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

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

The Daily Caller [7/12/2025 1:38 PM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K] reports a federal judge in California has ordered the Trump administration to immediately stop immigration raids across Los Angeles and surrounding counties, ruling that agents have been detaining people without reasonable suspicion of immigration violations. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong issued two temporary restraining orders Friday in response to a lawsuit filed last week by several civil rights organizations. The lawsuit challenged the legality of joint immigration operations involving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), U.S. Border Patrol, and other federal agencies. Since June 6, agents have reportedly arrested thousands of people across Southern California. Plaintiffs alleged in court filings that the arrests were based on racial profiling, including targeting individuals because of their appearance, language, or occupation. The first order prohibits federal agents from arresting individuals without reasonable suspicion that they are in the country illegally. The second order requires that any person arrested be given immediate access to legal counsel. Both orders are temporary and will remain in effect while the case proceeds. They apply to Los Angeles County and six neighboring counties. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin criticized the decision. "A district judge is undermining the will of the American people," she said in a statement, defending the enforcement actions as targeting violent criminals. The Trump administration has not yet announced whether it will appeal. Breitbart [7/12/2025 3:59 PM, Staff, 3077K] reports that the ruling this week by U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong was in response to a lawsuit filed by a collection of plaintiffs, including two individual American citizens. "The individuals and organizations who have brought this lawsuit argue that this organization had two key features, both of which were unconstitutional: ‘roving patrols’ indiscriminately rounding up numerous individuals without reasonable suspicion and, having done so, denying these individuals access to lawyers who could help them navigate the legal process they found themselves in," Frimpong wrote in the 52-page ruling. "On this, the federal government agrees: Roving patrols without reasonable suspicion violate the Fourth Amendment to the Constitution and denying access to lawyers violates the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution." The lawsuit was filed earlier in the month and names Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, FBI Director Kash Patel and several other federal officials as defendants. The suit comes as ICE officers and agents from other federal agencies, including the FBI and DEA, continue immigration raids in the Los Angeles area at the direction of President Donald Trump.

The NewsMax [7/12/2025 10:45 AM, Jim Mishler, 4622K] reports a federal judge in Los Angeles has issued a temporary order preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and all others from using "apparent race or ethnicity" to determine potential enforcement actions. The late Friday ruling sets up additional hearing action in the coming week, where the judge may decide to impose more permanent provisions. U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ruled in a case brought by people detained by the government following enforcement actions. They are represented by American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) attorneys. The ACLU posted the order, which specifies that government agents are prevented from certain actions in deciding who can be stopped and questioned about immigration legalities. The Los Angeles Times reported the order covers Los Angeles County and six others in the state. The Times reported a response from White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson, who said, "No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy - that authority rests with Congress and the President." She called the decision a "gross overstep of judicial authority" and predicted it would be "corrected on appeal." USA Today [7/12/2025 1:54 PM, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, 75552K] reports that the decision was a win for a group of immigration advocates and five people arrested by immigration agents that sued the Department of Homeland Security over what it called a "common, systematic pattern" of people with brown skin forcibly detained and questioned in the Los Angeles area. In a complaint filed July 2, the group said the area had come "under siege" by masked immigration agents "flooding street corners, bus stops, parking lots, agricultural sites, day laborer corners, and other places." They alleged agents picked out targets to forcefully detain and question solely because they had brown skin, spoke Spanish or English with an accent, and worked as day laborers, farm workers, or other jobs. Those arrested were denied access to lawyers and held in "dungeon-like" facilities where some were "pressured" into accepting deportation, the lawsuit alleged. Judge Maame Frimpong of the Central District of California wrote in her order that the group would likely succeed in proving that "the federal government is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers." Stopping the indiscriminate arrests was a "fairly moderate request," she wrote. Her order granted an emergency request, and the lawsuit is going. Frimpong "is undermining the will of the American people," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to USA TODAY. "America’s brave men and women are removing murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, rapists." Allegations that agents are making arrests based on skin color are "disgusting and categorically FALSE," McLaughlin said. "DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence."

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [7/12/2025 1:54 PM, Neil Munro, 3077K

Axios [7/12/2025 10:47 AM, Lauren Floyd, 13599K] reports the White House says it plans to appeal a federal order requiring the Trump administration to stop immigration arrests without probable cause after a suit alleged it targeted California residents based on race, language and work. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement emailed to Axios on Saturday: "No federal judge has the authority to dictate immigration policy – that authority rests with Congress and the President. Enforcement operations require careful planning and execution; skills far beyond the purview or jurisdiction of any judge. We expect this gross overstep of judicial authority to be corrected on appeal." U.S. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong concluded in an order on Friday that those who brought the suit were likely to prove "the federal government is indeed conducting roving patrols without reasonable suspicion and denying access to lawyers". The judge ordered Homeland Security to craft guidance to determine "reasonable suspicion" and provide accused residents access to counsel on holidays, weekends and weekdays. The suit naming Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was brought by five workers and advocacy groups Los Angeles Worker Center Network, United Farm Workers (UFW) and the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights.

The AP [7/13/2025 11:53 PM, Olga R. Rodriguez, 21433K] reports a farmworker who fell from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic ICE raid this week at a California cannabis facility died Saturday of his injuries. Jaime Alanis, 57, is the first known person to die during one of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration enforcement operations. Yesenia Duran, Alanis’ niece, confirmed his death to The Associated Press. Duran posted on the fundraising site GoFundMe that her uncle was his family’s only provider and he had been sending his earnings back to a wife and daughter in Mexico. Alanis worked at the farm for 10 years, his family said. The United Farm Workers reported Alanis’ death prematurely late Friday. The Ventura County Medical Center later issued a statement authorized by the family saying he was still on life support. “These violent and cruel federal actions terrorize American communities, disrupt the American food supply chain, threaten lives and separate families,” the UFW said recently in a statement on the social platform X. The union does not represent workers at the raided farm. The Department of Homeland Security said it executed criminal search warrants Thursday at Glass House Farms facilities in Camarillo and Carpinteria. Glass House is a licensed cannabis grower. The farm in Camarillo also grows tomatoes and cucumbers. Garcia called family to say he was hiding and possibly was fleeing agents before he fell about 30 feet (9 meters) from the roof and broke his neck, according to information from family, hospital and government sources. Agents arrested some 200 people suspected of being in the country illegally and identified at least 10 immigrant children on the sites, DHS said in a statement. Alanis was not among them, the agency said. “This man was not in and has not been in CBP or ICE custody,” DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “Although he was not being pursued by law enforcement, this individual climbed up to the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet. CBP immediately called a medivac to the scene to get him care as quickly as possible.” Four U.S. citizens were arrested during the incident for allegedly “assaulting or resisting officers,” according to DHS, and authorities were offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a person suspected of firing a gun at federal agents. During the raid crowds of people gathered outside the facility in Camarillo to seek information about their relatives and protest immigration enforcement. Authorities clad in military-style helmets and uniforms faced off with the demonstrators, and people ultimately retreated amid acrid green and white billowing smoke. Glass House said in a statement that immigration agents had valid warrants. The company said workers were detained and it is helping provide them with legal representation. “Glass House has never knowingly violated applicable hiring practices and does not and has never employed minors,” it said. The Los Angeles Times [7/13/2025 1:14 AM, Dakota Smith and Christopher Goffard, 14672K] reports that in a statement, the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs said consular staff in Oxnard were providing assistance to the family of Alanís. Consular officials said they were were accompanying Alanís’ family both in California and in his home state of Michoacán, in central Mexico, where, according to news accounts, his wife and a daughter still reside. In addition, Mexican officials said they would expedite the process to return his remains to Mexico. Alanís was not the only Glass House worker to take to the roofs. Irma Perez said her nephew, Fidel Buscio, 24, was among a group of men who climbed atop the high glass greenhouses. He sent her videos, which she shared with The Times, that showed federal agents on the ground below, and told her the workers had been fired at, with tear gas canisters. One image shows the broken glass of the roof. In another, Buscio has blood on his shirt and his arm bandaged, she said. He eventually was apprehended. Federal officials said that among those picked up in the raid were 10 minors, ages 14 and up. Eight of the teens had no parent with them. Because of that, federal officials said the legal cannabis farm, one of California’s largest, is now under investigation for unspecified child labor violations. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking at an event Saturday in Tampa, Fla., told reporters that getting the children out of the farm was part of the plan from the start. "We went there because we knew, specifically from casework we had built for weeks and weeks and weeks, that there was children there that could be trafficked, being exploited and other criminal activity," she said. The New York Times [7/12/2025 10:05 PM, Miriam Jordan and Jonathan Wolfe, 46878K] reports that an official who was briefed on the situation said Mr. Alanís was from Michoacán, had been working at the farm for more than a decade and had been trying to flee from agents when he fell. He is in his late 50s. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said on Friday that Mr. Alanís had not been in federal custody and denied that the agents involved in the raid were the reason he climbed the greenhouse.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [7/12/2025 11:56 PM, Matt Lavietes and Dennis Romero, 44540K]

NBC 4 Los Angeles [7/13/2025 1:09 AM, Missael Soto and Jonathan Lloyd] reports over 300 people were arrested Thursday at two immigration enforcement operations at farms in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced Saturday that federal agents arrested 319 people during the operations at Glass House Farms near Camarillo and Carpinteria. "I was just given an update on Thursday’s operation at the marijuana facility in California. @DHSgov law enforcement rescued 14 children from potential forced labor, exploitation, and trafficking. They arrested 319 illegal aliens. They faced assaults, violence, and even bullets fired at them. Thank you to the brave men and women of @ICEgov and @CBP law enforcement. This is quickly becoming one of the largest operations since President Trump took office," wrote Noem. DHS said the law enforcement activity was part of an investigation into immigration and potential child labor violations. During a standoff that went on for hours near Camarillo, agents clashed with protesters on roads surrounded by sprawling farm fields in the community northwest of Los Angeles. Four people were arrested on suspicion of assaulting or resisting officers, the DHS said. Video showed several white vans, similar to those seen at other immigration enforcement operations in Southern California, and at least one U.S. Marshals Service bus at the scene. Details about where the detained individuals were taken were not immediately available. The FBI also issued a $50,000 reward for a person armed with a gun who appeared to open fire during one of the altercations. No injuries related to gunfire were reported. More details about the allegations included in the warrants were not immediately available, but the DHS said information will be released as the investigation continues. "At the California marijuana facilities, ICE and CBP law enforcement rescued at least 10 migrant children from what looks like exploitation, forced child labor, and potentially human trafficking or smuggling. Our law enforcement also arrested nearly 200 illegal aliens," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "During the operation, a violent agitator fired a gun at our brave officers. While ICE and CBP officers are being assaulted by rioters and dodging bullets to save children, Sanctuary politicians are demonizing ICE and CBP. We will prosecute to the fullest extent of the law anyone who assaults or doxes federal law enforcement."

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [7/12/2025 10:21 PM, Staff, 103K]

FOX News [7/12/2025 10:28 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports federal authorities have confirmed that more than 300 illegal aliens were arrested Thursday during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid at a Ventura County, California cannabis farm. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed on X that 319 unlawful immigrants were apprehended during the raid at Glass House Farms, and said that "law enforcement rescued 14 children from potential forced labor, exploitation, and trafficking.". The raid is believed to be the second-largest single-state ICE worksite operation in history, behind the first Trump administration’s 2019 Mississippi chicken plant raids that netted almost 700 illegal alien arrests. One man taken into custody has a history of violent crime, including attempted child exploitation. CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott posted a photo of the unnamed migrant on X. "This illegal alien was apprehended at the CA marijuana facility," he said. "Turns out he had been sentenced to 7 yrs for kidnapping & attempted rape, w/ a prior conviction for attempted child molestation. And this felon was working at the same farm as 10 kids - one being 14 yrs old.". Fox News has learned that the children rescued at the farm are from Mexico and Honduras, and that immigration authorities are analyzing the criminal histories of all 319 of the detained illegal aliens. Glass House Farms is under investigation for possible child labor law violations. The company’s co-founder, president and board director, Graham Farrar, donated $10,000 to California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2018, among other Democratic politicians. He has also donated to Republicans, and shown support for Republicans who expressed support for liberalizing cannabis laws. A violent clash erupted between ICE agents and protesters during the massive raid. Federal law enforcement agents were assaulted during the operation, and one combatant appeared to fire a handgun towards agents as the crowd was dispersed with tear gas. One worker died during the raid after climbing a 30-foot greenhouse and subsequently falling from it.

