s legal authority to send in forces they didn’t request. On Monday afternoon, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, both Democrats, again decried the plans in a news conference at a downtown park. They were flanked by other officials and community members, including Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, a combat veteran who served in the Illinois National Guard. All said they opposed Trump’s plan to send military troops to Chicago. “The last thing that Chicagoans want is someone from the outside of our city, who doesn’t know our city, try to dictate and tell us what our city needs,” Johnson said.

Axios [8/25/2025 3:46 PM, Justin Kaufmann, 14595K] reports President Trump doubled down on his threat to send the National Guard to Chicago, but local leaders are voicing doubts about the legality of the move. Trump says he wants to use the military presence in Chicago to fight crime, homelessness and undocumented immigration, but while the home rule laws in Washington, D.C. make it easier to federalize law enforcement, it’s unclear if the law supports this in Illinois. Usually, the president and a state’s governor are in lockstep to mobilize the National Guard. In this case, Pritzker is against it, but Trump could still federalize state troops without the governor’s approval. The force would be limited to protecting federal assets and federal employees, like ICE agents, unless the president evokes the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows the commander-in-chief to use those troops to quell insurrection or unrest. Trump says he has the right to mobilize because Chicago is a "disaster." It’s still unclear what the National Guard can do in Chicago, and so is the reason to bring them here in the first place.

AP [8/25/2025 6:56 PM, John O’connor, 20690K] reports one of the nation’s leading operators of automated license-plate reading systems announced Monday it has paused its operations with federal agencies because of confusion and concern — including in Illinois — about the purpose of their investigations. Flock Safety, whose cameras are mounted in more than 4,000 communities nationwide, put a hold last week on pilot programs with agencies under the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and its law enforcement arm, Homeland Security Investigations, according to a statement by its founder and CEO, Garrett Langley. Among officials in other jurisdictions, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised concerns. He announced Monday that an audit found Customs and Border Protection had accessed Illinois data, although he didn’t say that the agency was seeking immigration-related information. A 2023 law the Democrat pushed bars sharing license plate data with police investigating out-of-state abortions or undocumented immigrants. "This sharing of license plate data of motorists who drive on Illinois roads is a clear violation of the state law," Giannoulias said in a statement. "This law, passed two years ago, aimed to strengthen how data is shared and prevent this exact thing from happening,". Flock Safety’s cameras capture billions of photos of license plates each month. However, it doesn’t own that data. The local agencies in whose jurisdictions the cameras are located do, and they’re the ones who receive inquiries from other law enforcement agencies.

Chicago Tribune [8/25/2025 2:36 PM, Staff, 5352K] reports that the "Quinceañera," or 15th birthday, for girls in many Latino cultures marks a transition to womanhood. That’s why it’s customary for many to get their hair and makeup done in preparation for the celebration. In the largely Latino immigrant community of southwest Detroit, Araceli Hernandez’s Florbella Salon is a go-to spot. She recently had one such appointment on the books. But it was abruptly canceled after the prospective client’s father was detained by Immigration Customs and Enforcement and deported, Hernandez said. The girl was one lost customer among many for the small business owner amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. In typical times, she’s booked "two-three weeks in advance" but now that’s far from the case. Hernandez estimates that she’s doing 50% less in sales on the busiest day of the week this summer compared to last year. She wonders if her shop on Michigan Avenue will be in business at this time next year. "There’s days where I sit here and I’m like, OK, what’s going on?" Hernandez said. Small business owners in Michigan’s largest Latino community say they are reeling amid President Donald Trump’s aggressive mass deportation campaign. With some longtime customers being deported and others increasingly electing to leave the area, they describe a pervasive climate of fear around immigration enforcement that’s deterring locals from being out in public, and in turn depressing foot traffic and sales. "Economically, it’s been a disaster," said Maria Hayes, who owns Ideas Marketing, a graphic design and printing service on southwest Detroit’s main corridor, Vernor Highway.

NBC News [8/25/2025 11:46 PM, Raquel Coronell Uribe, 43603K] reports Rep. Mark Alford, R-Mo., appears to be at odds with President Donald Trump when it comes to deploying the National Guard in certain situations. Speaking at a town hall in his district Monday, Alford said he does not think the federal government should send troops to cities other than Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles unless governors request them. The remark came in the middle of a heated back-and-forth in Harrisonville, where attendees engaged in shouted exchanges with one another and with Alford, making it difficult at times for him to answer questions uninterrupted. After saying he was OK with Trump sending the guard into Washington and to Los Angeles earlier this year in response to protests against immigration enforcement, Alford indicated there was a line he’s not comfortable crossing. "But I do not think that we should be sending National Guard into other cities unless the governor, unless the governor [asks]," he said. Trump is ratcheting up his threats to deploy guard members to other cities. Trump said Sunday he is considering sending troops to "clean up" Baltimore, and he has suggested he would do the same to "straighten up" Chicago. Democratic leaders from Illinois and Maryland have slammed Trump for his comments. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson hit back at Trump on Monday, saying troops were not needed in Chicago and calling Trump’s threats an attempt at political intimidation. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott also pushed back against Trump’s threats. Moore said he "would not be open" to guard members’ being deployed in Baltimore, adding that as governor he would not authorize such a move. A spokesperson for Alford did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday night about his stance on Trump’s threats to send the guard to Chicago and Baltimore. Alford was first elected in 2022 and won re-election last year with more than 71% of the vote. Trump endorsed him on social media last week.

The Hill [8/25/2025 11:27 AM, Brett Samuels, 12414K] reports President Trump on Monday appeared to back off on his threat to deploy the military or take other unilateral actions to crack down on crime in liberal cities, saying it would be better to be asked by state and local officials for federal assistance. "I was telling some of the people that in a certain way you really want to be asked to go. I hate to barge in on a city and then be treated horribly by corrupt politicians and bad politicians," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. "I don’t like going to a town, city, place, a state, and then be criticized by some corrupt or incompetent governor where crime is rampant," Trump added. The president’s remarks came just before he signed a series of executive orders intended to intensify the federal government’s efforts to address crime in the nation’s capital. He signed orders that aimed to end cashless bail, to increase penalties for desecrating the American flag, and to establish "specialized units" in the National Guard equipped to deal with public order issues.

Houston Chronicle [8/25/2025 4:53 PM, John Wayne Ferguson, 2356K] reports an MD Anderson cancer researcher was arrested last week and accused of trying to steal research and smuggle it back to China. Yunhai Li, 35, was charged with theft of trade secrets, a felony, and tampering with a government record, a misdemeanor, according to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office. Li began working for MD Anderson in 2022. He was in the U.S. on a research scholar visa and was conducting breast cancer vaccine research funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Defense. According to the district attorney’s office, Li tried to leave the U.S. on July 9 but was stopped at the airport by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security agents. Li was allegedly carrying sensitive medical information through the airport. The case was investigated by DPS and Homeland Security Investigations, according to court records. According to the criminal complaint, Li is also under investigation for several other crimes, including wire fraud, theft of federal funds and abuse of official capacity. If convicted of the state felony, Li could face up to 10 years in state prison and a $10,000 fine.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 5:51 PM, Mike Schneider, 4779K] reports the federal government over the weekend asked a judge in Miami to put on hold her ruling ordering the winding down of an immigration detention center built by the state of Florida in the Everglades wilderness and nicknamed "Alligator Alcatraz," pending an appeal of her decision. Attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security said in their request for a stay that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ order last week, if carried out, would disrupt the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. They asked the judge to rule on their request by Monday evening. The request came as a third lawsuit challenging practices at the facility was filed Friday by civil rights groups who claimed the state of Florida had no authority to run an immigration detention center. In a statement supporting the request for a stay, Garrett Ripa, field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement and removal operations in Miami, said that the Everglades facility’s 2,000 beds were badly needed since detention facilities in Florida were overcrowded. The environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, whose lawsuit led to the judge’s ruling, opposed the request. The judge said in her order that she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of the detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed. She wrote the state and federal defendants can’t bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property. A second lawsuit also was filed by civil rights groups last month against the state and federal governments over practices at the Everglades facility, claiming detainees were denied access to the legal system. Another federal judge in Miami last week dismissed parts of the lawsuit which had been filed in Florida’s southern district and then moved the remaining counts against the state of Florida to the neighboring middle district. Civil rights groups last Friday filed a third lawsuit over practices at the facility in federal court in Fort Myers, asking for a restraining order and a temporary injunction that would bar Florida agencies and their contractors from holding detainees at "Alligator Alcatraz."

Reported similarly:
AP [8/25/2025 6:41 PM, Mike Schneider, 1648K]

Telemundo Amarillo [8/25/2025 4:47 PM, Staff, 2K] reports according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas, 376 people have been charged in connection with measures to secure the southern border between August 15 and 21. The cases include 18 people allegedly involved in human trafficking, 206 people accused of illegal entry, and 150 cases of people who re-entered after being expelled. These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a program to combat illegal immigration and organized crime.

NPR [8/25/2025 5:30 PM, Staff, 34837K] Audio: HERE reports the Trump administration is deploying a new strategy to speed up deportations. Government lawyers are asking immigration judges to dismiss on-going cases. Then, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents arrest people as soon as they step out of the courtroom.

Blaze [8/25/2025 4:20 PM, Andrew Chapados, 1559K] reports approximately 3 million people have signed a petition in support of Harjinder Singh, an illegal alien truck driver accused of killing three Americans on a Florida highway. Last week, the nation was rocked when video appeared to show Singh attempting a U-turn on the Florida Turnpike while driving an 18-wheeler, pulling the rig across two lanes of traffic and killing three passengers in a minivan that crashed into his truck. Singh has been charged with three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of manslaughter, jail records show. He also has been placed on an immigration hold. Now, a Change.org petition has popped up in support of the illegal alien driver, which contains bizarre requests and even more strange messages of support. The India Times reported that Singh failed an English proficiency test, answering just two of 12 questions correctly while also being unable to identify more than one of four road signs. The petition, however, claims that Singh should get lenient sentencing because he has no prior "criminal intent or history," despite being an illegal immigrant. The petition does not mention his failures in the post-crash testing. Instead, the petition suggests a "proportionate and reasonable sentence" or "alternative sentencing measures," such as "restorative justice, counseling, or community service.” The comments in support of Singh are also garnering attention, as many appear to be pre-prepared and identical. Department of Homeland Security official Tricia McLaughlin has also noted that Singh’s work authorization was rejected in 2020 under President Trump but granted under President Biden in 2021.

Bloomberg Law [8/25/2025 6:11 PM, Staff, 790K] reports Los Angeles police officers are using disproportionate force against journalists covering anti-ICE protests, a federal judge said Monday, citing a "mountain of evidence.” However, the dozens of documented incidents may not be enough to qualify as a sustained practice, Judge Hernan D. Vera said during a hearing in the US District Court for the Central District of California, and questioned whether it could be blocked by a preliminary injunction. Vera signaled he’d decline a separate request to find LAPD in contempt of a temporary restraining order he issued in July, despite declarations that said officers beat reporters who showed press badges with batons, surrounded and arrested them on Aug. 8 as they covered a protest at an immigration detention facility. It seems the LAPD "did the absolute minimum" to abide by his order by posting its requirements online, Vera said. The LA Press Club is requesting an order that would specify police can’t beat press with batons in addition to requiring that the LAPD send media relations representatives to protests to help identify who is press. LAPD should allow reporters to move behind police lines or out of the way, and the officers must take extra precautions to ensure journalists aren’t struck by crowd control devices, the Press Club argues. Otherwise, the department is chilling reporters’ exercise of their First Amendment rights, said ACLU attorney Adrienna Wong. She said some reporters are questioning whether documenting protests is "worth the risk of getting shot in the head.” At least one photographer was struck in the eye by officers’ less-lethal munitions, the reporters’ counsel said, adding it’s unclear how much vision he will regain. Lawyers for the department deny claims that police are targeting reporters. They say reporters are positioned within crowds of disruptive protesters and incidentally happen to be hit. "Everyone was mixed together," said Gabriel Dermer, for the city.