FOX News [7/12/2025 6:30 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentions "garbage filing decisions" related to legal challenges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [7/12/2025 5:36 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem mentions "garbage filing decisions" related to legal challenges against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [7/12/2025 4:22 PM, Kaanita Iyer, 21433K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Saturday vowed her department will strengthen its efforts to crack down on immigration, thanks to a funding boost from President Donald Trump’s domestic policy bill, which he signed into law last week. "Now that the president’s reconciliation bill, the ‘big, beautiful bill,’ has passed, we also have more resources," Noem said at a news conference in Tampa, Florida. "We’re going to come harder and faster, and we’re going to take these criminals down with even more strength than we ever have before.". The new law provides agencies — particularly Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, which are within DHS — far larger funds for immigration enforcement. ICE is receiving nearly $75 billion through 2029, with $45 billion allocated to expand the capacity of its detention centers. Meanwhile, CBP is receiving more than $46 billion for the border wall. During the news conference, Noem also justified the Trump administration’s anti-immigration agenda, which has included efforts to end birthright citizenship, deporting migrants to countries other than their homelands and, in recent weeks, chaotic immigration raids in public and workplaces across Southern California. Noem said Trump "has a mandate from the American people to clean up our streets, to help make our communities safer."

New York Times [7/12/2025 3:07 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz, 138952K] reports thousands of new deportation agents deployed into American cities. A doubling of detention space to hold tens of thousands of immigrants before they are expelled. Miles of new border wall, along with surveillance towers equipped with artificial intelligence. That is the expansive plan that President Trump’s top immigration officials now intend to enact after months of struggling to overcome staffing shortages and logistical hurdles that have stymied his pledge to record the most deportations in American history. After weeks of pressuring members of Congress into supporting his signature domestic policy legislation, Mr. Trump has secured an extraordinary injection of funding for his immigration agenda — $170 billion, the vast majority of which will go to the Department of Homeland Security over four years. The annual budget of Immigration and Customs Enforcement alone will spike from about $8 billion to roughly $28 billion, making it the highest funded law enforcement agency in the federal government. The new resources will fuel an intense initiative to recruit as many as 10,000 new agents who will have a presence in cities like New York City and Los Angeles, and throughout the United States. And the money comes as a windfall for private prison companies, who have already rushed to pitch the administration on new contracts to run detention facilities. The massive infusion of funds is raising worries that in the rush to make good on Mr. Trump’s pledged immigration crackdown, his administration could cut corners on the careful vetting needed to hire deportation officers. And immigration advocates say they are bracing for more masked agents to descend upon local communities with heavy-handed tactics.

FOX News [7/12/2025 6:27 PM, Alexandra Koch, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Saturday that the federal response to the deadly floods in Texas Hill Country last weekend was a good indication of the improved disaster response the Trump administration is committed to providing. Devastating floods on the Fourth of July claimed at least 119 lives, and more than 150 others are missing. Among those killed were 27 girls attending Camp Mystic along the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas. "What you saw from our response in Texas is going to be a lot of how President [Donald] Trump envisions what [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] (FEMA) would look like in the future," Noem said during a news conference Saturday. "We did things in Texas, in response, very different than Joe Biden." In response to the 2023 Ohio train derailment in East Palestine, the Biden administration said the chemical disaster did not meet legal requirements for a FEMA disaster declaration, waiting two weeks to deploy a team to assist. In the 2023 Maui fires, more than 100 people were killed, and historic Lahaina was reduced to rubble. Survivors were left without food, water and shelter. At the time, FEMA Administrator Michael Brown called President Joe Biden’s response to the deadly fires "an abject failure." Slow responses and inadequate aid were also widely reported after Hurricane Helene struck North Carolina, Georgia and South Carolina in late 2024. "I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA," Trump said in January while visiting North Carolina. "I think, frankly, FEMA is not good." Noem noted that, during the most recent disaster, federal assistance was on the ground in Texas as soon as the flooding hit. "We deployed our Coast Guard, helicopters, [aircraft] and swift water rescue teams out of Customs and Border Protection," she said. "Our [Border Patrol Tactical Unit] (BORTAC) teams, which I like to call the Department of Homeland Security’s ninjas, are specifically trained for situations like that, where the unprecedented is happening." After the floods, Noem said she immediately met with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and spoke with him about getting a major disaster declaration signed. Within an hour or two of the request, she said, it was approved by the White House. "We pre-deployed dollars right to Texas so that they can make the best decisions responding to their people," Noem said. "FEMA has never done that before — pre-deployed dollars to a state so that they could use that to save their people, so they could use that to go out and save lives." Noem said the president wants the states to be empowered during emergencies. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [7/12/2025 6:57 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports that during a news conference on Saturday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem discussed the federal response to the Texas flood disaster that claimed more than 119 lives on the Fourth of July. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [7/12/2025 7:29 PM, Staff, 1934K] reports Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Saturday that she is in talks with five more Republican governors to develop new large-scale immigrant detention facilities in their respective states. The announcement follows shortly after the opening of Florida’s "Alligator Alcatraz," a new immigrant detention facility located in the Everglades that is jointly run by state officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Noem teased the facilities’ development in remarks to the media from Tampa, Florida, saying that those states, which she declined to name but have Republican governors, are using Alligator Alcatraz as a "model." "We’re looking at other locations as well. We’ve had several other states that are actually using Alligator Alcatraz as a model for how they can partner with us as well," she said. The homeland security secretary also revealed that those talks with the Republican governors are "ongoing," with announcements on any planned immigrant detention facilities "coming soon.". "As you all know, we need to double our capacity and detention beds because we need to facilitate getting people out of this country as fast as possible and to sustain our operations," Noem added. Noem concluded her announcement on Saturday by urging Democratic governors to work with the administration on immigration as well while praising the "fantastic" Republican governors she has been in touch with. "Those governors have been fantastic. I will tell you, they are all Republicans. So I would challenge some Democrats to start taking care of your states, partner with us," she said.

Reuters [7/12/2025 5:21 PM, Joey Roulette and Bhargav Acharya, 51390K] reports U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Saturday that she was in talks with five Republican-led states to build another detention site inspired by the "Alligator Alcatraz" facility in Florida. "We’ve had several other states that are actually using Alligator Alcatraz as a model for how they can partner with us," Noem told a press conference in Florida. She declined to name the states. "Alligator Alcatraz" is a remote migrant detention center, which sits some 37 miles (60 km) from Miami in a vast subtropical wetland teeming with alligators, crocodiles and pythons.

USA Today [7/12/2025 5:30 PM, Steve Saldivar, 75552K] reports Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem announced talks with five states to replicate "Alligator Alcatraz," a migrant detention center in Ochopee, Florida. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [7/12/2025 10:15 PM, Jennifer Peltz and Alexandria Rodriguez, 56000K] reports Democratic lawmakers condemned Florida’s new Everglades immigration detention center after visiting Saturday, describing it as crowded, unsanitary and bug-infested. Republicans on the same tour said they saw nothing of the sort at the remote facility that officials have dubbed “ Alligator Alcatraz.” The state-arranged tour came after some Democrats were blocked earlier from viewing the 3,000-bed detention center that the state rapidly built on an isolated airstrip surrounded by swampland. So many state legislators and members of Congress turned up Saturday that they were split into multiple groups. “There are really disturbing, vile conditions and this place needs to be shut the hell down,” U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat, told reporters after visiting the agglomeration of tents, trailers and temporary buildings. “This place is a stunt, and they’re abusing human beings here.” Cage-style units of 32 men share three combination toilet-sink devices, the visitors measured the temperature at 83 degrees (28 degrees Celsius) in a housing area entranceway and 85 (29 Celsius) in a medical intake area, and grasshoppers and other insects abound, she and her fellow Florida Democrats said. Although the visitors said they were not able to speak with the detainees, Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, also a Democrat, said one called out “I’m an American citizen!” and others chanted “Libertad!,” Spanish for “freedom.” State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Florida, countered that he had seen a well-run, safe facility where the living quarters were clean and the air conditioning worked well. “The rhetoric coming out of the Democrats does not match the reality,” said Ingoglia, who said he toured in the same group as Wasserman Schultz. Ingoglia said a handful of detainees became “a little raucous” when the visitors appeared, but he did not make out what they were saying. State Sen. Jay Collins was in another group and said he also found the detention center to be clean and functioning well: “No squalor.” Collins, a Republican, said he saw backup generators, a tracking system for dietary restrictions and military-style bunks with good mattresses. The sanitation devices struck him as appropriate, if basic. “Would I want that toilet-and-sink combination at my bathroom at the house? Probably not, but this is a transitional holding facility,” Collins said by phone. Journalists were not allowed on the tour, and lawmakers were instructed not to bring phones or cameras inside. Messages seeking comment were sent to the state Division of Emergency Management, which built the facility, and to representatives for Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican. DeSantis spokesperson Molly Best highlighted one of Ingoglia’s upbeat readouts on social media.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [7/12/2025 9:26 PM, Lori Rozsa, 32099K]
Telemundo51.com [7/12/2025 2:14 PM, Staff, 177K]

Politico [7/12/2025 5:57 PM, Kimberly Leonard and Nicole Markus, 16523K] reports Democrats on Saturday called for the closure of “Alligator Alcatraz” after touring the controversial pop-up tent immigration detention center that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis quickly assembled in the Everglades. DeSantis has looked to match President Donald Trump’s hard line on immigration, painting his state as an eager partner in the president’s plan to detain and deport potentially millions of immigrants. At least five members of Congress and roughly 20 state legislators toured the detention center over the weekend, the first inspection by elected officials of the area since it opened about a week ago. Trump visited the site ahead of detainees arriving earlier this month, accompanied by DeSantis and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and since then news accounts of dire living conditions have emerged. While Republicans insisted that the facility was appropriate and clean, and staffed similar to any detention facility, Democratic lawmakers raised concerns about food quantity, drinking water and high temperatures, with Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz calling the facility an “internment camp.” “They are essentially packed into cages, wall to wall humans, 32 detainees per cage,” she said in a news conference following the tour. Democrats also said they thought they got a “sanitized” version of the center, and complained they were not allowed to talk to detainees or enter the tents where people were living so that they could get a better look and understanding of the conditions. Members were shown areas where food was being prepared and a tent where medical care was being provided. GOP state Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a DeSantis ally, defended the conditions as “clean, air conditioned and well-kept,” and said he lay down on one of the beds and thought it was comfortable. He countered that lawmakers would be allowed to talk to detainees if they requested a specific person by name, at least 48 hours in advance, under ICE rules. “The rhetoric does not match the reality,” Ingoglia said. “It’s basically all political theater coming from the [Democrats]. What they’re saying is pure bullshit.” In the future, Frost said he plans to show up unannounced — an ability members of Congress have for federal facilities — to speak with family members of those detained. He also criticized the arrangement between Florida and federal officials on who is actually running the facility. “There was so much ambiguity on under what authority people are being held here, and whether this is a state facility or federal facility,” he said. “What we heard was very clear: ICE is giving them the directions from A to Z.”

Reported similarly:
Univision [7/12/2025 9:01 PM, Staff, 4992K]

CNN [7/12/2025 7:57 PM, Alaa Elassar and Rafael Romo, 21433K] reports that deep in the hazardous and ecologically fragile Everglades, hundreds of migrants are confined in cages in a makeshift tent detention facility Florida’s Republican governor calls "safe and secure" and Democratic lawmakers call "inhumane.". Two days after filing a lawsuit against Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for being "unlawfully denied entry" to inspect conditions at the facility dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," members of Congress and state representatives were given a limited tour Saturday to inspect conditions after calling the lack of access a "deliberate obstruction meant to hide what’s really happening behind those gates," according to a joint statement from lawmakers. They said they heard detainees shouting for help and crying out "libertad"— Spanish for "freedom" — amid sweltering heat, bug infestations and meager meals. "They are essentially packed into cages, wall-to-wall humans, 32 detainees per cage," Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who represents Florida’s 25th Congressional District, said during a news conference following their tour. The families of some of the detainees have also decried conditions in the facility, while Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials defend it as offering higher detention standards than many US prisons. On the tour, the lawmakers said they were not allowed to visit areas where migrants are currently being detained but instead were shown cells not yet being used. Wasserman Schultz said each cage contained three small toilets with attached sinks, which detainees use for drinking water and brushing their teeth, sharing the same water used to flush the toilets. When they toured the kitchen area, Wasserman Schultz said government employees were being offered large pieces of roast chicken and sausages, while the detainees’ lunch consisted of a "gray turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple and chips.". "I don’t see how that could possibly sustain them nutritionally or not make them hungry," Wasserman Schultz said. "And when you have hungry people, obviously their mood changes.". Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who was also on the tour, said the lawmakers were concerned about reports of unhygienic conditions due to toilets not working and "feces being spread everywhere," but were denied access from viewing units where migrants are currently detained. They were also not permitted to view the medical facilities, with officials citing HIPAA laws, despite lawmakers being allowed to examine the medical facilities at other detention facilities, he said. "It is something everyone, whether you’re Democrat, Republican or anything, should be deeply ashamed of," Frost said. "Immigrants don’t poison the blood of this nation. They are the blood of this nation.". US Rep. Darren Soto said lawmakers also witnessed evidence of flooding, highlighting serious concerns of what could happen to detainees if there’s severe weather during what forecasters said may be a busy hurricane season. "What we saw in our inspection today was a political stunt, dangerous and wasteful," Soto said after the tour. "One can’t help but understand and conclude that this is a total cruel political stunt meant to have a spectacle of political theater and it’s wasting taxpayer dollars and putting our ICE agents, our troops and ICE detainees in jeopardy.". Detained migrant’s family reports difficult conditions, no access to lawyer. About 900 people are currently detained at the facility, Wasserman Schultz said during the news conference but it has the capacity to hold 3,000 people, with room for more, according to Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. The wife of a 43-year-old Guatemalan man currently detained at "Alligator Alcatraz" told CNN her husband is enduring harsh conditions similar to those described by lawmakers who toured the facility. After more than two weeks in detention, she said, he has yet to see a lawyer.

San Diego Union Tribune [7/12/2025 8:00 AM, Jeff McDonald, 1611K] reports Chu Ding, a 53-year-old agent with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, had just finished a Costco run when he noticed a pickup stopped in the parking lot blocking his car. He tapped on the passenger window to indicate to the driver that he was leaving and that he could take his space. The truck moved away a few feet but quickly reversed course and blocked Ding again. This time, Ding got out of the car and tapped the bed of the pickup, a videotape of the encounter shows. The driver emerged from the truck, yelled a racial slur and pushed Ding, a sweeping new civil-rights lawsuit alleges. Moments later, the man slammed Ding to the ground, the legal complaint says. Within minutes, Ding was handcuffed and detained by San Diego police. His head ached from what would be diagnosed as a concussion. His shoulder was dislocated. Soon, he was arrested on suspicion of felony resisting arrest. Twelve-plus hours passed before Ding was released, the lawsuit alleges, and only after paying almost $2,000 in bail and being forced to write an apology letter to the man who allegedly attacked him — San Diego police Officer Jonathan Ferraro.The encounter between the off-duty law enforcement officers took place in the parking lot of the Costco in Carmel Valley two days before the Fourth of July last year, according to the 42-page complaint filed July 1 in San Diego federal court. It accuses the city and officers of assault, wrongful detention, false arrest and numerous other claims. Ding spent a total of nearly 13 hours in custody before he was able to post bail. After reviewing the case submitted by police, the District Attorney’s Office declined to file any criminal charges. The lawsuit cites several previous excessive use-of-force cases and officer-involved shootings that allegedly show misconduct or other violations by employees, and claims that Wahl and other officials helped them and the department avoid accountability. Ding is seeking general and punitive damages as well as legal fees and other costs. Ding’s bosses at Homeland Security opened an investigation after they saw his name turn up on an overnight jail booking log released by the Sheriff’s Office. He was cleared following a nine-month probe, but because the investigation was confidential, along with its results, his coworkers still regard Ding with suspicion, according to the complaint.

San Diego Union Tribune [7/12/2025 9:00 AM, Alex Riggins, 1611K] reports the Trump administration violated a court order last month when it deported a migrant who’d been separated from his family at the border during President Donald Trump’s first term, according to a court filing this week by the American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU alleged that the deportation occurred just two days after San Diego-based U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw ordered the government to temporarily halt all such removals of previously separated families who are covered by a historic class-action settlement, as new developments in the case are litigated. That settlement — which was agreed to in 2023 by the Biden administration, and which Sabraw ruled last month that the Trump administration is violating — is aimed in part at providing legal support and social services to the previously separated families to ensure they have a fair shot at seeking asylum in the U.S. Attorneys connected to the case believe the Trump administration is trying to undermine the settlement. As evidence, they point to the violation that Sabraw already ruled on, the administration’s cancellation of contracts with key service providers and now the deportation that was carried out despite Sabraw’s order. A hearing is set for next Thursday in which Sabraw could rule on additional issues in the ACLU’s effort to enforce the settlement.

Washington Examiner [7/12/2025 11:03 AM, Barnini Chakraborty, 1934K] reports Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass on Friday announced a plan that would distribute a "couple hundred" dollars to people who have been affected by the Trump administration’s immigration raids. The Democratic mayor announced the money, which should be available in about a week, would not be coming from the city but instead its philanthropic partners like the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles. It wasn’t clear what the qualifications would be to get the money, though it’s been compared to the "Angeleno Cards," which were given out in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic to residents who were struggling. Friday’s announcement about the new funds came during a news conference in which Bass announced she signed an executive order directing all city departments to "bolster protocols" and training to comply with the city’s sanctuary policy. The policy prohibits city employees from taking part in any investigation, detention, hold, transfer, or arrest of anyone for the purpose of immigration enforcement, except in serious crimes. It also prohibits any of these from taking place on city property. The executive order Bass signed on Friday also includes a directive to file Freedom of Information Act requests for Immigration and Customs Enforcement to turn over records with the dates and locations of every raid in the city since June 6. This includes dates, locations, names of those detained, the timing of their arrests, and the stated reasons for their detention.

Washington Post [7/12/2025 10:48 AM, Victoria Bisset, 32099K] reports a son of notorious Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera pleaded guilty Friday to federal drug charges in Chicago under a deal with the U.S. government. Ovidio Guzmán López, 35, was captured in Mexico and extradited to the United States in 2023. Prosecutors have accused Guzmán López and three of his brothers — known as “Los Chapitos” or “little Chapos” — of taking over their father’s role in the Sinaloa cartel following his arrest. Last month, the U.S. State Department sanctioned the Los Chapitos faction of the cartel, which it said was “at the forefront of trafficking fentanyl into the United States.” Under the plea deal announced by the Department of Justice, Guzmán López pleaded guilty to two counts of drug conspiracy and two counts of knowingly engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise. He also admitted to organizing the smuggling of large shipments of drugs including cocaine, heroin and fentanyl into the United States, as well as his and his associates’ involvement in violence against law enforcement officials, civilians and rival drug traffickers.

CBS News [7/12/2025 11:40 AM, Staff, 51860K] reports Ecuador’s most notorious drug lord has agreed to be extradited to the United States to face cocaine and weapons smuggling charges, a court in Quito said Friday. Adolfo Macias, alias "Fito," was captured in June after escaping from a maximum security prison last year in a jailbreak that sparked a severe wave of gang violence. Macias, head of the "Los Choneros" gang, is wanted in the United States on multiple charges. A seven-count indictment unsealed in Brooklyn charges Macías and an unidentified co-defendant with international cocaine distribution, conspiracy and weapons counts, including smuggling firearms from the U.S. The former taxi driver turned crime boss became the prime target of Ecuadoran law enforcement early last year after escaping from prison in the southwestern port of Guayaquil. He had been serving a 34-year sentence since 2011 for involvement in organized crime, drug trafficking and murder. Last year, the U.S. classified Los Choneros as one of the most violent gangs and affirmed its connection to powerful Mexican drug cartels who threaten Ecuador and the surrounding region.

FOX News [7/12/2025 5:19 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Fox News multimedia reporter Caroline Elliott has the latest on Ovidio Guzman Lopez pleading guilty to drug trafficking on ‘Fox Report.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Wall Street Journal [7/12/2028 3:50 PM, José de Córdoba and Santiago Pérez, 646K] reports early on, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum gained wide recognition at home and abroad for her deft handling of President Trump. The leftist avoided confrontation during phone conversations and addressed U.S. demands that her government do more to fight Mexico’s powerful drug cartels. So far, she has little to show for it. Her government has been unable to defuse the threat of stinging U.S. tariffs, in large part because of the White House’s focus on whether Mexico can take on the entrenched cartels feeding fentanyl and other illicit drugs to the voracious American market. The Trump administration recently elevated the dismantling of Mexico’s cartels to the top of its security agenda, labeling them as terrorist organizations. Mexican officials say that the constant threat that an impatient U.S. might take unilateral military action, such as using drones to bomb fentanyl labs or sending special forces to capture Mexican kingpins, keeps them up at night. Trump said on Saturday that he will impose a 30% tariff on Mexican goods on Aug. 1 if Mexico doesn’t step up efforts to fight drug gangs. Despite Sheinbaum’s help to secure the border, “Mexico still has not stopped the Cartels who are trying to turn all of North America into a Narco-Trafficking Playground,” he said in a letter addressed to Sheinbaum and which he posted on Truth Social on Saturday morning. A reserved and stern U.S.-educated energy engineer and former university activist, Sheinbaum has faced down Trump’s repeated accusations that Mexico is a narco state. “It’s important to keep a cool head,” Sheinbaum said responding to Trump’s tariff threat during a speech Saturday. Since he returned to office, Trump has delivered a stream of comments against her government, from the smuggling of deadly fentanyl to illegal migration, and imposed sweeping sanctions against Mexican banks. The mercurial U.S. leader and senior members of his administration have often been combative in their conversations with Sheinbaum and her ministers. Mexico has worked hard to accommodate U.S. demands. Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 troops to the border to stop migrants from entering the U.S. She has boosted law enforcement efforts, dismantling hundreds of drug labs, and expelled 29 imprisoned drug bosses to the U.S. Fentanyl seizures in the U.S. plummeted, in part due to Mexico’s tougher stance. Mexico has sought to maintain open communication channels with the U.S. despite recurring tension. Mexican Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who heads trade negotiations, regularly commutes between Mexico City and Washington. “This government feels it speaks with Trump and his cabinet members, and thinks it’s advancing in the relationship, but then the U.S. does something that takes you back to square one,” said Antonio Ocaranza, a Mexican political analyst. The new tariff threat comes amid rising frustration and fatigue with the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the negotiations.