New York Post [8/25/2025 8:51 PM, Caitlin McCormack, 43962K] reports the suspected instigator in the racially motivated Cincinnati brawl that left one mother unconscious has now been slapped with federal drug charges — on top of the laundry list of offenses he’s facing for his role in the brutal beatdown. Jermaine Mathews, 39, was indicted for conspiracy and intent to distribute a whopping "40 grams or more of fentanyl," the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio wrote in a press release on Monday. He was also charged with "operating a premises on Kenton Street in Cincinnati for the purpose of trafficking narcotics" alongside three other co-conspirators based in the city, according to the release. "Mathews, who was described as a primary ‘coordinator’ of the July 26 brawl in downtown Cincinnati, was on bond after being charged locally with aggravated riot and assault," the US Attorney’s Office added. The violent ringleader was re-arrested Monday by federal agents and officers with the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, according to prosecutors. Mathews, and eight others, were first snatched up by Cincinnati police earlier this month and hit with a slew of charges for their alleged roles in the near-deadly scrum that left one local woman — only identified as Holly — badly beaten and unconscious around 3 a.m. outside a downtown nightclub where she was celebrating a friend’s birthday. Alex Tchervinski, 45, was caught on video shouting racial slurs at one of the black men in the group before slapping him in the face. It remains unclear what sparked the brawl. But chaos quickly ensued as the group of black men descended on Tchervinski and Holly, who are both white. Seven people — all of them black — were arrested and charged for their involvement in the attack, WLWT5 reported. Holly, meanwhile, came within inches of losing her life. She was captured in the video lying face-up as blood poured out of her mouth. Matthews, who was arraigned on Aug. 14, is the second person arrested in connection with the beating to face unrelated federal changes. Montianez Merriweather, 34, was also federally charged with illegally possessing a firearm as a previously convicted felon on Aug. 13. Tchervinski, who suffered injuries to his face from the fight, was eventually hit with disorderly conduct for his role after the lack of charges sparked public outrage.

FOX News [8/25/2025 6:21 PM, Deirdre Heavey, 40019K] reports Insha Rahman, vice president of advocacy and partnerships of the far-left criminal justice reform group, Vera Institute of Justice, caused an uproar on social media after she told Democrats on Monday that migrant crime and carjackings "don’t matter to that many Americans.” During a political strategy session about crime and safety at the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rahman urged Democrats to seize on President Donald Trump’s crime crackdown, calling it a "political liability.” "Trump is not about safety," Rahman said. "This is a political power grab, and he will do it however he can, whether that’s at the ballot box or taking over our cities.” While Rahman focused her remarks on how Democrats can reject Republicans’ "tough on crime scare tactics," the Vera Institute, where the Democratic strategist serves as a senior official, has a long record of supporting defunding the police. "Don’t take the bait in talking about migrant crime or carjackings or the things that actually don’t matter to that many Americans, and then go to the policy proposals that we think work," Rahman instructed Democrats on Monday. This clip went viral Monday afternoon with conservatives slamming Rahman for her rhetoric and pointing out her organization’s ties to the Defund the Police movement.

FOX News [8/25/2025 9:42 PM, Staff, 40019K] reports deputy chief of staff for policy and Homeland Security advisor Stephen Miller discusses how Democrats have let crime run rampant in Chicago on ‘Hannity.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Daily Caller [8/26/2025 12:40 AM, Hailey Gomez, 985K] reports White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller ripped into Democrats on Fox News’ "Hannity" Monday for pushing back against President Donald Trump for cracking down on crime, saying Washington, D.C. saw "body after body after body" before the National Guard was deployed. Trump announced the deployment of the National Guard to the nation’s capital on Aug. 11. Democrats have pushed back. Host Sean Hannity pointed out to Miller that Chicago Democratic leaders are now rallying against Trump’s idea to possibly bring in the National Guard to control the city’s crime. Hannity asked Miller for his reaction. "The Democrat Party does not fight for, care about or represent American citizens," Miller said. "It is an entity devoted exclusively to the defense of hardened criminals, gangbangers and illegal alien killers and terrorists. The Democrat Party is not a political party. It is a domestic extremist organization.” "Look at Chicago. They’ve shut down the police department. They’ve handcuffed law enforcement. And as President Trump says, they have turned the streets of Chicago into a bloody killing field here in Washington, D.C. Before President Trump launched the federal law enforcement liberation in D.C., there was a murder on the streets of this town every other day. Body after body after body after body. That was Washington, D.C." Miller added. On Friday, Trump announced that he would consider deploying the National Guard to Chicago, calling the city a "mess" and adding that the people of Chicago are "screaming for us to come." However, in a press conference on Monday, both Democrat Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Democrat Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson pushed back against the president’s concerns, with Johnson touting a decrease in crime. (RELATED: ‘Doesn’t Feel Like A Hellhole’: J.B. Pritzker Tries To Gaslight Everyone Into Thinking Chicago Is Safe). Chicago Police Department data through Aug. 16 reportedly shows homicides in the city trending down 25% over the last 12 months compared to 2023. The frequency of killings remains higher than it was before the pandemic, according to ABC7 Chicago. Data from the outlet shows that in the last 12 months through Aug. 16, there have been 474 homicides, with an average yearly homicide rate of 722 between 2021 and 2023. According to a White House press release, the city has had the highest "murder rate among U.S. cities with more than one million people" for seven consecutive years, with Chicago also being labeled as having the "most murders of any U.S. city" for 13 consecutive years. Miller went on to say how Washington, D.C., has been cleaned up since Trump’s orders, calling it the "safest" it’s "ever been in its entire history.” "Residents were afraid to go to restaurants. They were afraid to go into entire neighborhoods. They were getting carjacked, right and left, robbed and beaten. That was Washington, D.C. Now we’re two weeks homicide free," Miller said. "The safest this city has ever been in its entire history. And the Democrats, instead of jumping up and down and saying, ‘Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for saving our lives. Thank you for saving our cities. Thank you for scrubbing away all the graffiti, the trash, the homeless encampments, the druggies.’". "Instead of cleaning up the city, instead of thanking him for that, they’re saying, ‘President Trump, how dare you save our lives? How dare you save our children? How dare you save our city?’ The Democrat Party, Sean, that exists today, it disgusts me. I do not recognize that party," Miller said.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 5:35 AM, Judd Dunning, 4779K] reports America is a compassionate nation. But compassion without law is chaos. Compassion without borders is destruction. And when that chaos ends in a child’s death, a mother’s rape, or a family shattered by foreign criminality, we must ask — what, exactly, are we being compassionate toward? This month alone, horrifying headlines have forced even the most reluctant Americans to confront that question. In Florida, two illegal aliens were arrested for the alleged gang-rape of a 7-year-old girl. In Texas, ICE lodged a detainer against another illegal migrant accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a woman in Houston, Texas. In New Jersey, another illegal immigrant — previously arrested for DUIs and domestic violence, yet never deported — allegedly drove drunk the wrong way and killed a mother and her 11-year-old daughter in a fiery crash. Three states. Three families destroyed. One common thread: open borders. Different states, different stories, one truth: these deaths are not random tragedies — they are the direct result of a broken border and a political class that refuses to fix it. Are you ready to surrender them to this madness — or are you ready to stop it? Every one of these crimes — and thousands like them — are preventable. But the Biden administration’s judicial activist allies have made it clear: their commitment isn’t to your child. It’s to their ideological crusade — even if it means sacrificing your family to prove their moral superiority. In a stunning rebuke of law and logic, Biden-appointed Judge Trina Thompson blocked President Donald Trump from ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for migrants, claiming his administration acted out of "racial animus." She even suggested Trump and his DHS Secretary Kristi Noem were motivated by the "discriminatory belief that certain immigrant populations will replace the white population." And here is a truth few dare to say aloud: the left’s abuse of immigration has stolen the very possibility of careful, lawful removal over time. By flooding America recklessly, they have made case-by-case justice impossible. They have forced the right — not out of cruelty but necessity — toward mass deportation policies that would never have been considered had the system not been deliberately broken.

The Hill [8/25/2025 7:30 AM, Artem Kolisnichenko, 12414K] reports ICE is carrying out a recruitment mobilization. It is offering signing bonuses up to $50,000, removing age limits, and forgiving student loans for new hires. The administration is hiring thousands of new agents at a pace comparable to a wartime mobilization. The question of filling ICE’s ranks is not even in doubt — it will happen inevitably. The real question is why America suddenly needs an army of deportation officers at a moment when illegal border crossings have already declined so steeply. The scale of recruitment is striking. According to the Wall Street Journal, ICE is taking on thousands of new employees, with hundreds of millions set aside just for bonuses. Even the U.S. Army cannot compete, since its signing bonuses rarely exceed $20,000. In fact, ICE is becoming a "super employer", offering benefits, high salaries and quick hiring without bureaucracy. This creates the effect that deportation work appears to be more attractive than service in the police or the military, where such privileges do not exist.

Washington Post [8/25/2025 11:31 AM, Max Boot, 29079K] reports bad things happen when intelligence agencies don’t do their jobs well. The United States saw that with the Pearl Harbor and 9/11 attacks and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. More recently, Russia has paid a heavy price for the willingness of its intelligence chiefs to confirm President Vladimir Putin’s misapprehension in 2022 that his troops could march into Kyiv in a matter of days. When intelligence is wrong, lives are lost — often many, many lives. That makes it alarming to see the Trump administration launching purges of supposed “deep state actors” in the U.S. intelligence community who almost invariably turn out to be, on closer examination, skilled and dedicated public servants. The professionals in the intelligence community will try to weather this partisan storm and continue to do their jobs to the best of their abilities. But the administration’s actions are raising the risk of a politicized intelligence process leading to costly, even catastrophic, intelligence failures. Particularly concerning are the firings of senior intelligence professionals for what appears to be the sin of telling President Donald Trump what he doesn’t want to hear. This has now happened on three occasions, concerning Russia, Iran and Venezuela. On Friday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth fired Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. (Hegseth also recently fired the top two officials at the National Security Agency after they were targeted by Laura Loomer, a conspiracy-mongering Trump supporter.) No real reason was given for Kruse’s firing, but it doesn’t take a George Smiley to figure out what happened: The DIA incurred Trump’s displeasure in June by producing a preliminary estimate that found U.S. airstrikes, far from having “obliterated” the Iranian nuclear program, had set it back only for a matter of months. Israeli intelligence itself later concluded, as The Post’s David Ignatius noted, that Iran might be able to reconstitute its nuclear program in as little as one to two years and could build a crude nuclear device faster than that. That’s closer to the initial DIA assessment than to Trump’s overblown claims, so it looks an awful lot as though Kruse is being punished for offering credible information the White House didn’t welcome.