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [7/12/2025 1:01 PM, Gavin Bade, Kim Mackrael, Santiago Pérez, 646K]
Breitbart [7/12/2025 2:50 PM, Staff, 3077K]

Univision [7/12/2025 4:11 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports the new 30% tariffs announced by President Donald Trump on products from Mexico as of August 1 represent "unfair treatment" to the country, the Mexican government said. The administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum said it disagrees with the decision of the US government, which already applies tariffs of 25% on Mexican goods imported to US soil outside the Mexico-US-Canada Treaty (TMEC). The products that Mexico sends to the United States under the TMEC are tariff-free. In a joint statement from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Economy, the Mexican government said it was informed of the U.S. decision on Friday, July 11, during a meeting between Mexican and U.S. agencies. At that meeting, according to Sheinbaum’s government, Mexico, the United States’ main trading partner, expressed its rejection of the measure. "We mentioned at the table that it was an unfair deal and that we did not agree," the statement said. According to the bulletin, at the meeting both governments agreed to work "so that before that date we have an alternative that allows us to protect companies and jobs on both sides of the border." "It is very relevant to have established since July 11 the necessary path and space to resolve any possibility of new tariffs taking effect on August 1. In other words, Mexico is already in negotiations," said the Mexican government. On Saturday during an event in the border state of Sonora, Sheinbaum said she was confident that an agreement would be reached with the United States to avoid the entry into force of the new tariffs announced by Trump. "What we have to have is a cool head to face any problem," she declared. Trump released the letters on Saturday in which he made known to Sheinbaum and Ursula Von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, the highest governing body of the European Union (EU), his decision to impose tariffs of 30% as of August 1.

The Hill [7/12/2025 3:18 PM, Filip Timotija, 18649K] reports Palestinian activist Mahmoud Khalil said during a recent appearance on CNN that President Trump’s administration wanted use him as "an example" after he was detained for over three months. "It’s absurd. It’s basically to intimidate me. They want to conflate any speech for the right of Palestinians with a speech that’s supporting terrorism, which is totally wrong," Khalil, a green card holder and former Columbia University student, told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. Federal immigration agents arrested Khalil in early March and he was detained for over 100 days. Khalil was not charged with a crime and ended up being released last month. Khalil’s case was the first arrested in a push by the administration to crack down on foreign students protesting on college campuses against the Israel-Hamas war. "The protests were peaceful. We’re asking a simple ask to stop Columbia University and the U.S. complicity in the genocide that’s happening in Gaza," Khalil said. "And that’s why I see these accusations as intimidation.” "This is what’s happening or what happened to me and to others. And it’s a message that they want to make an example out of me," he added. "Even if you are a legal resident, even if you are a citizen, actually that we will find a way to come after you.” Khalil’s lawyers filed a claim on Thursday for $20 million in damages against the administration, contending that the Palestinian activist faced political retaliation for his activism. White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson told Axios that Khali has "consistently engaged in conduct detrimental to American foreign policy interests.” During the Friday interview, Khalil detailed his experience while in custody in Louisiana. "I was shackled all the time. And my ankles as well. It felt like I was criminal. I did not know what charges they have against me. And, by the time I arrived in Louisiana, my leg was, was fully swollen, and I couldn’t walk to enter the detention center," he said on Friday. "So it was very, very dehumanizing experience, for someone who was not accused of any crime, whatsoever," he continued.

Los Angeles Times [7/12/2025 2:49 PM, Jasmine Mendez, 14672K] reports that a large crowd of protesters gathered outside Disneyland’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa on Friday afternoon after local officials rumored a possible vacation visit from Vice President JD Vance. Orange County officials received intel of the VP’s visit to the area on Thursday. In an interview with KTLA 5, Supervisor Vicente Sarmiento said the VP’s visit "comes at a time when trust in government feels fragile.” "I welcome any policymaker to visit, listen and witness the hard-working immigrant communities that make our county strong," Sarmiento, who represents the county’s 2nd District, said in a post to social media. "I respect the office, but I can’t respect policies that hurt our people.” Sarmiento’s district includes the city of Santa Ana, where immigrant communities have been hit with ICE raids since June. His jurisdiction stretches to parts of Anaheim, Garden Grove, Orange and Tustin, which have also suffered what some immigrant advocates describe as "racial profiling," targeted at Latinos. "There’s a huge contrast between the work we do on the ground — supporting families with food, resources, and hope — and an administration whose policies feel designed to crush the very communities we serve," Sarmiento added. The Santanero, a local Santa Ana newspaper, reported that Air Force 2 landed at John Wayne Airport on Friday shortly after 5 p.m. It was not immediately confirmed whether Vance was on the aircraft on official business following his latest visit to California when he attended a $2,500-per-seat conservative event at a high-end sushi restaurant in San Diego. Neither a weekend schedule nor fundraising event were posted by the vice president’s office, which has led to speculation that Vance might be on a family vacation. Online footage began to circulate of a C-17 motorcade entering the Disneyland Park in Anaheim. A crowd of protesters began to form near the park at 5:30 p.m. on Harbor Boulevard and Katella Avenue on Friday. Some individuals drove up to four hours to be at the protest, where many waved Mexican and California flags and carried handmade posters. "I would tell [Vance] to go home," one protestor told Fox 11. "We don’t want him here.” The Anaheim Police Department did not immediately respond to a Times request for comment as of Saturday, but online footage showed police presence at Friday’s protest. No injuries or arrests were reported. YouTuber Matt Desmond posted a short video to his channel, DisneyScoopGuy, Saturday morning of Vance and two of his children at Disneyland walking through the park and riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. The video showed security personnel roaming inside the park with explosive detective dogs. It was not clear if the agents are from the Secret Service, according to the City News Service. Disney officials declined to comment on individual plans out of respect for all guests.

Washington Examiner [7/12/2025 9:38 AM, W. James Antle III, 1934K] reports President Donald Trump may soon be at a crossroads on the issue where he has arguably been most successful in his second term: immigration. Since Trump has taken office, the illegal border crossings that were so out of control under former President Joe Biden have slowed to a trickle. Encounters and apprehensions have hit lows. The federal government has effectively stopped releasing apprehended illegal immigrants into the United States. Congress just passed a major increase in immigration enforcement funding without amnesty, which Trump signed into law on July 4. Trump may be a victim of his own success. A new Gallup poll found that the percentage of Americans who want immigration reduced has dropped from 55% last year to just 30% now. This suggests that the hardening of public opinion against mass immigration that took place when the border was in shambles under Biden may be softening as net immigration drops overall under Trump. The media has focused heavily on sympathetic (and perhaps some not-so-sympathetic) people being deported by Trump’s deputies. Progressives have been radicalized against those carrying out the immigration enforcement. In addition to law-and-order and national security concerns, the Trump team has pushed immigration controls as a way to keep the labor market tight enough to exert upward pressure on working-class wages. But Trump has personally appeared sensitive to the pressure this puts on some employers as well.

USA Today [7/12/2025 8:09 PM, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, 75552K] reports Americans’ views on immigration took a massive positive swing this year amid President Donald Trump’s ongoing crackdown, according to new Gallup polling. The share of Americans who thought immigration should decrease – 55% – reached a 5-year high point in 2024. This year, it has dropped to 30%, and positive views of immigration have hit a record high of 79%, according to poll results released July 11. The poll surveyed 1,402 Americans between June 2 and 26. The Trump administration ramped up its promise to carry out widespread deportations in June, sending out masked immigration agents to raid restaurants, farms and hardware stores and touching off widespread protests. He has unveiled a new "Alligator Alcatraz" detention facility for migrants in the Florida Everglades. The administration has faced legal challenges at every turn, bringing it several times to the brink of clashes with judges who have imposed barriers on the scale and tactics of the crackdown. During former President Joe Biden’s administration, Americans’ views on immigration took a dip amid a surge of migration and reports of disarray on the southern border. But this year, even among Republicans, views on immigration have grown significantly rosier – 64% of Republicans now believe immigration is a good thing, a 25-point jump from June of 2024. The fraction of Republicans who think immigration should decrease has fallen from 88% to 48% in that time span. Trump’s immigration policies are broadly unpopular, with just 35% disapproving of his handling of the issue, according to the poll. The Trump administration faced heavy pushback over its immigration policies in March when it deported hundreds of men to a brutal prison in El Salvador – even though most were Venezuelan. It was forced to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man from El Salvador who a judge ordered could remain in the U.S., amid an ongoing legal battle. The Supreme Court has since given the Trump administration the green light to deport people to countries from which they do not originate.

The Hill [7/13/2025 6:00 AM, Ella Lee, 18649K] reports threats against public officials have persisted in the year since the first assassination attempt of President Trump, as experts in political violence warn the upward trend shows no sign of fizzling out. The failed attack — one of two attempts on Trump’s life as he sought a second term in the White House — yielded sharp condemnations of violence and ample calls to turn down the heat on political rhetoric. But since then, high-profile attacks have continued to mount, from the assassination of a Democratic lawmaker in Minnesota to Monday’s shootout at a U.S. Border Patrol facility in Texas. “We continue to see a normalizing of political violence, a very casual acceptance that some elected officials may be legitimate targets for violence — based on conspiracies, based on disinformation — and unfortunately and tragically, we’ve seen that that has real world consequences,” said Jon Lewis, a research fellow at the Program on Extremism at the George Washington University. “When there is so much rhetoric…it’s only a matter of time before someone with a grievance and a gun finds that justification,” he said. In 2024, there were 180 federal arrests for threatening a public official — the highest number in the last 12 years, said Seamus Hughes, a researcher at University of Nebraska Omaha’s National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center (NCITE). Hughes said toward the end of the Biden administration, several incidents that would typically go to a local district attorney or be met with a warning from the FBI resulted in federal arrests. It’s clear, he said, that law enforcement and prosecutors want to “put their finger on the scale” on such threats, taking cases that they wouldn’t have five years ago. Despite those efforts, it’s particularly challenging to disrupt lone actor plots, Lewis said, “even if you are doing everything else perfectly.” “They’re taking it seriously, without a doubt, but how much can they do?” Lewis said.

FOX News [7/13/2025 6:00 AM, August Pfluger and Rep. Mike Kelly, 46878K] Video HERE reports History pivots on moments measured in millimeters and July 13, 2024, was no exception. On that summer afternoon in Pennsylvania, an assassin’s bullet struck President Donald Trump, tragically killed Corey Comperatore, and grievously wounded David Dutch and James Copenhaver. What could have been a catastrophic rupture in the trajectory of our country instead became the moment that inspired a nation and rallied an electorate. Bloodied but unbowed, President Trump’s survival demonstrated the resilience that Video HERE would define his path back to the White House and change the course of American history. But this was no random act of violence. It was an assault on the very foundation of our republic—the premise that Americans can disagree without destroying each other. That the ballot box, not a bullet, determines our leaders. As we commemorate the first anniversary of this defining moment, we do so with clear-eyed determination and steeled resolve. We honor the bravery of law enforcement officers, first responders, and medical personnel, whose swift actions on that day saved countless lives. We also unequivocally condemn political violence. But acknowledgment without action is hollow. That is why we introduced a resolution to solemnly mark the one-year anniversary of the attempted assassination of President Trump. This resolution not only condemns the multiple attempts against the President’s life, but also all those who incite violence against political officials. This resolution also honors the victims of the shooting. House Administration Committee Chairman Bryan Steil’s bipartisan efforts to fortify Capitol Hill’s security are a great start to resolving this safety problem. This effort is about more than protecting our elected officials—it’s about preserving the institution itself. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [7/12/2025 8:08 PM, Maria Sacchetti, Carol D. Leonnig, and Marianne LeVine, 32099K] reports federal immigration officers may deport immigrants with as little as six hours’ notice to countries other than their own even if officials have not provided any assurances that the new arrivals will be safe from persecution or torture, a top official said in a memo this week. Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, wrote in a memo to the ICE workforce Wednesday that a Supreme Court ruling last month had cleared the way for officers to “immediately” start sending immigrants to “alternative” countries. People being sent to countries where officials have not provided any “diplomatic assurances” that immigrants will be safe will be informed 24 hours in advance — and in “exigent” circumstances, just six. Those being flown to places that have offered those assurances could be deported with no advance notice. If the State Department “believes those assurances to be credible,” then ICE may deport someone to that country “without the need for further procedures,” he wrote in the memo, obtained by The Washington Post. The United States has rarely deported people to countries where they are not citizens, and lawyers warned that thousands of longtime immigrants with work permits and families in the U.S. could now be uprooted and sent to places where they lack family ties or even a common language. Among those who could be targeted are thousands of immigrants with final removal orders who have not been deported to their native countries because a judge found that they might face danger there. Others are those with deportation orders to countries such as China or Cuba that do not always cooperate with deportations because of their frosty relationship to the U.S. Immigrants who state a fear of being deported will be screened for possible protection, Lyons wrote, but immigration lawyers said the government’s plan does not give immigrants enough time to assess the danger they might face in a country that the government has selected for them.