Federalist [8/25/2025 5:52 PM, M.D. Kittle, 982K] reports while Democrats spring to the aid of criminal illegal immigrants, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement agents continue to clear the nation’s streets of the "worst of the worst.” Over the weekend, ICE officers arrested some very violent illegal immigrants, including "pedophiles, drug traffickers, abusers, and other violent thugs," a senior Department of Homeland Security official told The Federalist in a statement. The list of the apprehended includes Jung Choi, a 53-year-old California resident and South Korean national convicted in 2020 of voluntary manslaughter, according to Department of Homeland Security documents exclusively provided to The Federalist. In 2017, Choi assisted a male companion, Sang Ji, who murdered his wife, Yoon "Clara" Ji, according to the criminal case. Yoon Ji died "as the result of head injuries caused by blunt trauma suffered from repeated blows by an object." The woman’s body was discovered in a ravine near San Juan Bautista, California. "Ji and Choi were arrested in December 2017, four days after one of Ji’s daughters filed a missing person’s report for their mother," San Benito Live reported. "The daughter contacted the San Benito County Sheriff’s Office after becoming suspicious of Ji’s claim that his wife had gone to South Korea to care for her ailing mother.” Sang Ji was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in California state prison. Choi was paroled on Friday. ICE agents were waiting for her. She’ll be heading back to South Korea. "We are not going to allow this murderer and criminal illegal alien to remain in our country," the DHS official told The Federalist. "Day after day, ICE is going after the worst of the worst because under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem DHS will always put AMERICANS first," the senior DHS official said in the statement.

FOX News [8/25/2025 11:21 AM, Charles Creitz, 40019K] reports Police in Rhode Island’s largest city are in hot water with municipal investigators over their alleged presence and behavior at an immigration enforcement operation. Providence’s External Review Authority, or PERA, found Friday that police in the Ocean State’s capital acted in violation of a city ordinance against cooperating with ICE while present at a July operation involving federal agents. PERA found police "impermissibly assisted" ICE agents in conducting civil immigration enforcement operations," according to WLNE, which obtained a copy of the report. PERA’s report claimed police wrongfully established a perimeter, gathered intelligence and generally aided ICE’s response to the pursuit of Honduran national and alleged fentanyl trafficker Ivan Rene Mendoza-Meza. The civilian board, which requires part of the police’s budget be allocated to its own, singled out one sergeant who had allegedly helped ICE confirm Mendoza-Meza’s location when speaking with a landlord. The report suggested Providence Police put out clearer operational guidelines for situations involving federal agencies and hold training sessions with all officers. Providence Police told WLNE in a statement that it reviewed PERA’s report and confirmed it is creating training materials as recommended. "The Providence Police Department remains dedicated to fairness, accountability and building trust with all members of our community.”

DailySignal [8/25/2025 10:17 AM, Virginia Allen, 668K] reports the illegal alien the political left labeled the "Maryland Man" is back in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. "Today, ICE law enforcement arrested Kilmar Abrego Garcia and are processing him for deportation," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on X Monday morning. "President [Donald] Trump is not going to allow this illegal alien, who is an MS-13 gang member, human trafficker, serial domestic abuser, and child predator to terrorize American citizens any longer," Noem said.

(B) NBC News Daily [8/25/2025 2:07 PM, Staff] reports that the acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement director said agents will not be at DC schools on the first day but there is a chance they could be there in the future. He said he does not want ICE in classrooms but there are special circumstances where they can go in for more than matters of public safety. One goal is to find children who entered the country unaccompanied for welfare purposes. He did not rule out whether or not an undocumented parent might be arrested in schools across the country.

Axios [8/25/2025 4:34 PM, Thomas Wheatley, 14595K] reports the Georgia National Guard will assist federal immigration officials in President Trump’s expanding effort to arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants. The deployment comes as the White House aims to meet ambitious detainment and deportation quotas and threatens to deploy "regular" military to major U.S. cities that he says are failing to battle crime. Georgia is one of 19 states that will deploy a total of 1,700 guard members to assist the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Fox News reported over the weekend. The effort, a White House official told Fox, is unrelated to Trump’s decision to deploy the U.S. military to Washington, D.C., to combat crime. About 75 Georgia guard soldiers and airmen will provide "administrative and logistical" support, freeing up ICE agents to conduct enforcement, according to a Monday statement from Gov. Brian Kemp and the Georgia National Guard. Guard members will undergo processing and training in mid-September and could begin operations shortly thereafter, the statement said.

Bloomberg [8/25/2025 4:00 PM, Alicia A. Caldwell, 19085K] reports Florida law enforcement will begin asking commercial truck drivers about their immigration status during inspections at highway weigh stations after a turnpike crash killed three people earlier this month. State Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and state Attorney General James Uthmeier, flanked by a US Border Patrol agent and several state law enforcement officials, said Monday that the new inspections were prompted by the fatal crash caused after Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old Indian national, made an illegal u-turn on the Florida Turnpike. The move marks another step by Florida in its quest under Governor Ron DeSantis to lead in helping President Donald Trump’s pledge to carry out the country’s largest ever deportation effort. The state requires most state and county police to participate in federal immigration enforcement. Beyond Highway Patrol, Simpson said nearly 300 Agriculture Department law enforcement officers, known as Ag Law, have been trained to enforce federal immigration laws under the 287(g) partnership with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Separately on Monday, Uthmeier posted a letter on X that he wrote to Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy asking for an audit and potential decertification of California and Washington’s commercial drivers license programs. Uthmeier said Florida already arrested another undocumented immigrant from Ecuador on Sunday in the Florida Panhandle who was driving a commercial vehicle and had a driver’s license issued in New Jersey. CBS Miami [8/25/2025 8:12 PM, Sergio Candido and Peter D’Oench, 45245K] Video: HERE "There’s no telling how many illegal aliens are in this country driving large commercial vehicles and putting American families in a safety risk every single day," Uthmeier said during a press conference Monday morning in Live Oak, a city north of Gainesville. Uthmeier said he is sending a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration urging the federal government to revoke commercial driver’s license program authority and strip related federal funding from California and Washington. The state attorney general cited federal findings that the truck driver involved in the crash had failed an English proficiency test, correctly answering only two of 12 verbal questions and identifying just one of four traffic signs. Washington issued him a CDL in 2023, and California followed with another in 2024. "States like California and Washington ignored the rules, gave an illegal alien a license to drive a 40-ton truck, and three people are dead as a result," Uthmeier said. "In response, we’re supporting our Agricultural Law Enforcement and state police to ramp up inspections at state entry-points for illegal aliens who may be operating large trucks using out-of-state driver’s licenses.” The deadly Florida Turnpike crash that sparked enforcement changes. The truck driver, Harjinder Singh, accused of making the illegal maneuver that ended with three people dead on the Turnpike, was denied bond Saturday after being extradited from California to Florida. The crash sparked a clash between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and California Gov. Gavin Newsom over Singh, a native of India, obtaining a work permit and driver’s license in the state. The Trump administration said Singh was in the U.S. illegally.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [8/25/2025 12:40 PM, Anthony Blair, 43962K]
Washington Examiner [8/25/2025 2:45 PM, Molly Parks, 1563K]

Wall Street Journal [8/25/2025 8:00 AM, Arian Campo-Flores, Scott Calvert, and Elizabeth Findell, 646K] reports Master Sgt. Tony Kingery of the Florida Highway Patrol was driving through a commercial district one recent morning looking for immigrants in the U.S. illegally when he spotted a white van missing its front bumper. He tailed the vehicle, flashed his lights and pulled it over. Kingery told the driver about the bumper and a broken taillight and asked for his driver’s license. The driver, who was Hispanic, didn’t speak English. He handed over a Guatemalan consular identification card. “Are you a U.S. citizen?” Kingery asked him. A Hispanic passenger who spoke English said the driver’s papers were “in process.” Kingery asked the driver to get out and handcuffed him. “I’ve just got to check you, OK?” he said. Both the driver and the passenger were arrested for suspected immigration violations. No state has embraced the Trump administration’s illegal-immigration crackdown more forcefully than Florida. The state earlier this year allocated nearly $300 million for immigration-enforcement work and built an immigrant-detention center in the Everglades, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” that has drawn federal lawsuits challenging its operation. A federal judge in one of the cases ordered on Thursday that much of the facility be dismantled. The Florida Highway Patrol has taken up the Trump administration’s call for state and local law enforcement to play a bigger role in the crackdown. It is the first state agency in the country to have had virtually all its officers trained to participate in a controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement program that deputizes police to perform some of the duties of federal immigration officers. Florida’s rollout effectively expands ICE’s footprint throughout the state. Of the Florida Highway Patrol’s 1,819 sworn troopers, 1,774 have been credentialed as “designated immigration officers,” according to Dave Kerner, executive director of the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, which oversees the FHP. Kerner said the department has been the primary apprehending agency in more than 3,500 detentions of immigrants in the U.S. illegally since March. “It’s a huge trust that’s been delegated to us,” said Kerner, at a morning briefing for state troopers before Kingery and others set out on their recent operation. “If we do a good job…this system is going to be exported to other states.” Officers deputized under what is known as the “task force model” of 287(g) are empowered to investigate the immigration statuses of people they stop in the course of their regular duties and to detain them if they have reason to believe they are in the country illegally.

Breitbart [8/25/2025 11:28 AM, John Binder, 2608K] reports the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested the illegal alien brother of Harjinder Singh, the illegal alien truck driver from India, accused of killing three Floridians in a horrific illegal U-turn accident caught on camera. This week, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh was returned to Florida from California to face three vehicular homicide charges. Singh has been in law enforcement custody since his arrest for making an illegal U-turn that caused a crash, killing three Floridians. "Three innocent people were killed in Florida because Gavin Newsom’s California Department of Motor Vehicles issued an illegal alien a Commercial Driver’s License—this state of governance is asinine," the Department of Homeland Security’s Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement: How many more innocent people must die before Gavin Newsom stops playing games with the safety of the American public? We pray for the victims and their families. Secretary Noem and DHS are working around the clock to protect the public and get these criminal illegal aliens out of America. [Emphasis added]. An investigation opened by Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has since made public how Singh was able to secure a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) to drive a semi-truck throughout the U.S.

Telemundo [8/25/2025 5:52 PM, Jessenia Hatti Barrett, 144K] reports Former Ecuadorian Interior Minister José Serrano Salgado remains detained at the Krome detention center in Miami after being arrested by ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents on August 7 at his residence in South Florida. According to his daughter, Verónica Serrano, the arrest occurred because her father had overstayed his tourist visa. However, she asserts that the former official requested political asylum in October 2021, a few months after arriving in the United States. "My concern here is that my father’s life is at risk," Verónica said in an interview, warning of what a possible extradition to Ecuador could mean. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Telemundo 48 El Paso [8/25/2025 3:21 PM, Staff, 6K] reports a bipartisan delegation of New Mexico lawmakers visited the Otero County Processing Center on Friday, a facility operated under contract by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that houses approximately 1,027 undocumented immigrants awaiting deportation. The visit took place in the context of a possible special legislative session, during which Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham has indicated that legislation could be introduced to ban such facilities in the state. The Otero center is one of three detention centers in New Mexico that maintain active contracts with ICE and employs nearly 300 full-time workers. The visit seeks to provide key information for the legislative debate on the future of the state’s detention centers, amid growing tensions between federal and state immigration policies.

Univision [8/25/2025 7:57 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports prominent violinist John Shin was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in Utah; his family and members of the arts community are calling for his release and fighting to keep him from being deported. "My husband, John Shin, has been detained by ICE, and our family faces an urgent and frightening situation. John has always worked hard to support our family and his mother, and is deeply loved by our music community, his wife, Danae Snow, says in a fundraising appeal she has started. The woman is seeking funds to support the legal defense of the man, who is originally from South Korea. "On Monday, at 2:30 pm, I got a call from John: ‘Honey, I don’t have much time. I got arrested by ICE and they’re sending me to a detention center. I love you and the kids. I will be fine. Please call our lawyer. Then she quickly hung up. I don’t have any more details, just those brief 30 seconds," Snow recounts in a Facebook post about how she found out what had happened to her husband. The reasons for the arrest have not been disclosed, although his citizenship application has been pending for three years, when he filed the paperwork. This process usually takes about five years. "The legal process is expensive and we need help paying his defense fees so he has a fair chance to return home," Snow adds. With a master’s degree in music performance from the University of Utah, Shin has performed with the Utah Symphony, Salt Lake Symphony and Ballet West, among others. For his part, Robert Baldwin, director and conductor of Sinfonia Salt Lake Music and Salt Lake Symphony, has written on his social networks, "John is not a criminal, he is an amazing husband, father and person, and I will do everything in my power to bring him home." "Former Utah Philharmonic concertmaster John Shin, who has been here most of his life and is married to a U.S. citizen has been detained by ICE. His attorney states that letters vouching for his character and accomplishments may be helpful, along with donations to his legal fund (...) I will write a letter and hope that if you know him, collaborated with him, or are simply interested in classical music, you will do so as well." The above was a message written on Facebook by composer Sarah Kirkland Snider. In a similar vein, Eugene Dyson, principal violinist of the Loudoun Symphony Orchestra, expressed himself. He wrote: " I call on all Salt Lake City string musicians to come together in support of our fellow musician John Shin, who has been detained by ICE. "The time has come for us to come together and fight for our own with unwavering solidarity," he added. "It is shocking and, at the same time, I am not surprised. This is the direction our country has taken," said Gabriel Gordon, a friend of the family, quoted by Fox. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

USA Today [8/25/2025 8:58 AM, Richard Ruelas, 64151K] reports the Customs and Border Protection aircraft circled the desert northeast of Phoenix until agents spotted their target getting into a white sedan. Officers on the ground converged and arrested the driver. His crime: shooting a rifle within the boundaries of Tonto National Forest. After he was stopped, the man, Alejandro Antelo Corrales, admitted to being in the country illegally. He would become one of 15 people arrested since May and charged with having a firearm or ammunition while being in the country without authorization, a federal felony. Each person likely faces deportation after their criminal case is done. Across the country, immigration agents have targeted restaurant kitchens. In California, agents have picked up day laborers waiting for work outside Home Depot stores. National forests represent a unique hunting ground for immigration patrols. Neither the Border Patrol nor Homeland Security Investigations would comment on the extent of the agencies’ patrols in the area. Neither would the United States Department of Agriculture, the agency that oversees the U.S. Forest Service officers who have made some of the arrests.

San Francisco Chronicle [8/25/2025 9:32 PM, Melody Xu, 3790K] reports ICE agents brought an East Palo Alto resident to Stanford Hospital for medical care on Monday, after arresting the person in a "targeted operation" that morning. Immigration and Customs Enforcement set out to locate two people at their homes in East Palo Alto between 7 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., a San Mateo County Rapid Response Network spokesperson told the Chronicle. ICE agents arrested one of those people and brought them to Stanford Hospital to receive "emergency medical attention," the spokesperson said. The person was brought into the hospital around noon, according to Stanford Health spokesperson Lisa Kim. It was unclear what caused the person to require medical attention but they were still at the hospital as of Monday evening, the Network spokesperson said. The Palo Alto Police Department received a "courtesy notification" that ICE would be at the hospital, Assistant Police Chief James Reifschneider said in an email to the Chronicle.

Telemundo [8/25/2025 6:09 PM, Andrés Brender, 17K] reports that, once again, a person contacted Telemundo 48 to denounce the detention by ICE of a father in Rohnert Park. "My 9-year-old daughter passed by yesterday, someone was selling ice cream outside, I asked her if she wanted ice cream and the girl said ‘no, don’t spend money, we have to save it for my daddy’, that totally broke my heart," said Alondra Flores, her husband was detained. Salvador Alvarez, father of 6 children, was detained on August 18 outside his home by immigration agents on his way to work. "He realized that there were 3 cars but one was following him, about a minute from our house, he arrived at the stop sign and they turned on the lights. He parks and three people get out of the car without saying anything, without showing any papers, and tell him ‘you are being arrested by ice agents’," said Alondra. "That is why we do not understand what was the reason for his arrest," said Alondra. The family assured that they are living the worst nightmare of their lives. "My dad is the one who is the support to them he bought their materials for school, food, he gives money to my mom to buy food," said Cristian Flores, Salvador’s son. "I miss him a lot and I wish you were at home," said Valeria Alvarez, Salvador’s daughter. "I feel defeated by everything, we miss you, I want you to come back," asserted Esmeralda Álvarez, Salvador’s daughter. Telemundo 48 contacted ICE and the Department of Homeland Security to find out the reason for Salvador’s detention, but so far we have not received a response. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Univision [8/26/2025 3:25 AM, Staff, 4932K]

Univision [8/25/2025 2:08 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports the official image of the arrest of Mexican immigrant Diego Hernandez in San Diego, California, went viral as soon as the ERO team of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) published it on August 23. Less than 48 hours had passed and on the social network X it had accumulated more than 30 million views. They did not offer further information regarding the conditions of detention. They simply indicated that the 42-year-old Mexican immigrant is accused of entering the United States illegally on repeated occasions. They added that Hernandez has "multiple DUI (driving under the influence)" convictions. However, they did not detail the cases or the cities in which the detainee would have pending legal issues. In X they limited themselves to indicating that Hernández would remain in the custody of ICE, before his deportation. The comments on the post, which has been viewed more than 30 million times, are mostly about the agent’s body, Jennifer Lopez-style. The identity of the agent was not revealed.

FOX News [8/25/2025 3:45 PM, Ashley J. DiMella, 40019K] reports as America’s elite increasingly seek "golden" visas across the globe, others are seeking "refugee status" closer to home. Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board released data highlighting a spike in Americans moving to the Land of the Maple Leaf. The data, shared Thursday, found that more Americans applied for refugee status in Canada in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024, Reuters reported. There have been 245 refugee claims so far this year, with 204 claims filed last year. The 245 Americans who applied surpassed the numbers of each previous full year since 2019, according to Reuters. While the data does not specify the reasons Americans are seeking refugee status, many reports suggest political disagreements with the Trump administration. Yale philosophy professor Jason Stanley, for example, told the Financial Times (FT) he accepted a position at the University of Toronto and cited academic freedom concerns. "I believe in the values of academic freedom and defending democratic institutions … Not the idea that the proper response to authoritarians is to hide and hope you’re not next," Stanley said.

New York Post [8/26/2025 12:02 AM, Caitlin McCormack, 43962K] reports President Trump said his administration will welcome more Chinese students than ever into the United States to enroll in higher education as trade talks press on with Beijing. Trump announced Monday that he plans to open the floodgates to another 600,000 Chinese college students, though it’s unclear when. There are currently around 270,000 Chinese students enrolled in US universities. "I hear so many stories that we’re not going to allow their students," Trump told reporters at the White House. "We’re going to allow their students to come in. It’s very important, 600,000 students. It’s very important. But we’re going to get along with China.” Trump’s announcement comes after Secretary of State Marco Rubio previously revealed a plan to crack down on visas for Chinese nationals — specifically, young college students. "Under President Trump’s leadership, the US State Department will work with the Department of Homeland Security to aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields," Rubio said in a statement in May. The Chinese Communist Party, the majority party in the country, has more than 90 million members, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. During Trump’s first 100 days in office, Rubio revoked more than 4,000 visas from foreign students with criminal records for charges ranging from arson to DUIs. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also tried to forcibly nullify a staggering 7,000 visas held by students at Harvard University, but it was blocked by a federal court. Still, Trump assured in June that he has "always been in favor" of ushering in students from China. His stated 600,000 quota would be the largest number of Chinese students admitted to the US in history. The number peaked at around 370,000 in 2019 before it dipped after the pandemic, according to the Los Angeles Times. The commander in chief’s change of heart comes as China and the US have volleyed tariffs back and forth since his inauguration in late January. Trump originally slammed the country with a 145% tariff on all Chinese goods. Beijing wasted no time retaliating with a 125% tariff on American exports. Debates slowed for a bit until Trump shared he was considering a whopping 200% tariff on Chinese-made magnets, citing frustrations with its "monopoly on the world’s magnets," noting that it would take the US "a year to have them.”

FOX News [8/25/2025 9:28 PM, Louis Casiano, 40019K] reports agents with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) foiled a carjacking in Washington, D.C., on Monday amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on crime in the capital. The CBP agents were making the city "safe and beautiful" when they received a call about a carjacking in progress. "Agents immediately responded to the area and stopped the fleeing suspect," a CBP post on X stated. The agency said the suspect was arrested and will be charged with multiple offenses. "CBP will continue to support all presidential executive orders and ensure D.C. is safe again," the social media post read. More than 1,000 arrests have been made in the weeks since the crime crackdown in D.C. began. "What does that mean? They can’t be used to shoot people, to kill people," U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Monday on "Fox & Friends," referring to the weapons seizures. "And on top of all of that, we’ve got a government now where the people in D.C. are feeling safer. They know that there is a president who’s looking to protect them.” "D.C. was one of the most violent cities in the world, and but for President Trump coming in and bringing in our federal partners… we’ve got a unified force of people and law enforcement who are going into the crime-ridden areas and making a difference," she added. The operation began quietly on Aug. 7 with the launch of the "Making D.C. Safe and Beautiful" task force that Trump created in March through an executive order. Trump escalated it on Aug. 11 by temporarily seizing federal control of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) under emergency powers in the Home Rule Act. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Bloomberg [8/25/2025 10:53 AM, Ellen M. Gilmer, 84K] reports that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is expediting construction of border barriers within a national wildlife refuge in Texas. Noem on Monday invoked a 30-year-old law to waive environmental reviews, historic preservation requirements, and other laws to build sections of border wall and related infrastructure in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The waivers are part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to expedite border wall construction across the US-Mexico border. Congress earlier this year provided $46.5 billion to fund construction. Illegal crossings have been at record lows since Trump took office. [Editorial note: consult extended commentary at source link]

Telemundo 48 El Paso [8/25/2025 2:23 PM, Claudia Moreno, 6K] reports that a migrant woman died after being struck by vehicles while attempting to cross the César E. Chávez Highway in El Paso on the night of August 17, 2025. According to a Customs and Border Protection (CBP) report, the incident occurred around 9:31 p.m. when a Supervisory Border Patrol Agent conducting patrols near the Bridge of the Americas spotted a man near a barbed wire fence along the Rio Grande. The man fled into the brush, and moments later, the agent observed a second person emerge from a nearby canal and attempt to climb a metal fence. The woman, later identified as an adult citizen of Ecuador, ran toward the highway despite the agent’s verbal commands to stop. While attempting to cross the westbound lanes, she was struck by a car. Agents immediately requested medical assistance, but upon arriving on scene, the woman was struck again by another vehicle whose driver failed to stop. Agents blocked the road to prevent further incidents, and a Border Patrol paramedic attempted to provide treatment, but found no vital signs. The El Paso Fire Department arrived at 9:44 p.m. but confirmed that the victim no longer showed vital signs. The case is under investigation by the El Paso Police Department, while CBP’s Office of Professional Responsibility conducts an internal review. The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General has also been notified.