Telemundo Washington DC [7/12/2025 3:16 PM, Melissa Goldin, 56K] reports President Donald Trump has vowed to deport "the worst of the worst." He frequently speaks in public appearances about the countless "dangerous criminals" - including murderers, rapists and child predators - from around the world who, he claims, entered the United States illegally during the administration of former President Joe Biden. He pledged to remove millions of migrants in the largest deportation program in the country’s history to protect law-abiding citizens from the violent threats he says they pose. But government data on arrests tells a different story. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has made more arrests since Trump began his second term, and there are reports of raids across the country. However, most of the people currently detained by ICE do not have criminal convictions. Of those who do, relatively few have been convicted of high-level crimes, a stark contrast to the terrifying nightmare Trump describes to support his border security agenda. "There is a profound disconnect between rhetoric and reality," noted Ahilan Arulaantham, co-director of the UCLA School of Law’s Center for Immigration Law and Policy. "In this administration, and the previous Trump administration as well, they constantly claim that they are going after the worst of the worst and only talk about immigration enforcement as if it’s about going after violent and dangerous people with extensive criminal records. And yet the people they arrest are overwhelmingly people who have no criminal history of any kind." The most recent ICE statistics show that, as of June 29, there were 57,861 individuals detained by the agency, of which 41,495 - 71/7% - had no criminal convictions. That includes 14,318 individuals with pending criminal charges and 27,177 who are subject to immigration enforcement but have no known criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. ICE assigns each detainee a threat level on a scale of 1 to 3, with 1 being the highest. Those with no criminal history are classified as "without an ICE threat level." As of June 23, the most recent date for which data is available, 84% of those detained at 201 facilities nationwide were not assigned a threat level. Another 7% were rated as a level 1 threat, 4% were level 2, and 5% were level 3. "President Trump has justified this immigration agenda, in part, by making false claims that migrants drive violent crime in the United States, and that is simply not true," said Lauren-Brooke Eisen, senior director of the justice program at the Brennan Center for Justice. "There is no research or evidence to back up their claims." Tricia McLaughlin, deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), called the assessment that ICE does not detain immigrants with criminal records "false" and said that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ordered ICE to "arrest the worst of the worst, including gang members, murderers and rapists." She labeled detainees with convictions, as well as those with pending charges, as "criminal illegal aliens." Nonpublic data obtained by the Cato Institute shows that, as of June 14, 65% of the more than 204,000 people processed into the system by ICE since the start of fiscal year 2025, which began on October 1, 2024, had no criminal convictions. Of those who did, only 6.9% had committed a violent crime, while 53% had committed non-violent offenses that fit into three main categories: immigration, trafficking, or health offenses.

AP [7/12/2025 12:18 PM, Melissa Goldin] reports President Donald Trump has pledged to deport "the worst of the worst." He frequently speaks at public appearances about the countless "dangerous criminals" — among them murderers, rapists and child predators — from around the world he says entered the U.S. illegally under the Biden administration. He promises to expel millions of migrants in the largest deportation program in American history to protect law-abiding citizens from the violent threats he says they pose. But government data around ongoing detentions tells a different story. There has been an increase of arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since Trump began his second term, with reports of raids across the country. Yet the majority of people currently detained by ICE have no criminal convictions. Of those who do, relatively few have been convicted of high-level crimes — a stark contrast to the chilling nightmare Trump describes to support his border security agenda. The latest ICE statistics show that as of June 29, there were 57,861 people detained by ICE, 41,495 — 71.7% — of whom had no criminal convictions. That includes 14,318 people with pending criminal charges and 27,177 who are subject to immigration enforcement, but have no known criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary at the Department of Homeland Security, called the assessment that ICE isn’t targeting immigrants with a criminal record "false" and said that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has directed ICE "to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists." She counted detainees with convictions, as well as those with pending charges, as "criminal illegal aliens."

FOX News [7/12/2025 10:00 AM, Deirdre Heavey, 46878K] reports Sens. Alex Padilla and Cory Booker, two of the leading Capitol Hill critics of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, introduced legislation this week that would require immigration enforcement officers to clearly identify themselves without masks, leaving senators divided. Republicans on Capitol Hill dismissed the Democrats’ bill, telling Fox News Digital that immigration agents should be allowed to wear masks to conceal their identities and protect their personal safety. Federal immigration law enforcement officers have been targeted since Trump signed his "big, beautiful bill" – which includes legislation for robust immigration reform – into law last Friday. There have been at least two ambushes in Texas, and protesters clashed with federal officers at the Portland, Oregon, ICE facility. Anti-ICE rhetoric intensified in June, when federal officials descended on Los Angeles to conduct raids to deport illegal immigrants, which was met by protests that devolved into riots last month. But Democrats have a different take. Booker and Padilla’s bill would also require all federal agents to clearly display their agency name or initials and their name or badge number.

FOX News [7/12/2025 8:46 PM, Deirdre Heavey, 49956K] Video HERE reports Trump administration border czar Tom Homan fired up the crowd at Turning Point USA’s Student Action Summit Saturday night when a heckler asked Homan, "Are you an MS-13 member?". But the heckler’s comments added fuel to Homan’s fire as he delivered fiery closing remarks, saying, "Tom Homan is going to run the biggest deportation operation this country has ever seen. Take it to the bank." "U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A," the crowd chanted as Homan exited the stage. About five minutes into Homan’s speech, he was interrupted by a heckler who was escorted out by security, lighting a fire for the rest of the speech. Homan had a message to the anti-ICE protesters across the United States, including to those who gathered outside the summit in Tampa, Florida, Saturday night. "You want some? Come get some," Homan said. "I’m tired of it. For the men and women of ICE, I deserve your respect. They’re the finest 1% this country has. And Tom Homan isn’t going anywhere. Tom Homan isn’t shutting up." While the crowd continued cheering Homan’s fiery speech, he assured that those protesting US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) would not intimidate agents because "we’re going to do the job that President Trump gave us to do." Homan said he has never seen "such hate against the men and women of ICE and in the Border Patrol," and those protesting don’t have the courage to put on a badge and stand in their place. Homan also applauded Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration, telling the crowd, "Under his leadership, we got the most secure border in the history of nation, and we did that in seven weeks. President Trump did in seven weeks what Joe Biden couldn’t or wouldn’t do in four years." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Daily Wire [7/12/2025 3:56 PM, Leif Le Mahieu, 3816K] reports far-left Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) decried the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration on Saturday, claiming that America was shocking people around the world because of ICE raids. Omar made the comments during a town hall at Cane Ridge High School just outside of Nashville where she called for universal healthcare, reducing military spending, and for ICE agents to be banned from wearing masks while conducting immigration enforcement operations. "The reality is when they come from one of us, they’re eventually going to come for all of us," she said in front of a crow of several hundred seated in a school auditorium. "We’re seeing people be abducted and sent to dungeons in foreign countries and people disappearing with no accounting for where they’ve gone.". Organizers of the town hall made their opposition to ICE clear, posting a sign with the words "ICE not permitted on the premises" written in all caps on the doors to the venue. There were also flyers saying "Nashville stand with Ilhan" posted all over the publicly funded high school. NEW: Covering far Left Democrat Rep Ilhan Omar’s townhall at a public high school outside of Nashville. ICE is not welcome, according to the organizers. pic.twitter.com/d9r9wofoE5. Omar also decried the recent passage of Trump’s signature spending and tax cut package, which she referred to as the "big ugly bill." The legislation included billions of dollars in funding to hire more ICE agents and improve ICE facilities. She asserted that ICE agents should not be allowed to conduct enforcement operations while wearing masks and that the people around the world were shocked to see videos and photos of ICE operations. "When they see these kinds of images coming out of America. To them it is really shocking and it should be to all of us as Americans" she said. "That is not us.". In recent months, the Department of Homeland Security has reported a surge in assaults against ICE officers. In the last month, gunmen have opened fire on federal immigration agents in two separate attacks in Texas.

Breitbart [7/12/2025 3:11 PM, Bob Price, 3077K] reports Immigration and Enforcement Operations (ICE) officers arrested nearly 1,400 criminal aliens in the Houston area in June. Officials told Breitbart Texas that these criminal aliens include 32 child predators, nine murderers, one illegal alien convicted of hijacking an airplane, and 16 cartel or gang members. ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations officers assigned to the Houston Field Office arrested 1,361 criminal aliens in June, according to information reviewed by Breitbart Texas on Saturday. These illegal aliens had been convicted of, or were charged with, criminal offenses after illegally entering the United States. Officials say that 32 of these criminal aliens were convicted of sex crimes against children, nine more were convicted for homicide-related offenses, and 16 were documented members of a transnational gang or drug cartel. One of the criminal aliens has a previous conviction for hijacking an airplane from Cuba to Key West, Florida, officials disclosed. "Despite attempts by some to undermine our mission by spreading false and malicious rumors, the brave men and women of ICE continue to work tirelessly around the clock targeting dangerous criminal aliens to restore integrity to our nation’s immigration system and bolster public safety in our communities," said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting Field Office Director Gabriel Martinez. "The number of dangerous criminal aliens that they removed from local communities across Southeast Texas last month is just another example of their selfless and unyielding efforts to return our local communities to places where we can all raise our families without having to worry about child predators, gang members, or other violent criminal aliens preying on our loved ones." The arrest of 1.361 criminal aliens in June is up from the previous month when officers arrested 1,249 criminal aliens in the Houston area of operations, a source within ICE told Breitbart Texas.

Newsweek [7/12/2025 6:46 PM, Mandy Taheri, 52220K] reports Maximo "Kuya Max" Londonio, a green card holder who had been in the United States for decades, was released on Friday from a detention centerin Washington state. Newsweek has reached out to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for comment via email on Saturday. Londonio’s release marks a less common development amid the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement efforts, in which the president has pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history. Immigrants residing in the country illegally and legally, with valid documentation such as green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has reported dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the immigration raids and various arrests, as well as several who have been released from detention. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) warning, published on July 9, said that "possessing a green card is a privilege, not a right" and that legal residents arriving at a port of entry with prior criminal convictions may be detained in advance of removal proceeding. Holding his wife’s hand on Friday, Londonio thanked supporters outside the Northwest ICE Processing Center, a privately-run facility operated by the GEO Group that holds more than 1,500 detainees. Tanggol Migrante WA said in a Friday statement sent to Newsweek that Londonio spent "nearly a month in solitary confinement." His release came the day after Philippine Deputy Consul General Maria Paz Cortes and Assistance to Nationals Officer Bernice Santayana visited the center and met with ICE officials. Londonio had previous nonviolent convictions, including grant theft, from when he was a young adult. They have since been "fully resolved" Tanggol Migrante WA previously told Newsweek. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin previously said in a statement to Newsweek: "Maximo Londono has a criminal record, including convictions for grand theft and the use of a controlled substance. Under federal immigration law, lawful permanent residents convicted of these types of crimes can lose their legal status and be removed. If you are an alien, being in the United States is a privilege—not a right. When you break our laws that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country."