Los Angeles Times [8/25/2025 6:14 PM, Melissa Gomez, 12715K] reports attorneys for a San Bernardino man who was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on Aug. 16 are calling for an investigation after masked immigration agents shot at his vehicle during a stop. They also released surveillance video of the incident, which appears to dispute a key claim by the Department of Homeland Security — that the man drove his truck toward agents and injured them. The man, Francisco Longoria, was driving to work around 8 a.m. on Aug. 16 with his 18-year-old son and 23-year-old son-in-law, his attorneys said. Longoria’s truck bed was full of party rental supplies because they were on their way to drop them off, a job he does for a living. In surveillance video captured from across the street, the interaction begins when a white truck veers into the far right lane in front of Longoria’s truck, forcing him to stop. Agents appear to then surround the car, with two more vehicles parked behind Longoria’s truck. One video shows a masked agent, wearing a "CBP" baseball cap, slipping on gloves right before another agent shatters the car window on the driver’s side. Longoria then speeds off, and three shots ring out. The truck was found with two bullet holes, his attorneys said. Now, attorneys Jason Sanchez and Robbie Muñoz of the Simon Law Group are calling on local and state officials to investigate the incident, which appears to be the first instance in California of agents firing a weapon during an immigration enforcement operation. They have forwarded the videos to the state attorney general’s office, as well as the San Bernardino city attorney’s office, seeking accountability for what happened. Homeland Security never produced a warrant in the attempt to stop Longoria, who does not have a criminal record or ongoing deportation proceedings that would have put him on Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s radar, his attorneys said. On Monday, Homeland Security said it is a "developing situation" and did not answer questions about the officers it said were injured or their conditions. The agency said in a statement that officers were injured when the driver tried to "run them down" in what it referred to as a targeted enforcement operation.

Los Angeles Times [8/25/2025 11:03 PM, Karen Garcia, 12715K] reports styling your up-do while you’re traveling has become easier with the introduction of cordless curling irons and hair straighteners, but it has also gotten more complicated to fly with these hair care tools. Lithium-ion batteries used to power cordless hairstyling tools allow these devices to have faster charging and longer usage times, and are thus more reliable, according to the Growth Market Reports, a market research and business consulting firm. But replacing the cord with a battery for power is what’s keeping the devices out of the cargo section of the plane. The Transportation Security Administration recently sought to iron out the details in a post on X. Plug-in hair straighteners and curling irons don’t have any flight restrictions so you’re free to pack them in your carry-on or check-in luggage. But the TSA said their counterpart has restrictions: cordless hairstyling tools that are powered by lithium metal or lithium-ion batteries or gas or butane fuel are allowed only in carry-on bags. That’s so that passengers or flight attendants can react if they start to overheat in the cabin. If they overheat or combust in your checked bag in the cargo area of a plane, it may take a while for anyone to notice. As an extra protective measure, the hair care tool must have a safety cover securely fitted over the heating element. Cordless hairstyling tools, with the specific battery, gas or butane fuel, are allowed only in carry-on bags due to their combustible nature, according to a TSA spokesperson. Lithium-ion batteries, for example, can overheat, resulting in heavy smoke and in some cases fire, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Items that are commonly powered by such batteries include battery packs, e-cigarettes, cellphones and laptops. These items are allowed to travel with you only in your carry-on bag. If the items, "catch fire in the cargo area where checked bags are transported, there’s no one there to put it out," Daniel Velez, spokesperson for Florida’s TSA, told the Florida Times-Union. On a flight from Lihue, Hawaii, to Los Angeles International Airport in July, a passenger’s e-cigarette overheated inside their backpack, according to an FAA report of the incident. The flight attendant secured the e-cigarette in a thermal containment bag without injury, damage to the plane or flight interruptions. There have been a total of 644 verified incidents of lithium batteries creating smoke, fire or extreme heat between 2006 and 2025, according to the FAA. Of the total number of incidents, 482 occurred in the passenger area of the plane and 136 occurred in the cargo area.

(B) NBC News Daily [8/25/2025 1:01 PM, Staff] reports that a record number of people are planning to travel over Labor Day weekend. United Airlines anticipates more than 3 million passengers and American Airlines is bracing for its largest Labor Day weekend operation. TSA expects to screen more than 17 million people from this Thursday through next Wednesday. Friday is projected to be the busiest day to fly. More than 5 million flights have taken off since Memorial Day.

AP [8/25/2025 5:27 PM, Gabriela Aoun Angueira, 37974K] reports the recently defunded nonprofit corporation that distributed federal money to public media stations across the United States is warning of another casualty when it shuts down next month: the resilience of the nation’s emergency alert systems. But CPB, which manages the grant money, is shutting down on Sept. 30 after Congress and President Donald Trump defunded it in July. That could leave unspent millions in grant dollars that were awarded but not yet paid to stations, imperiling dozens of projects meant to save lives in emergencies. Money for the Next Generation Warning System program is handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which grants it to CPB, a nearly 60-year old entity that funnels federal dollars to 1,500 public TV and radio stations across the country. Turmoil with the grant program comes after experts have been warning for months that staff and funding cuts at FEMA are undermining the country’s disaster resilience. Since January, FEMA has lost staff, cut programs and slowed spending, which experts say undermines the country’s ability to prepare for and recover from disasters.

ABC News [8/25/2025 1:54 PM, Luke Barr, 27036K] reports that on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees on Monday warned Congress that the Trump administration’s changes and leadership at the agency could harm the United States if disaster strikes. "Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator," around 180 employees wrote to Congress on Monday. FEMA is an agency of the Department of Department of Homeland Security (DHS). "Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management," they added. The agency went through a force reduction and Noem placed a tighter grip on grants given out by the agency. In the months after Katrina, which killed almost 1,300 and resulted in billions of dollars worth of damage to New Orleans in August 2005, Congress passed the Post Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 with an effort to better streamline emergency management at the federal level. FEMA employees wrote that the "agency’s current trajectory reflects a clear departure from the intent" of that legislation.

CBS News [8/25/2025 9:28 PM, Kati Weis, 45245K] reports Hurricane Katrina was a terrifying experience for more than a million people affected across the Gulf Coast region. Nearly 1,400 people died, most of them in New Orleans — and 20 years later, some communities are still struggling to recover. The National Hurricane Center says the costliest hurricane in U.S. history — more than $201 billion based on the 2024 Consumer Price Index adjusted cost — caused widespread flood damage across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. On Dauphin Island, Alabama, the barrier island town’s west end beach was severed during Katrina. A 1.5 mile-wide gap was left behind. More than 300 homes were destroyed on the island, and for many of those homes, the land on which they stood was permanently washed away. Since Hurricane Katrina made landfall on Aug. 29, 2005, Dauphin Island has been shrinking and moving even more from additional storms and sea level rise. The island is now facing a dire existential crisis. Mayor Jeff Collier never imagined storms, big or small, would batter the island so hard. Some residents are still paying property taxes on lots that are now under Gulf waters — vacationers frequently swimming over top of them. "This area here is where most of those underwater lots are," Collier said as he took a CBS News crew on a tour of Dauphin Island. "There are probably 50 lots in this stretch of the island.” It will take millions of dollars from several grant sources to preserve what’s left, and Collier says that’s the biggest challenge. Dauphin Island is planning to use more oil spill settlement money to help pay for another beach restoration project for the island’s west end, which will cost $60 million. The mayor is still pursuing additional funding sources to make the project possible. He’s also utilizing help from an Environmental Protection Agency grant to upgrade the town’s stormwater runoff systems to help mitigate street flooding during storms, even low-grade ones. As of April, Collier says the town had already spent more than $420,000 on the $1.2 million project. Because these projects need continuous upkeep and oversight, Collier sought help from a special FEMA program. He said a grant for a $250,000 project would help the town hire an engineering and design firm to create a specialized disaster mitigation plan. In response to the lawsuit, a FEMA spokesperson told CBS News that resiliency is a priority for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. "But over the last four years the Biden Administration used the BRIC program as a piggy bank for its green new deal agenda," the spokesperson said. FEMA data shows the cut impacted nearly 700 projects at a cost of $3.6 billion. A CBS News investigation found that the recent BRIC funding cuts have disproportionately affected counties that supported Mr. Trump in the 2024 election. The elimination of the BRIC program also especially deprives vulnerable communities across the Southeast, the CBS News data analysis found.

Washington Examiner [8/25/2025 11:55 AM, Staff, 1563K] reports seven weeks after flash floods ripped through Hunt and Ingram in Kerr County, recovery and rebuilding efforts are ongoing. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott returned to the area Saturday as he has repeatedly done since July 4. This time, it was to hand out checks directly to survivors through money raised by Country Music legend George Strait and Vaqueros del Mar partner Tom Cusick. Nearly one month ago, they raised $7 million through a "Strait To The Heart" concert – with one caveat – that the money be given directly to those impacted. Two weeks ago, Abbott and Cusick handed out $25,000 checks to several dozen survivors. On Saturday, the second round of checks was distributed to those who lost their homes or suffered other losses. "We want to make sure that when you leave here today that you feel that every need you have is being met," Abbott told roughly 75 people at an invite-only event in Ingram. "This is the worst flood in the history of Texas as it concerns the loss of life. We’re still working to address those concerns as well as continuing to search for two remaining people who are still lost," he said. The July 4 flash flood disaster claimed at least 137 lives in several counties. Kerr County suffered the most losses of 108. Two remain missing. "We know the magnitude of the devastation that has occurred to this community," Abbott said. "Part of it is physical devastation because of damages to your homes or vehicle or property … or loss of loved ones or injured loved ones. We know that those are challenges that don’t go away just because it’s a new week or a new month. Abbott shook their hands, held their hands, looked them directly in the eye, and listened to their every word. He hugged many. He asked them questions. He listened as they described through tears everything they lost. One woman, shaking and sobbing, described how she survived by opening her car doors. As the water rushed in, she lost her dog. Abbott, who has three dogs, empathized. She was distraught and he comforted her. One by one, they came. Many held manila folders stuffed with examples of bureaucracy. One woman explained the difficulty Home Association members were having with FEMA. Exasperated, she handed a folder to Kidd, saying, "Tell Kristi Noem!," referring to the Department of Homeland Security secretary who oversees FEMA. Kidd said he would.

AP [8/25/2025 7:40 PM, Tammy Webber and Julie Walker, 1648K] reports that ten structures — including four homes — have been destroyed by a wildfire sweeping through central Oregon, where thousands of residents remained under evacuation orders on Monday, while a blaze in Northern California wine country has so far spared some of the state’s most famous vineyards. Officials said Oregon firefighters working in rugged terrain amid dry, hot weather saved hundreds of other buildings from the 34-square-mile (88-square-kilometer) Flat Fire spanning Deschutes and Jefferson counties. It was 15% contained. “We are deeply saddened by the loss of homes and personal property and extend our sympathy to those affected,” Deschutes County Sheriff Ty Rupert said in a statement. Flames still threatened nearly 4,000 homes, fire spokesperson Gert Zoutendijk said Monday. He said crews were taking advantage of slightly cooler temperatures that dipped into the high 80s (31 C), and even some scattered rain. “A little bit of rain does some good right now, but later, if the sun comes out, it doesn’t take long to dry everything out again,” Zoutendijk said. A heat advisory was in place through Wednesday, and forecasters warned that potential thunderstorms could create erratic winds that would challenge firefighters. Meanwhile, the Pickett Fire in Northern California has charred about 10 square miles (26 square kilometers) of remote Napa County, known for its hundreds of wineries. It was 13% contained on Monday. Flames spared the home and adjacent vineyards of Jayson Woodbridge of Hundred Acre wines, but he said it was a close call on Thursday when the fire broke out and raced along nearby slopes.

FOX News [8/25/2025 6:23 PM, Emma Bussey, 40019K] reports firefighters battling the Oregon Flat Fire, which has so far torched nearly 22,000 acres, could face setbacks if the latest weather conditions shift, officials cautioned Monday. The raging blaze, which is only 5% contained, has destroyed homes and buildings. Thousands of families have been forced to evacuate. "The winds here can shift at any moment and that could change everything," Jason Carr, public information officer for the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office, told Fox News Digital. About 4,000 homes are still under evacuation notice, including 1,000 families ordered to "go now.” Officials have since mapped 827 structures still at risk within the fire’s wide perimeter. Carr said crews were cautiously optimistic Monday afternoon after building new containment lines in the south Oregon area. "The weather has cooperated, in the sense that we had a small disturbance come through which provided some cloud cover and raised the humidity levels," he said. "That has helped tamp down fire activity, but that could change at any moment if the winds shift or the sun comes back out," he said. Despite modest progress, officials stressed the volatility of the blaze. Spot fires remain a constant threat, sparked when embers jump existing fire lines. "They can create spot fires and smaller fires outside the perimeter that crews then have to attack," Carr explained. Governor Tina Kotek invoked the Emergency Conflagration Act on Friday, enabling additional state resources. Fire officials had confirmed no new evacuation orders as of Sunday evening, a sign the fire had not advanced into new neighborhoods. While containment remains minimal, authorities emphasized that hundreds of homes have been spared thanks to aggressive firefighting and residents’ proactive reduction efforts.

Washington Post [8/26/2025 3:01 AM, Martin Weil, 29079K] reports a man set fire to a U.S. flag across the street from the White House Monday evening to protest President Donald Trump’s anti-flag-burning executive order. The man was arrested in Lafayette Square, but not on grounds of violating the order — or of burning the flag. Instead he was charged with violating a law against setting fires at federal parks. Video posted on social media shows the man in the park saying that he would ignite the flag to protest Trump’s order issued earlier Monday. The man called the order illegal. The Supreme Court has ruled that burning the flag is a mode of symbolic speech protected under the First Amendment. Trump’s order appeared to acknowledge the court’s decision, but to aim at instances of flag burning where he indicated that the court’s ruling might not apply, such as when they result in incitement to “imminent lawless action.” In the video, the man who burned the flag described himself as a retired Army combat veteran. “I fought for every one of your rights,” he told perhaps two dozen people gathered near him in the park. The man said no president had the right to make an order infringing on the First Amendment. “We burn this flag in protest,” he said. After the man ignited the flag, the video showed a law enforcement officer quelling the blaze with a fire extinguisher. In the video, the man was taken into custody by officers who appeared to be from the U.S. Secret Service. The Secret Service said it “detained an individual in Lafayette Park for igniting an object.” It said the person detained was then turned over to the U.S. Park Police which has jurisdiction in the park. The Park Police said it made an arrest in connection with a fire that was prohibited under a section of the code of federal regulations that deals with fires in, on or at parks, forests or federal property. Neither agency reported specifically that the fire involved a flag and they did not identify the man by name.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [8/25/2025 10:52 PM, Kevin Kirby and Zoë Richards, 43603K]

Washington Examiner [8/25/2025 11:33 AM, Mike Brest, 1563K] reports the Coast Guard seized more than 75,000 pounds of illegal narcotics, valued at $473 million, from late June to mid-August, the service announced on Monday. The 76,140-pound haul, which was obtained in 19 different interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, included nearly 16,000 pounds of marijuana and more than 60,000 pounds of cocaine, the largest offload of the drug by the Coast Guard. "The U.S. Coast Guard in partnership with our federal, DoD, and international partners are offloading 61,740 pounds of cocaine and this represents a significant victory in the fight against transnational criminal organizations, highlighting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the nation from illicit trafficking and its devastating impacts," said Rear Adm. Adam Chamie, Coast Guard Southeast District commander. The Coast Guard announced last week that it launched Operation Pacific Viper, a surge of forces in the Eastern Pacific to cut off drug and human smuggling before it reaches the United States. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the operation involves the "surging maritime interdictions in the Eastern Pacific to stop the cartels and criminal organizations.” The operation’s first interdiction, included in the announcement, occurred on June 26. A maritime patrol aircraft spotted two vessels roughly 115 miles from the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, and seized more than 4,475 pounds of cocaine. The next day, another patrol aircraft spotted a vessel slightly further from the islands and seized 4,354 pounds of cocaine.

NewsMax [8/25/2025 1:45 PM, Staff, 4779K] reports that Hurricane Erin never made landfall but left behind rough ocean conditions along the U.S. East Coast. At least two people died after they had been swimming in the heavy current, and a search continued Monday for a man who was missing after his boat capsized. Beaches were beginning to reopen Friday after Erin, twice the size of an average hurricane, had weakened into a post-tropical cyclone far from land, but was still capable of causing life-threatening surf and rip currents, the National Hurricane Center in Miami had said. Erin’s outer bands had already brushed North Carolina. It caused no widespread damage. In Massachusetts, a team of police and U.S. Coast Guard members were resuming their search Monday for a man in his 50s who was missing after a boat capsized off of Salisbury Beach on Saturday. The other person in the boat was taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. Despite challenging weather and sea conditions including 6- to 8-foot swells, the team performed sonar scans, dives, surface and aerial patrols on Sunday, the state police said in a news release. In Maine, a man was rescued Saturday after his sailboat capsized in high surf in York Harbor. In New Hampshire, authorities are investigating the death of a 17-year-old boy who had been swimming with family members off of Hampton Beach on Sunday night. A man drowned Saturday after being caught in a strong rip current off the New York coast, at Sailors Haven in the Fire Island Natoinal Seashore in Suffolk County, authorities said. Ishmoile Mohammed, 59, was visiting from South Carolina. Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Juliette formed Monday in the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles from Mexico’s Baja California peninsula as Tropical Storm Fernand churned in the Atlantic Ocean. No coastal watches or warnings were in effect for either storm, the hurricane center said.

Reported similarly:
US News & World Report [8/25/2025 6:03 AM, Staff, 20690K]

Federal News Network [8/25/2025 10:13 AM, Terry Gerton, 1147K] Video: HERE reports cybersecurity is no longer optional for the maritime industry. Under a new Coast Guard rule, vessel and facility operators must report cyber incidents, designate a Cybersecurity Officer and train staff to recognize and respond to threats. The regulation introduces new reporting channels and timelines that could create confusion for operators already navigating overlapping federal requirements. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [8/25/2025 2:18 PM, Amanda Macias, 40019K] reports that what began as a war of words over Baltimore crime between Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and President Donald Trump is now turning into a high-stakes commerce fight. Federal funding for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, destroyed last March when a container ship lost power and slammed into it, has become the new flashpoint. On Sunday, Trump raised in a Truth Social post the possibility of revoking bridge funding and even deploying the National Guard to address the city’s crime problem: "I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision." The revelation came on the heels of tit-for-tat barbs exchanged by Moore and Trump over Baltimore’s crime rates. Moore argues that the prospect of withholding those dollars threatens to derail critical infrastructure projects tied to the Port of Baltimore, injecting uncertainty into efforts that businesses, labor unions, and federal agencies rely on to keep goods moving through one of the East Coast’s busiest shipping hubs. The new bridge, which sits at Baltimore’s harbor entrance, is expected to cost approximately $1.9 billion. Without federal dollars, Maryland would struggle to cover that cost and construction timelines could slip past the current 2028 target completion, prolonging disruptions for commuters, truckers, and shipping. The Port of Baltimore is an economic engine that supports upwards of 20,000 jobs, underpins the operations of more than 900 businesses and handles approximately $7 billion in trade.

CNN [8/26/2025 2:16 AM, Brad Lendon, 23245K] reports a US Coast Guard cutter on Monday unloaded a record haul of illegal drugs that, if it had made it to the streets, would represent around 23 million deadly doses of cocaine, the service said. The cutter Hamilton offloaded about 61,740 pounds of cocaine and 14,400 pounds of marijuana at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, around 30 miles north of Miami, in what is "the largest quantity of drugs offloaded in Coast Guard history," a Coast Guard statement said. The total value of the seized drugs was put at $473 million. That’s "enough to fatally overdose the entire population of the state of Florida, underscoring the immense threat posed by transnational drug trafficking to our nation," Rear Adm. Adam Chamie said in the statement. The seizures were made in 19 separate interdictions in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea between June 26 and August 18 and involved three US Coast Guard cutters, two US Navy warships and a Netherlands warship as well as Coast Guard helicopter units, US Customs and Border Patrol units, and Joint Interagency Task Force units, the statement said. Capt. John B. McWhite, commanding officer of the Hamilton, said crews aboard the national security cutter were responsible for seizing "a record 47,000 pounds of cocaine" during the interdiction of 11 "go-fast" vessels, speedy boats used by traffickers to move the drugs to US markets. The crew detained 34 suspected drug traffickers, it said. The Hamilton’s on-board drone unit was instrumental in spotting many of the traffickers’ boats, the Coast Guard statement said. Since January, the Coast Guard has seized $2.2 billion of drugs headed to the US, a service video released Monday said. "These drugs fuel and enable cartels and transnational criminal organizations to produce and traffic illegal fentanyl, threatening the United States," the Coast Guard statement said. President Donald Trump has made the fight against fentanyl one of the top priorities of his administration. Trump in July signed The Halt All Lethal Trafficking of Fentanyl Act, strengthening prison sentences for fentanyl traffickers, which passed both the Senate and the House with bipartisan support. The president has claimed the illicit flow of fentanyl is one of the underlying reasons for his tariff threats against Canada, Mexico and China.

Reported similarly:
CBS Miami [8/25/2025 2:14 PM, John MacLauchlan, 45245K] Video: HERE
NewsNation [8/25/2025 1:50 PM, Zach Kaplan, 6811K]
Univision [8/25/2025 10:07 PM, Staff, 4932K]

Reuters [8/25/2025 5:46 PM, Nate Raymond, 45746K] reports U.S. Senator Ron Wyden on Monday asked Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts to commission an independent review of the federal judiciary’s cybersecurity practices, following a major hack of the court system’s electronic case management system. Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, in a letter to Roberts said the recent breach of the federal judiciary’s filing system marked the second time since 2020 it had been hacked by foreign actors exploiting the same cyber vulnerabilities. He urged Roberts, who chairs the U.S. Judicial Conference, to commission an independent expert review by the National Academy of Sciences of both – hacks of the case filing system and to provide any reports the judiciary produces on the breaches. The recent hacking has raised concerns since it was disclosed last month, in part because of reports that data about confidential informants and other sealed case files may have been accessed. The New York Times reported that investigators believe Russia is at least partly responsible.