Univision [7/12/2025 7:12 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports the family of Mexican immigrant Jaime García, who is in critical condition after suffering a severe fall during one of the immigration raids in Ventura County, California, is receiving legal advice from the Mexican government. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said in a statement that the consulate in Oxnard, California, is in communication with the immigrant’s family. In its statement, the Foreign Ministry did not directly identify García. Contacted by Univision News, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) said that due to regulations regarding personal data protection, the agency fails to provide the names of immigrants in its official communications. A lawyer from the Program for External Legal Advice (PALE), which provides legal assistance to immigrants through agreements with law firms in the United States, is also supporting García’s family. The immigrant suffered severe injuries after falling more than 30 feet during Thursday’s raid on the marijuana grow farm in Camarillo. According to Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC), where he was sent after the fall, the man remained in “critical condition” due to his injuries. The United Farm Workers (UFW) previously reported on its X account that the man had died, although it later deleted that post. According to various reports by local media outlets, including the ABC affiliate in Los Angeles, the individual suffered neck and skull fractures after falling while trying to escape the immigration operation. However, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for public affairs at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), told the media that the immigrant "was not being pursued by law enforcement; he climbed onto the roof of a greenhouse and fell 30 feet." "This man was not and has not been in CBP or ICE custody," McLaughlin said. "CBP immediately requested a medical evacuation vehicle to the scene so he could receive medical attention as quickly as possible.".

Daily Signal [7/12/2025 2:00 PM, Dan Hart, 558K] reports the bishop of the sixth largest Catholic diocese in the U.S. announced Tuesday that he was issuing a dispensation for illegal immigrants from the weekly obligation of attending Sunday Mass over fears of recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, marking the second time a diocese has issued such a dispensation over the last three months. Bishop Alberto Rojas, the head of the Diocese of San Bernardino east of Los Angeles that serves about 1 million Catholics, stated in the decree that, "All members of the faithful in the Diocese of San Bernardino who, due to genuine fear of immigration enforcement actions, are unable to attend Sunday Mass or Masses on holy days of obligation are dispensed from this obligation." Rojas further declared that the dispensation would remain in effect "until further notice or until such time as the circumstances necessitating this decree are sufficiently resolved." The decree comes amid the Donald Trump administration’s ongoing stepped-up efforts to deport illegal immigrants, mostly those who have criminal backgrounds. In recent weeks, unverified reports have surfaced claiming that federal agents have entered churches to make arrests, which have been disputed by the Trump administration. One report noted that two men were taken into custody in the parking lot of Our Lady of Lourdes Church in the San Bernardino Diocese last week. In response to claims that ICE agents entered the church hall, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated, "The accusation that ICE entered a church to make an arrest [is] FALSE. ICE conducted a traffic stop on an illegal alien on June 20 in the general proximity of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Montclair, California. The illegal alien chose to pull into the church parking lot. Officers then safely made the arrest."

Los Angeles Times [7/12/2025 9:03 PM, Anthony Solorzano, 14672K] reports that the annual Levitt Pavilion Los Angeles summer concert series held at MacArthur Park will go on despite the ongoing immigration raids, organizers said. After canceling its first performance of the season on June 21, Levitt LA returned to its scheduled programming on June 28 with a performance from rock band Dengue Fever. The stage will welcome musical performances every Saturday through Aug. 30, featuring acts like Medusa, Eddie Chacon, Wazumbians, La Resistencia, Kinky and Redd Kross. "I have nothing but respect and utmost gratitude for the team and artists who want to move forward. Why should this stop in MacArthur Park?" Levitt LA executive director Allegra Padilla said. "Our safety is not guaranteed in places that are supposed to be our sanctuaries, like hospitals, schools and other places, so we might as well continue to come together in the heart of our city and enjoy the vibrant and beautiful culture that makes L.A. unique," she added. Close to 2,800 people have been arrested in the L.A. area since the raids began in early June, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Federal agents, accompanied by members of the National Guard, descended on MacArthur Park on Monday morning to carry out enforcement operations. Rumors of ICE activity had spread in the Westlake area prior to the sweeps. It’s unclear if anyone was arrested. Levitt LA has been hosting free concerts for the past 18 years. In previous years, the outdoor stage has held performances from Grammy-winning band Los Lobos, cumbia group Sonora Dinamita and L.A. rock band La Santa Cecilia. Padilla added that the concerts will be streamed live on its Facebook page and YouTube channel for members of the community who are "afraid to leave their homes" because of the ICE raids. The organization will also be hiring private security for the event and providing safety tips on knowing your rights when dealing with immigration through their social media accounts.

NPR [7/12/2025 8:07 AM, Scott Simon, 37958K] Audio: HERE reports NPR’s Scott Simon speaks with Vanderbilt University law professor Brian T. Fitzpatrick about class action lawsuits attempting to block Trump administration’s policies on birthright citizenship and other issues.

AP [7/12/2025 6:41 PM, Staff, 14672K] reports President Trump says he is considering "taking away" the U.S. citizenship of a longtime rival, actor and comedian Rosie O’Donnell, despite a decades-old Supreme Court ruling that expressly prohibits such an action by the government. "Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship," Trump wrote in a social media post on Saturday. He added that O’Donnell, who moved to Ireland in January, should stay there "if they want her.” The two have criticized each other publicly for years, an often bitter back-and-forth that predates Trump’s involvement in politics. In recent days, O’Donnell on social media denounced Trump and recent moves by his administration, including the signing of a massive GOP-backed tax breaks and spending cuts plan. It’s just the latest threat by Trump to revoke the citizenship of people with whom he has publicly disagreed, most recently his former advisor and one-time ally, Elon Musk. But O’Donnell’s situation is notably different from that of Musk, who was born in South Africa. O’Donnell was born in the United States and has a constitutional right to U.S. citizenship. The U.S. State Department notes on its website that U.S. citizens by birth or naturalization may relinquish U.S. nationality by taking certain steps — but only if the act is performed voluntarily and with the intention of relinquishing U.S. citizenship. Amanda Frost, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, noted the Supreme Court ruled in a 1967 case that the 14th Amendment of the Constitution prevents the government from taking away citizenship. "The president has no authority to take away the citizenship of a native-born U.S. citizen," Frost said Saturday. "We are a nation founded on the principle that the people choose the government; the government cannot choose the people.” O’Donnell moved to Ireland after Trump defeated Vice President Kamala Harris to win his second term. She has said she’s in the process of obtaining Irish citizenship based on family lineage. Responding to Trump Saturday, O’Donnell wrote on social media that she had upset the president, and said "add me to the list of people who oppose him at every turn.”

Reported similarly:
New York Times [7/12/2025 5:04 PM, Ashley AhnShawn McCreesh, Hamed Aleaziz, 138952K]
NBC News [7/12/2025 4:03 PM, Alexandra Marquez and Lindsey Pipia, 44540K]
CNN [7/12/2025 4:18 PM, Donald Judd, 21433K]
FOX News [7/12/2025 11:09 PM, Ashley Hume, 46878K]
NewsMax [7/12/2025 5:04 PM, Solange Reyner, 4622K]
Washington Examiner [7/12/2025 4:43 PM, Barnini Chakraborty, 1934K]

USA Today [7/12/2025 11:01 AM, Mike Snider, 75552K] reports a 5-year-old patrol beagle is back on the beat after recovering from bruises received when a traveler kicked him so hard the dog went airborne. Freddie, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture detector dog, returned to work Thursday, July 10, at Washington Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. He one of the CBP’s Beagles Brigade, which screens passengers and cargo at more than 180 airports, border crossings and other sites to prevent harmful pests and diseases from entering the United States. Back on June 24, Freddie and his handler, CBP agricultural specialist Melissa Snyder were inspecting baggage arriving from Cairo, Egypt when a suitcase caught Freddie’s attention. When Snyder began questioning the suitcase owner, "he violently kicked Freddie with sufficient force to lift the 25-pound beagle off the ground," the CBP said in a news release at the time. Subsequently found in the baggage and seized: 55 pounds of beef, 44 pounds of rice, 15 pounds of eggplant, cucumbers, and bell peppers, two pounds of corn seeds, and a pound of herbs. Hamed Ramadan Bayoumy Aly Marie, 70, was arrested and turned over to Homeland Security Investigations agents, the agency said. Marie pleaded guilty to willfully and maliciously harming a police animal in federal court. He was given one year of probation and ordered to pay $840 as restitution for Freddie’s medical and veterinary care. A veterinarian found Freddie had suffered contusions to his right forward rib area, the CBP said. In video footage of his first day back on the job, Freddie behaves confidently, assessing the airport terminal happenings, rising on his hind legs to sniff a mountain of luggage and happily snarfing a treat.

NewsNation [7/13/2025 5:52 AM, Shirley Escobedo, 5801K] reports a Supervisory U.S Border Patrol agent drowned at South Padre Island in Texas saving his children, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. South Padre Island officials say on Friday, at approximately 2:40 p.m., emergency services responded to the 1600 block of South Padre Island following a report of a swimmer in distress. According to witnesses, Agent Eric Cespedes, 38, of San Benito was near the first sandbar attempting to pull his children, who were caught in a strong rip current during a family trip at the beach. Bystanders helped bring Cespedes’ children to shore while others carried out Cespedes as well. CPR was done on Agent Cespedes by bystanders and the SPI Beach Patrol. Cespedes was transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced deceased. According to CBP, a memorial service to honor Agent Cespedes’ legacy will be announced in the coming days. Eric Cespedes served 17 years in the U.S. Border Patrol’s Rio Grande Valley Sector. “Agent Cespedes will always be remembered as a Hero, protecting those whom he loved the most. Those we look forward to going home to, our family, and especially our children,” Christina Smallwood, Public Affairs Officer of the RGV Sector, said. “He was a protector both in uniform and at home,” said Rio Grande Valley Sector Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez. “His final act was that of a Hero and a testament to the unwavering love he carried for his children and family. We will always remember Eric as our brother in green, and his courage will never be forgotten.” He is survived by his mother, brother, wife, and three children.

ABC News [7/12/2025 5:52 PM, Dan Peck, 31733K] reports severe thunderstorms continue to threaten parts of the Midwest Saturday afternoon, with western Kentucky up to Michigan in the threat zone. The primary hazard from any severe thunderstorms that move through is strong, potentially damaging wind gusts. This comes after severe weather slammed parts of the Plains and Midwest over the past 24 hours. Eastern Iowa was hit particularly hard by damaging winds and flash flooding. Further south, this same system triggered a new threat of heavy rain and possible flash flooding in the southern Plains this weekend, including much of Oklahoma and Texas. Rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms, with locally heavy downpours, will be sweeping across these areas through tonight and again on Sunday, including the Hill Country. Earlier Saturday, flash flooding hit parts of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and torrential rain hit Abilene, Texas, with a Flash Flood Warning issued for the city. While spotty showers and thunderstorms are possible through the afternoon and evening hours in central Texas, the activity will be more widespread tomorrow across the region, with a greater potential for locally heavy rainfall. The Flood Watch in effect for parts of the southern Plains, including much of Oklahoma and Texas, was expanded southeast this morning to encompass areas that were hit hard by catastrophic and deadly flash flooding last weekend, including Kerr, Travis and Burnet Counties. While these areas are being watched for the potential for heavy rain through Sunday night, the heaviest rain through at least Saturday evening will be to the north and west across the Concho Valley. This includes the San Angelo area, later Saturday night through the early morning hours Sunday. These areas could see two to four inches of rain from these storms through Sunday afternoon, with localized amounts of six to eight inches possible where the heaviest rain develops. Additional rounds of scattered showers and thunderstorms will be sweeping across parts of Texas on Sunday, including Hill County, especially during the afternoon and evening hours. Rainfall totals of one to three inches are possible in this region through late Sunday night, with isolated amounts up to six inches possible where the heaviest rain develops. While this rainfall is not expected to be as extreme as last weekend, the threshold for flash flooding to develop is lower due to the ground being very saturated from recent heavy rain in the region.