CyberScoop [8/25/2025 2:25 PM, Tim Starks] reports Sen. Ron Wyden on Monday urged Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to seek an independent review of federal court cybersecurity following the latest major hack, accusing the judiciary of “incompetence” and “covering up” its “negligence” over digital defenses. Wyden, D-Ore., wrote his letter in response to news this month that hackers had reportedly breached and stolen sealed case data from federal district courts dating back to at least July, exploiting vulnerabilities left unfixed for five years. Alleged Russian hackers were behind both the attack and another past major intrusion, and may have lurked in the systems for years. “The federal judiciary’s current approach to information technology is a severe threat to our national security,” Wyden said. “The courts have been entrusted with some of our nation’s most confidential and sensitive information, including national security documents that could reveal sources and methods to our adversaries, and sealed criminal charging and investigative documents that could enable suspects to flee from justice or target witnesses. Yet, you continue to refuse to require the federal courts to meet mandatory cybersecurity requirements and allow them to routinely ignore basic cybersecurity best practices.” That, Wyden said, means someone from the outside must conduct a review, naming the National Academy of Sciences as the organization Roberts should choose. The Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts said on Aug. 7 that it was taking steps to improve cybersecurity “in response to recent escalated cyberattacks of a sophisticated and persistent nature on its case management system,” but was vague about specific changes. In that statement the office touted its collaboration with Congress and federal agencies about cyber defenses. But Wyden said in his letter the judiciary “stonewalls” congressional oversight. He cited another intrusion in 2020, revealed by then-House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., by “three hostile foreign actors,” where Wyden said the judiciary still hasn’t said what happened.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [8/25/2025 1:58 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 4779K]

CyberScoop [8/25/2025 2:25 PM, Matt Kapko] reports data I/O, an electronics manufacturer and software vendor for major automotive suppliers and tech firms, said its operations were disrupted in the wake of a ransomware attack earlier this month. The attack occurred Aug. 16, the company said in a regulatory filing Thursday. “The incident has temporarily impacted the company’s operations including internal and external communications, shipping, receiving, manufacturing production and other support functions,” the company said in a Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Redmond, Wash.-based company, which counts Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft among its customers, said it took measures to some operational functions, but noted a “timeline for a full restoration is not yet known.” The attack accentuates how ransomware attacks can impact multiple business processes, leaving victim organizations scrambling to respond and recover to intrusions while details are still scant. “As the investigation of the incident is ongoing, the full scope, nature and impact are also not yet known,” the company said nearly a week after the attack.

Reuters [8/25/2025 9:06 PM, Raphael Satter, 45746K] reports the governor of the U.S. state of Nevada says that offices have closed, websites are offline and phone lines are patchy following an unspecified "network security incident.” In a post to X, the social media site, the office of Nevada’s Governor Joe Lombardo said that "some state websites or phone lines may be slow or briefly unavailable during recovery.” Reuters was unable to reach the governor’s website, along with several other Nevada state sites, late Monday. The nature of the incident wasn’t disclosed, but outages of this nature are consistent with attacks from ransom-seeking hackers, whose practice of locking up victims’ computer networks often leads to widespread disruption. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency said in a statement that it was "actively tracking this network security incident and together with our partners, we are collaborating with the State of Nevada to offer our assistance.” The FBI didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment late Monday.

Reported similarly:
StateScoop [8/25/2025 10:30 AM, Keely Quinlan]

CNN [8/26/2025 4:14 AM, John Liu, 23245K] reports diplomats in Southeast Asia were among global entities targeted by a China-linked cyber espionage group earlier this year, Google has announced, adding the group “likely aligned with the strategic interests” of the Chinese government. Google Threat Intelligence Group found that the campaign in March hijacked target web traffic, downloaded malware, and ultimately deployed a backdoor, it said in a Tuesday blog post detailing the findings. Google said it sent alerts to all users impacted by this campaign. The scope of impact and which Southeast Asian countries were targeted were not disclosed in the post. CNN has reached out to Google for further details. Asked about the Google findings on Tuesday, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said it was unaware of the specific situation, while accusing Google of spreading “false information about so called ‘Chinese hacker attacks’ more than once.”

Daily Wire [8/25/2025 1:30 PM, Staff, 3184K] reports a dangerous member of the violent drug gang MS-13 was recently arrested thanks to intelligence provided by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), The Daily Wire can first report. The NCTC, which operates under National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, provided intelligence that helped Border Patrol track down and arrest Jonathan Ezequiel Portillo Beltran in Los Angeles on August 14. Beltran was a member of MS-13, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told The Daily Wire. "Our team works to ensure law enforcement officers have operational intelligence they need when encountering suspected terrorists like Beltran. Thanks to this work, the days of terrorists living freely within our borders are over," NCTC Director Joe Kent said. Kent added that the National Counterterrorism Center "stepped up to surge resources and personnel to counter terrorist cartels and gangs" in response to President Donald Trump’s executive actions to designate drug cartels as terrorist organizations. "Because of President Trump’s designation and NCTC and Law Enforcement coordination efforts, fentanyl deaths are at an all-time low," he said. Intelligence provided by Kent’s office has also aided in the arrests of suspected cartel members. According to ODNI, these arrests included Luis Alberto Davila Salazar, a member of the Los Zetas Cartel arrested on July 11 as he illegally entered the United States; Edgar Omar Botello Rangel, a member of the Gulf Cartel who was arrested on July 21 while attempting to enter the United States; and Edgar Martin Rosales Montoya, a Sinaloa Cartel affiliate who was apprehended on July 24 after illegally crossing into the United States.

NBC News [8/25/2025 11:07 PM, Dennis Romero, 43603K] reports at least a half-dozen universities across the country welcomed students to first-day-of-fall classes Monday with run-and-hide warnings about possible gunmen on campus. In almost all the cases, police and administrators said the reports were hoaxes or swatting calls, which is when someone uses temporary cellphone numbers and voice-cloaking apps to create havoc. A few campuses said simply that no evidence of a gunman or violence was found. The reports were sent to students at the University of Arkansas, University of Colorado Boulder, Iowa State University, Kansas State University, the University of New Hampshire and Northern Arizona University, according to student alerts and school statements. In addition, according to campus officials, the University of South Carolina received two reports of an active shooter at Thomas Cooper Library in Columbia on Sunday night, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga received a hoax active shooter call on Aug. 21, and Villanova University near Philadelphia received two false active shooter reports during freshman orientation last week. The University of Arkansas canceled classes Monday after it determined that reports of "active threats" could not be confirmed. "Students are free to leave campus at this time if desired," university police said. Kansas State University described a false report Monday at its Manhattan campus as "similar to other swatting reports happening at universities across the country.” University of South Carolina police said in a statement Monday that both false reports Sunday night appeared to have been made by the same male and that they triggered a massive response that included "mutual aid," or officers from surrounding communities. "Both calls were initiated by an unknown male and included background noise that mimicked gunfire," police said. Northern Arizona University said in a statement that a caller reported a gunman Monday at Cline Library on its Flagstaff Mountain Campus, triggering a response that included Flagstaff police, Coconino County sheriff’s deputies and state and federal agents. "The report was determined to be a hoax, and at no time was there an active threat to the NAU community," the university said in a statement. "An investigation is underway into the false report, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” An FBI spokesperson said the bureau was aware of many of the reported incidents and was helping with investigations. "The FBI continues to work with state and local partners to investigate the swatting hoaxes but cannot say at this stage whether or not the incidents are connected," the bureau said. Some of the earliest swatting incidents in the 2010s involved false shooting reports at the homes of celebrities, and in recent years, they have expanded to include politicians and institutions. The FBI created a national database to track such fake calls. Last year, authorities alleged a California teenager carried out hundreds of swatting calls that targeted historically Black colleges, high schools, the homes of FBI agents and a Florida mosque in a spree he ultimately admitted. CORRECTION (Aug. 25, 2025, 11:06 p.m. ET): A previous version of this article misidentified one of the schools that received a false shooting report. It was the University of Colorado Boulder, not Colorado State University Boulder.

USA Today [8/25/2025 9:06 PM, Amanda Lee Myers, 64151K] reports when students at four universities across the U.S. should have been getting ready for their first day of class, they were running, hiding, and barricading themselves in rooms because of reports of an active shooter. Active shooter reports hit the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and Villanova University on Aug. 21 and the University of South Carolina on Aug. 24. Although they turned out to be hoaxes, the reports terrified students and their parents and wasted millions of dollars in first-responder resources. The University of Arkansas at Fayetteville on Aug. 25 is also looking into an active shooter alert that may prove false. That’s exactly what the people who make such so-called swatting reports want, said Gary Cordner, a former police chief and professor of police studies who is now updating a guide on the misuse and abuse of 911 for the Center for Problem-Oriented Policing at Arizona State University. "The words active shooter are probably just about as fear-inducing as anything you can think of," he said. "So make a false report of one of those, until it can be completely dispelled, it certainly induces a whole lot of fear.” And because real active shooters strike in the U.S. from time to time, universities and police departments have no choice but to deploy every available resource. "It can’t be ignored, it can’t be dismissed, just because the consequences could be so dire," Cordner said. "College campuses, they’re quite large, there are lots and lots of buildings, so it’s a big task to check it all out just to determine nothing was going on.”

CNN [8/26/2025 5:03 AM, Mark Morales, 23245K] reports tennis fans, many with the US Open’s signature Honey Deuces in hand, are making their way to New York City to watch the sport’s biggest stars. The focus will be on Venus Williams’ return and which newcomer could have a breakout tournament. Law enforcement wants it to stay that way. Almost a month after the deadliest mass shooting in New York City in the past 25 years, law enforcement is flooding the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center with police officers, security and advanced technology — all to make sure the focus stays on the tennis. Every high-profile attack, whether in New York or anywhere in the world, causes the security plan to get a new wrinkle. More cement blocks and road restrictions are in place after vehicle-ramming incidents, like the Bourbon Street attack in New Orleans that left 14 dead on New Year’s Day. While NYPD’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Weiner says there are no credible threats to New York, an attack like the Midtown mass shooting is still on the forefront of everyone’s mind. “That incident reenforces all the security preparations that we put in place every year for this event,” Weiner tells CNN. “(It’s) the reason that we lay down cement blocks, the reason we check vehicles, the reason we screen people, not just as they’re entering the threshold of this plaza but way before.” Weiner says she and her team put a lot of thought into their security plan, which was developed over the past few months.

New York Post [8/25/2025 5:50 PM, Caitlin McCormack, 43962K] reports three districts in Florida will be testing out a series of new drones armed with pepper spray pellets that are specifically designed to thwart school shootings. Campus Guardian Angel, a Texas-based company that engineered the drone tech system, said that the exact districts will be selected by Florida’s Department of Education. Miami-Dade County Public Schools, the largest district in the state, has already shown interest in participating and held test runs at a campus in July, CBS News reported. The drones, kept in secure charging boxes on participating campuses, will be operated by FAA-certified pilots located in Texas. But each drone can be activated by school officials on-site through a silent alarm or "other mechanisms," according to Campus Guardian Angel. The drones aren’t just let loose upon activation, either. The "company commander" is charged with issuing a flight plan and working alongside school officials and law enforcement before engaging, according to the company. All the while, the drone will also feed video footage to authorities to help them coordinate ways of entry and, ultimately, track down anyone threatening the school. The actual fleet, which comes in a box of six drones, would cost around $1,000 a month for every 500 students on top of the $15,000 purchase fee, the company estimated. It noted that some schools may need anywhere between three and 15 boxes, depending on the school’s population. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis already set aside a whopping $557,000 in the 2025-2026 state budget to cover the drone demonstrations. It’s unclear how much extra it may cost to actually purchase and install the drones in the three districts.

USA Today [8/25/2025 7:59 PM, Natalie Neysa Alund and Jaackson Fuller, 64151K] reports that a report of an active shooter at the University of Arkansas on Monday, Aug. 25 sparked fear on campus and beyond, but was later deemed unfounded, local police said. An active shooter report was issued in a school alert around 12:30 p.m. local time, but the university’s police department later told USA TODAY there was no evidence of gunfire in or around campus. Campus police, along with other agencies including the Fayetteville Police Department (FPD) and Arkansas State Police, reported they responded to the scene to investigate and evacuated students after the incident. Another alert issued by the school later in the day, reported that after investigating multiple reports, police could not confirm "any active threats on campus." "Police continue to patrol campus, but please be vigilant," the school told USA TODAY in an email after the incident. "Due to today’s events, classes are cancelled for the remainder of day." Classes were slated to resume Tuesday, the university said in the email. Home to more than 30,000 students this semester, the Fayetteville campus is about 190 miles northwest of Little Rock. As of 3 p.m. local time, Mullins Library was the only building on campus still closed. It was not immediately known whether the library was reopened later on Monday.

Reported similarly:
Axios [8/25/2025 7:01 PM, Alex Golden and Worth Sparkman, 14595K]

CNN [8/26/2025 2:11 AM, Shimon Prokupecz, Matthew J. Friedman, Rachel Clarke, 662K] reports thousands more emails related to the 2022 school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, are to be released after a lawyer said a mistake had been made in withholding them. The error was admitted at an emotional school board meeting Monday night, where elected officials and audience members alike demanded answers following CNN’s exclusive reporting that documents had not been published despite a court order, including some that discussed classroom security. Robb D. Decker of Walsh Gallegos said his firm did not realize there was a problem until complaints were made. "We, our firm, went back and re-looked at the data that we had received from the district from the beginning and realized that they were correct and that we were wrong. We had not released all of the responsive information. That was an error in our side," he said. The board of the Uvalde Consolidated Independent School District (UCISD) had voted weeks ago to release the public records it held that related to the May 24, 2022, massacre that killed 19 fourth graders and two of their teachers. It was the worst school shooting in a decade and saw hundreds of law enforcement officers wait outside the classrooms for more than an hour while dead, dying and traumatized victims were left with the gunman. Board members, some of them in tears, apologized and stressed they played no part in the records not being released and appeared angry at their lawyers. "We want to make sure that we do not have any more errors. I appreciate the people that did speak up to show us that there was errors," said school board trustee Jaclyn Gonzales. "There’s no way for us to know that — it’s the public that recognized it, and that’s what is helping us call this error out. But we absolutely want to be transparent. We know what it means to the families," she added, speaking to a surviving teacher who called 911, as well as the grandfather of one of the little girls killed. She said about 26,000 pages, made up of about 8,600 emails, would be published. "Not one of us on the board had anything to do with this," said Jesse Rizo, the uncle of 9-year-old victim Jackie Cazares. He called for new legal counsel to be hired. "When we use the word ‘error,’ that’s putting it very lightly," he said. "The word ‘negligent’ comes to mind.”

DailySignal [8/25/2025 2:43 PM, Rebecca Downs, 668K] reports that after considerable chatter, the Trump White House made official a decision that is earning praise while also ruffling some feathers. The United States government will have a 9.9% stake in Intel, which could spell good news not only for the company, but the United States, including Ohio. The plan is especially integral to Ohio, given that plans for an Intel manufacturing plant being built in 2025 have been delayed until 2030 or 2031. Such delays raised concerns from Sens. Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, R-Ohio, as well as state lawmakers, including Democrats. Amidst the chatter about reports of a pending deal, Husted shared a thread over his official X account last Thursday about Intel and the CHIPS and Science Act. Husted’s thread responded to the federal ownership stake and how it "might make sense for taxpayers." He also spoke of the two remaining issues: "lowering production costs and ensuring strong customer demand." The senator made clear the government’s "role to play," especially when it comes to domestic sourcing of chips. Husted’s final post in the thread also referenced other companies, insisting, "A broader national, private-industry strategy is essential."

Reuters [8/25/2025 2:44 PM, Nichola Groom, 45746K] reports that the Trump administration’s order to halt work on a nearly completed wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island threatens grid reliability and jobs and defies explanation, business and government leaders from New England said on Monday. State leaders in Connecticut and Rhode Island demanded details from the administration about why it issued a stop-work order to the Revolution Wind project late on Friday. In its letter to project developer Orsted (ORSTED.CO), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management cited unspecified national security concerns. "They say there are national security interests here. Come clean, reveal them," Senator Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, said at a press conference with fellow state leaders on Monday. "And if you can’t do it in public, give us a briefing in private. We have top secret clearance." A spokesperson for the Interior Department, which oversees BOEM, declined to comment on the stop-work order. ISO New England, which operates the grid in six states, and North America’s Building Trades Unions, an alliance of building and construction unions, also raised concerns. "The ISO is expecting this project to come online and it is included in our analyses of near-term and future grid reliability," the grid operator for 15 million people said. "Delaying the project will increase risks to reliability." NABTU said the order affected the jobs of 1,000 members.

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The Hill [8/25/2025 6:16 PM, Rachel Frazin, 12414K]

CBS News [8/25/2025 9:01 AM, Emily Mae Czachor, 45245K] Video: HERE reports the United States military scrambled fighter jets Sunday to intercept a Russian spy plane flying near Alaska, the North American Aerospace Defense Command said. It was the third time in less than a week that U.S. forces deployed planes after a Russian plane was spotted inside the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone, a section of international airspace just outside of U.S. and Canadian sovereign space that both countries monitor closely. This kind of Russian activity is not considered a threat and happens regularly in the identification zone, which extends outward from U.S. territory off the coast of Alaska, said NORAD. Although the designated area does not belong to any individual country, aircraft that enter the zone are required to identify themselves to the U.S. and Canada for national security reasons. NORAD detected and tracked one IL-20 COOT, a Cold War-era reconnaissance aircraft operated by the Russian military, in the Alaskan identification zone Sunday after surveilling the same type of plane flying over the region Wednesday and Thursday. In each instance, NORAD responded by scrambling multiple fighter jets to monitor the spy plane, according to the military command. The Russian aircraft never entered U.S. or Canadian sovereign territory, remaining in the international zone off Alaska. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
The Hill [8/25/2025 11:54 AM, Elizabeth Crisp, 12414K]

Daily Caller [8/25/2025 9:55 AM, Ireland Owens, 985K] reports German prosecutors on Monday announced that they had charged an American citizen with allegedly attempting to provide sensitive U.S. military information to China. Germany’s Federal Prosecutor General said that the man, identified only as Martin D. in line with Germany’s privacy laws, faced charges on Aug. 13 for willingness to serve as a foreign intelligence agent "in a particularly serious case," according to multiple reports. The suspect notably served as a former contractor for the U.S. Department of Defense from 2017 to 2023, The New York Times (NYT) reported Monday. Local German media reported that the man was apparently not able to provide any military data to Chinese authorities before he was arrested, according to the Associated Press. The office of Germany’s federal prosecutor announced in April 2024 the arrest of an aide to an European Union (EU) lawmaker on suspicion of spying on behalf of China, the NYT reported. German authorities during the same month also arrested three people in the west of the country after they were suspected of leaking sensitive naval data and exporting a high-powered laser to China, according to the NYT. Additionally, a U.S. Navy sailor was convicted in federal court for selling military secrets to China, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Aug. 20. Concerns about the Chinese government posing a major threat to American national security have been growing in recent years due to Beijing’s expanding influence across the globe. Moreover, a variety of reports have shown that Beijing has attempted to steal intellectual property from the United States.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [8/25/2025 10:12 AM, Staff, 45245K] Video: HERE

Reuters [8/26/2025 1:17 AM, David Lawder and Joe Cash, 45746K] reports senior Chinese trade negotiator Li Chenggang is expected to travel to Washington this week to meet U.S. officials, a United States government spokesperson said, with the two superpowers looking to chart a path beyond their current tariff truce. Li, China’s international trade representative and a key negotiator alongside economy tsar He Lifeng, may meet deputy-level U.S. government officials, the spokesperson said late on Monday, adding that the visit was not part of a formal negotiating session. A source familiar with the negotiations said there was no meeting planned between Li and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and he was not coming at the request of the U.S. side. The Wall Street Journal first reported on Monday that Li would travel to Washington. Traders on both sides of the Pacific are watching to see whether this month’s latest tariff extension will become permanent or if U.S. President Donald Trump will once again upend global supply chains with a fresh wave of prohibitively high duties on Chinese imports. U.S. retailers are stocking up ahead of the critical end-of-year holiday season, while Chinese producers - locked out of the world’s top consumer economy - say they are in "survival mode", scrambling to secure market share elsewhere to stay afloat. The world’s two largest economies on August 11 agreed to extend their tariff truce for another 90 days, locking in place levies of 30% on Chinese imports and 10% Chinese duties on U.S. goods. Once Trump’s tariffs top 35%, they become prohibitively high for Chinese exporters, economists warn. The Chinese Commerce Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The timing of the visit is particularly awkward given the recent highly critical comments by the Chinese ambassador to the United States regarding Trump’s trade policy, the source said. "(U.S.) protectionism is rampant, casting a shadow over China-U.S. agricultural cooperation," Ambassador Xie Feng said in a speech to a soybean industry event in Washington on Friday, calling the Trump administration’s plans to curb farmland purchases by "foreign adversaries", including China, "political manipulation." Agriculture has become a major point of contention, as Chinese buyers shun U.S. agricultural products such as soybeans - now subject to a 23% tariff - leaving American farmers in the lurch. China stepping up its agricultural purchases would make a big dent in its trade surplus with the U.S., analysts say, and was how Beijing sought to meet its commitment to purchase more U.S. exports under the ‘Phase 1’ deal struck during Trump’s first term in 2020. But Beijing thinks it can cut a better deal this time out. "China’s requests will include lower tariffs and potentially access to the U.S.’ cutting-edge technologies," said Xu Tianchen, a Beijing-based senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit. "It’s quite unclear if the White House is going to accept these, and what it’s going to ask for in exchange."

DailySignal.com [8/25/2025 1:55 PM, Virginia Allen, 668K] reports that President Donald Trump met with South Korea’s new president Monday and discussed collaborating on military and commercial shipbuilding in light of Communist China’s dominance in the industry. The White House summit was President Lee Jae Myung’s first meeting with Trump since he was elected president in June. "I believe that there is a renaissance taking place not only in the shipbuilding sector but also in the manufacturing industry," Lee said while seated next to Trump in the Oval Office, adding, "I hope that Korea can be part of that renaissance." South Korea produces nearly 30% of the world’s ships, outpaced only by China, which produces about 53%, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The U.S. only produces about 1%, which is why "President Lee’s visit to the Oval Office today matters," according to The Heritage Foundation’s Victoria Coates. In April, Trump signed an executive order aimed at revitalizing and rebuilding America’s shipbuilding industry "to promote national security and economic prosperity." Following the order, South Korea announced a $150 billion investment into American shipbuilding, a move that "will finally start to right that ship," Coates, who formerly served as deputy national security adviser to Trump in his first administration, said, referring to America’s need to increase shipbuilding in light of China’s dominance in the industry.

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