CNN [7/13/2025 6:00 AM, Brian Todd and Michael Williams, 21433K] reports multiple urban search and rescue teams from across the country that responded to the deadly floods in central Texas told CNN they were not deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency until at least Monday evening — days after any victim had been found alive. Three of the teams, which are typically tasked with helping local first responders to urgently find survivors, were dispatched on Tuesday, more than four days after the Guadalupe River surge that has left more than 120 dead and scores missing. No victims have been found alive since last Friday, July 4. Teams from Indiana, Arizona, Colorado, Missouri and Nevada left their states with crews which included searchers, dogs, boats and equipment to drive across the country in a race against time to reach Texas. They were among a number of search and rescue teams from around the US coalescing in the state. Driving some 20 hours, the team from Nevada arrived on Wednesday and began setting up camp on Thursday, an official for the team told CNN. The teams, which are involved in large area searches, water rescues and finding human remains, began their first day of field work July 11, a week after the flood, the spokesperson said. A complex network of federal, state and local emergency personnel, including search and rescue workers from inside and outside Texas, raced to help in the immediate aftermath of the deadly flood. But CNN has previously reported that the decision to authorize deployments from a federal network of Urban Search and Rescue teams more than 72 hours after the calamity frustrated FEMA officials. In the past, the agency would have quickly staged these teams near disaster zones in anticipation of urgent requests for assistance, they said. Multiple officials also said that a new rule requiring Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to sign off on relatively small expenditures from her agency, which oversees FEMA, created bureaucratic hurdles during a critical time. That meant the response was unusual and slowed down the agency at a time when quick action was most needed, officials inside FEMA told CNN. A spokesperson for DHS said: “Secretary Noem is leading a historic, first-of-its-kind approach to disaster funding: putting states first by providing upfront recovery support — moving money faster than ever and jump-starting recovery.” Noem has defended her handling of the disaster, and the response by FEMA appears consistent with the Trump administration’s view for how emergencies should be handled under their vision of a restructured FEMA: States take the lead in the response, and the federal government provides support when necessary. “This is a breakthrough in how FEMA supports state-led disaster recovery,” the DHS spokesperson said in the statement.

AP [7/12/2025 9:55 AM, Ryan J. Foley and Christopher L. Keller] reports federal regulators repeatedly granted appeals to remove Camp Mystic’s buildings from their 100-year flood map, loosening oversight as the camp operated and expanded in a dangerous flood plain in the years before rushing waters swept away children and counselors, a review by The Associated Press found. The Federal Emergency Management Agency included the prestigious girls’ summer camp in a "Special Flood Hazard Area" in its National Flood Insurance map for Kerr County in 2011, which means it was required to have flood insurance and faced tighter regulation on any future construction projects. Located in a low-lying area along the Guadalupe River in a region known as flash flood alley, Camp Mystic lost at least 27 campers and counselors and longtime owner Dick Eastland when historic floodwaters tore through its property before dawn on July 4. The flood was far more severe than the 100-year event envisioned by FEMA, experts said, and moved so quickly in the middle of the night that it caught many off guard in a county that lacked a warning system. In response to an appeal, FEMA in 2013 amended the county’s flood map to remove 15 of the camp’s buildings from the hazard area. Records show that those buildings were part of the 99-year-old Camp Mystic Guadalupe, which was devastated by last week’s flood. After further appeals, FEMA removed 15 more Camp Mystic structures in 2019 and 2020 from the designation. Those buildings were located on nearby Camp Mystic Cypress Lake, a sister site that opened to campers in 2020 as part of a major expansion and suffered less damage in the flood. Experts say Camp Mystic’s requests to amend the FEMA map could have been an attempt to avoid the requirement to carry flood insurance, to lower the camp’s insurance premiums or to pave the way for renovating or adding new structures under less costly regulations. At least 12 structures at Camp Mystic Guadalupe were fully within FEMA’s 100-year flood plain, and a few more were partially in that zone, according to an AP analysis of data provided by First Street, a data science company that specializes in modeling climate risk. Jeremy Porter, the head of climate implications at First Street, said FEMA’s flood insurance map underestimates flood risks. That’s because it fails to take into account the effects of heavy precipitation on smaller waterways such as streams and creeks. First Street’s model puts nearly all of Camp Mystic Guadalupe at risk during a 100-year flood. In a statement, FEMA downplayed the significance of the flood map amendments.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [7/12/2025 2:58 PM, Mike Baker, 138952K]

NPR [7/13/2025 12:29 AM, Laura Sullivan, 37958K] reports the federal government allowed Camp Mystic, the all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River, to remove multiple buildings from government flood maps, even though private data suggests the flood threat remained, and was even worse than the government reported, according to documents and data NPR has reviewed. The camp requested that FEMA, the agency responsible for creating maps that help warn Americans where water might rise, remove more than a dozen buildings from what FEMA designates a floodplain at least twice in 2013, 2019 and 2020, the documents show. That last request in 2020 coincided with a major expansion during which the camp built a number of new structures but does not appear to have taken down any cabins from dangerous flood areas. The camp asked for the changes after FEMA created new maps in 2011 that placed much of the camp in a floodplain, an area the agency considers at high risk for flooding, according to records. Removing structures from FEMA’s flood maps can eliminate federal requirements to build in ways that can better withstand a flood, according to federal rules, usually by elevating buildings or shoring up foundations. It can also remove requirements for property owners to carry flood insurance. Many cabins and buildings at the camp were already at a higher risk of flooding than previously indicated by FEMA’s maps, according to an analysis by NPR, PBS’s FRONTLINE and data scientists. More than two dozen campers and counselors, along with the camp’s owner, Dick Eastland, died in the flash floods that swept the camp on July 4. First Street, a climate risk modeling company in New York City which makes maps, show at least 17 structures in the path of flood waters, compared to FEMA’s current maps at the camp. It’s unclear from FEMA’s records which specific buildings the camp appealed to have removed from the map. Camp Mystic did not respond to requests for comment on the removals, which was first reported by the Associated Press. FEMA said in a statement that its maps should not be compared to those created by private companies, as the agency has to undergo public review when it updates its maps. The biggest difference between FEMA’s maps and those created by the private sector, is that FEMA does not map rainfall or flash flooding, according to Jeremy Porter, a data scientist at First Street. Instead, FEMA relies on data from coastal storm surges and large river flooding, even as climate change has made extreme rainfall events more common.

Univision [7/12/2025 7:49 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports according to documents reviewed by The New York Times, thousands of flood victims in Texas received no response when they called FEMA during the critical hours of the emergency. According to the report, on July 5, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem did not renew contracts with four companies, and as a result, on July 7, the federal agency only answered 15% of the calls survivors made that day seeking assistance. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [7/12/2025 4:24 PM, Filip Timotija, 18649K] reports Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) said during a recent interview that the government failed "at every level" in preparation and response to the deadly flooding in Texas that has killed more than 120 people. "There are families across the state in tears today, suffering so much loss, and this was totally unnecessary to have this big loss, so many lives, so many children’s lives taken when we have the technological means to do something about it," Doggett said during his Saturday morning appearance on MSNBC "Velshi.” "I believe there have been failures at every level of government, from the county to the state and the federal," Doggett told anchor Ali Velshi. Doggett mentioned President Trump bashing a Texas-based reporter on Friday, during his visit to the Lone Star State, who asked what his response would be to families who are upset about the alerts that did not go off in time before the floods. "Well, I think everybody did an incredible job under the circumstances," Trump responded on Friday, adding, "I just have admiration for the job that everybody did. There’s just admiration. The eh – only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you. I don’t know who you are. But only a very evil person would ask a question like that.” Doggett criticized the president’s response to the local CBS reporter. "Well, only a president who believes he should have no accountability at all, certainly not from the courts, not from the Congress, not from an inspector general, and in this case, continuing to attack the press when reporters point out that the National Weather Service, despite its dedication, had some problems," the Texas Democrat said on Saturday. "FEMA [Federal Emergency Management Agency] got its search and rescue teams there late and not as well trained because of the way things were run there at FEMA, one thing after another, at the federal level, contributed here, and this president refuses to accept any kind of accountability for what occurred," Doggett added. Doggett was one of the three Democrats who expressed concerns over whether National Weather Service staff cuts delayed warning about the floods. CNN reported on Thursday that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem recently introduced a new rule that any grant of contract over $100,000 would need her sign-off before funds could be dispatched. Noem slammed CNN during her appearance on Fox News, calling the reporting "fake news" and that it is "absolutely trash what they’re doing by saying that.” Trump defended Noem during his interview with NBC News, saying he did not "anything" about the rule. "We were there — in fact, she was the first one I saw on television. She was there right from the beginning, and she would not have needed anything. She had the right to do it, but she was literally the first person I saw on television," Trump said of Noem.

Reported similarly:
NewsMax [7/12/2025 6:29 PM, Jim Thomas, 4622K]

NBC News [7/12/2025 7:13 PM, Staff, 44540K] reports that as the recovery efforts continue after devastating flash floods in Texas Hill Country, NBC Dallas-Fort Worth obtained FEMA records revealing new details about alerts that were not sent when the flooding began. NBC News’ Ryan Chandler has more from hard-hit Kerr County. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NewsMax [7/12/2025 3:37 PM, Solange Reyner, 4622K] reports President Donald Trump has backtracked on the Federal Emergency Management Agency following the disastrous flash floods in Texas, saying Friday during a visit to the disaster zone that "we have some good people running FEMA" thanks to his hires, reported New York Times. "It’s about time, right? We get some good ones. They failed us in North Carolina, but when we got in on Jan. 20, they fixed it up in no time.” Trump in mid-June said he planned to phase out FEMA after this year’s hurricane season. "We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level," Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office. He later said, "A governor should be able to handle it. And, frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.” He also said the federal government would start distributing less federal aid for disaster recovery. Rhetoric from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on FEMA also seems to be shifting more toward reform. In March, Noem, whose department includes the agency, said, "We’re going to eliminate FEMA.” This week, she said the entire agency "needs to be eliminated as it exists today and remade into a responsive agency.” Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, told reporters Friday, "We want FEMA to work well. "And, you know, the president is going to continue to be asking tough questions from all of his agencies.” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, on Friday told The Hill that changes are coming to FEMA. "It’s not a secret that under Secretary Noem and acting Administrator [David] Richardson, FEMA, as it is today, will no longer exist," she said. "Federal Emergency Management will shift from bloated, D.C.-centric dead weight to a lean, deployable disaster force that empowers state actors to provide relief for their citizens. The old processes are being replaced because they failed Americans in real emergencies for decades," she added. "Under Secretary Noem’s leadership, the FEMA Review Council is developing a comprehensive plan for necessary change." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Post [7/13/2025 3:57 AM, Andrew Jeong, 32099K] reports a pair of rapidly growing wildfires in northern Arizona that have forced the temporary closure of parts of Grand Canyon National Park and prompted evacuations were burning uncontained on Saturday. The bigger of the two, the White Sage Fire, originated Wednesday about 15 miles southeast of Fredonia, Arizona, after a thunderstorm moved through the area, according to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. As of late Saturday, it had burned more than 19,000 acres near the unincorporated community of Jacob Lake, and firefighting efforts had not achieved containment. "The fire continues to exhibit extreme behavior, being driven by steady winds in very hot and dry conditions," federal authorities said in an update Saturday evening. Forecasts of strong "gusty and variable winds" combined with low relative humidity mean large fire growth is expected to continue, the Bureau of Land Management said in a report on the White Sage Fire. The National Park Service on Thursday had evacuated all visitors and campers at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park due to the White Sage Fire, which was burning about 30 miles from the Dragon Bravo Fire. The Dragon Bravo Fire had burned more than 5,000 acres as of late Saturday, and was sparked July 4 as a result of a lightning strike in the park, federal authorities said. "The Dragon Bravo Fire on the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park grew quickly overnight, jumping over several fire control lines," the National Park Service said in an update on Saturday. There are no reports of injuries or loss of life, it added. In addition to the North Rim, the North Kaibab Trail, the South Kaibab Trail and the Phantom Ranch area were also closed until further notice due to concerns about a potential chlorine gas leak related to the fire, the Park Service said. The South Rim remains open and operational, it added. Coconino County authorities "have issued evacuation notices for areas north and south of Jacob Lake and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon National Park," the Bureau of Land Management said.

Blaze [7/12/2025 10:43 AM, Joseph M. Hanneman, 1805K] reports a campaign staffer’s concerns over creating the best visuals for press photos of Donald J. Trump’s fateful 2024 rally in Butler, Pa., prevented the U.S. Secret Service from using large farm equipment on site to block the clear line of sight that was eventually used by would-be assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks to fire on Trump and rally attendees, a new report states. The Government Accountability Office report released Saturday by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said as a result, the Secret Service deviated from its plan and relied on a jumbo video screen and large American flag as options to mitigate the clear view Crooks later had from a building rooftop 130 yards from the stage. As the Secret Service developed its security plan for the Butler Farm Show Inc. grounds, "a Trump campaign staffer asked members of the Secret Service advance team not to use large farm equipment to address line-of-sight concerns near one of the buildings—the AGR building—located near the rally presentation stage," the report stated. The Secret Service advance team changed its plan for line-of-sight mitigation without consulting senior USSS officials, leaving top agency officials unaware of the shift in plans, the report said. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, on Friday issued a subpoena to FBI Director Kash Patel after months of failed attempts to get the bureau "to be more forthcoming." The new GAO report repeated previously noted Secret Service failures that contributed to the near assassination of President Trump. It said while the Secret Service has made strides in changing policies and practices to prevent another such an occurrence, more needs to be done.

The New York Post [7/12/2025 4:56 PM, Victor Nava, 49956K] reports senior-level Secret Service officials failed to share "classified threat information" related to President Trump with those assigned to protect him during the Pennsylvania campaign rally where he was nearly assassinated, according to a congressional watchdog report. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found the classified intelligence had been presented to Secret Service officials a full 10 days before the July 13, 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, but the agency’s "siloed practice for sharing" sensitive information resulted in few being aware of the threat against Trump’s life. "[T]he Secret Service had no process to share classified threat information with partners when the information was not considered an imminent threat to life," read the GAO report, released Saturday by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). The nature of the threat, described as "highly classified" by Secret Service officials in the report, is not explained. "Secret Service and local law enforcement personnel central to developing site security plans for the rally were unaware of the threat," the report notes, explaining members of the agency’s advance team assigned to the event in Butler did not receive the relevant information. The special agent in charge of the Secret Service’s Pittsburgh field office, which oversees the district where the rally took place, told the GAO he did not receive any information about a threat, either. "He reported that if he had received the threat information, he would have requested additional assets, such as ballistic glass, additional drone mitigation, and a full counter sniper advance team, among other assets," the report states. The Secret Service had "multiple opportunities to share this information" leading up to the rally "but repeatedly failed to do so," Gassley’s office contends. "One year ago, a series of bad decisions and bureaucratic handicaps led to one of the most shocking moments in political history," the senator said in a statement. "The Secret Service’s failure on July 13th was the culmination of years of mismanagement and came after the Biden administration denied requests for enhanced security to protect President Trump.” "Americans should be grateful that President Trump survived that day and was ultimately reelected to restore common sense to our country.” Secret Service Director Sean Curran said Saturday that his agency has reviewed the GAO report and is "committed to implementing all recommendations and have already made substantial progress on several of them.” "Following the events of July 13, the Secret Service took a serious look at our operations and implemented substantive reforms to address the failures that occurred that day," Curran said in a statement. "The Secret Service appreciates the continued support of President Trump, Congress, and our federal and local partners who have been instrumental in providing crucial resources needed to support the agency’s efforts.” The Daily Caller [7/12/2025 7:44 PM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K] reports that the nature of the threat remains undisclosed, but Secret Service officials reportedly deemed it "highly classified.". "This information was not more broadly shared across the Secret Service partly because the information was highly classified, which involved constraints from the Intelligence Community on sharing information," the report said. The report also said the Secret Service didn’t have a process to share "classified threat information" with partners that’s considered "a significant threat to security operations but not considered an imminent threat to life.". The report also said the information was general in nature and not specific to the Butler, Pa. event. The special agent in charge of the Pittsburgh field office, which oversees the area where the Butler rally was held, told investigators he had no knowledge of the threat ahead of time. The report said that if the Pittsburgh Special Agent in charge had received the threat information, he would have "requested additional assets, such as ballistic glass, additional drone mitigation, and a full counter sniper advance team, among other assets.". This site agent in Butler — tasked with identifying vulnerabilities — was new to the role and had never planned a large outdoor event, the report found. The report also raised red flags about the competence and preparedness of the Secret Service agents deployed to the rally. Of the 14 agents interviewed, five said they relied on their own judgment and previous experience due to lack of consistent protective guidance. The Secret Service also lacked functioning drones during the rally, according to the report. Some were diverted to the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, while others malfunctioned or were operated by inexperienced personnel. The assassination attempt left fire chief Corey Comperatore dead and two others injured. Trump survived after a bullet grazed his ear.

Reported similarly:
Washington Times [7/12/2025 10:22 AM, Lindsey McPherson, 2106K]
Washington Examiner [7/12/2025 3:51 PM, Barnini Chakraborty, 1934K]

Daily Caller [7/12/2025 3:38 PM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K] reports Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) has subpoenaed the FBI for records tied to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., citing a lack of transparency from federal authorities. Johnson, who chairs the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, is demanding surveillance footage, ballistic analysis, and drone data that could shed light on the movements and actions of 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks before he opened fire on July 13, 2024. "Nearly one year following the assassination attempt of President Trump, the American people still do not have answers to all of their questions about the breakdown of security at the Butler campaign rally and detailed information about the would-be assassin, Thomas Crooks," Johnson said in a statement Friday. "I look forward to [FBI Director Kash Patel’s] full cooperation." The subpoena, served to the FBI, seeks not just physical evidence and security reports, but also Crooks’ internet search history, social media activity, email records and call logs. Johnson criticized the bureau’s lack of cooperation and transparency over the past year. "I had expected the FBI to be more forthcoming with the public and provide my office with the records we have been seeking for months," the senator said.

The Hill [7/12/2025 12:20 PM, Steff Danielle Thomas, 18649K] reports President Trump, reflecting on the "crazy" rally shooting nearly a year ago, said he still feels pain in his ear but believes he was "saved by somebody very special" after a July 2024 assassination attempt. Trump was addressing a crowd in Butler, Pa., on July 13, 2024, when gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks climbed onto the roof of a nearby building and fired into the crowd. The shots killed one rallygoer and a bullet grazed the ear of the then-GOP frontrunner. Crooks was then shot and killed by Secret Service. The president and many of his allies have suggested that "God stepped in" to save him that day, and he leaned into that rhetoric on Friday. The assassination attempt has prompted several investigations, including a deeper look at training practices within the U.S. Secret Service. The former director resigned following a tense hearing on Capitol Hill and six agents were suspended earlier this month in connection with their "actions" during the rally.

FOX News [7/12/2025 10:00 AM, Deirdre Heavey, 46878K] reports a new report from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) outlines the U.S. Secret Service’s security failures during the first attempted assassination of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., one year ago. The report, ordered by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reveals that the Secret Service received classified intelligence regarding a threat to Trump’s life 10 days before the rally, but failed to share the information with other key agencies. It also identified a series of procedural and planning mistakes, including "misallocation of resources, lack of training and pervasive communication failures" that led to the near assassination. The agency has undertaken major reforms in the wake of the near assassination, according to Secret Service Director Sean Curran. Fox News confirmed ahead of the one-year anniversary of Trump’s first attempted assassination that six Secret Service agents were suspended without pay after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire at Trump during a rally in western Pennsylvania last summer. Supervisors and line-level agents were given suspensions ranging from 10 to 42 days without pay in February, the Secret Service confirmed to Fox News. And the news comes as Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., approved a subpoena to the FBI and Justice Department for more information on the Butler assassination attempt.

FOX News [7/12/2025 4:38 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Rep. Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., weighs in on a Senate report detailing what the Secret Service knew before President Donald Trump was shot in 2024 in Butler, Pa. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [7/13/2025 6:49 AM, Freddie Clayton, 44540K] reports a new Senate report into the attempted assassination of President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, last summer has revealed “multiple, unacceptable failures” in the U.S. Secret Service’s planning and response, and called for more severe disciplinary action. Trump, then a presidential candidate, was grazed by a bullet during the rally as 20-year-old gunman Thomas Crooks fired eight shots. One attendee, Corey Comperatore, was killed, and two others were injured. A sniper subsequently killed the gunman, but the attack prompted questions about how Crooks was able to avoid detection by the country’s top protective agency for nearly 45 minutes. “What happened was inexcusable and the consequences imposed for the failures so far do not reflect the severity of the situation,” stated the report released Sunday by the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, chaired by Senator Rand Paul, R-Ky. Last December, a House task force investigating the incident made nearly a dozen recommendations for the Secret Service in a 180-page report that determined the shooting was "preventable." The latest report details the series of breakdowns that reveal "a disturbing pattern of communication failure and negligence that culminated in a preventable tragedy.” It said the USSS became aware of a suspicious individual “nearly 45 minutes before shots were fired, and failed to act." Despite advance knowledge of line-of-sight vulnerabilities at the venue, officials did not address them, the report said, adding the agency assigned an inexperienced operator to oversee counter-unmanned aerial systems and that USSS headquarters "denied or left-unfulfilled at least 10 requests" by the Donald Trump Division for additional resources, including counter sniper personnel. Last July, six Secret Service employees were suspended without pay, an agency official told NBC News last week. The suspensions ranged from 10 to 42 days without pay. It is unclear when the agents were formally suspended. Less than two weeks after the incident, Kimberly Cheatle stepped down as director of the Secret Service amid bipartisan calls for her resignation. At the time, she said she took “full responsibility for the security lapse.” But the report also criticized the agency for “insufficient accountability” following the attack. “Not a single person has been fired,” it said. “The Committee believes more than six individuals should have received disciplinary action as a result of their action (or inaction) on July 13. 2024. Those who were disciplined received penalties far too weak to match the severity of the failures.” Investigators also found that the Secret Service “denied or left unfulfilled" multiple requests for additional staff, assets, and resources to protect President Trump. "This was not a single error. It was a cascade of preventable failures that nearly cost President Trump his life," it said. “The American people deserve better." On Saturday, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, released a separate Government Accountability Office report saying the USSS "failed to implement security measures that could have prevented the assassination attempt.”

Daily Caller [7/12/2025 5:54 PM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K] reports that the widow of Corey Comperatore, the Buffalo Township fire chief killed shielding his daughter during the July 2024 assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, slammed the Secret Service Saturday, saying suspensions handed to agents responsible are "not punishment.". Six Secret Service agents, including members from the Pittsburgh field office and Trump’s protective detail, received suspensions ranging from 10 to 45 days after security failures allowed Thomas Matthew Crooks to open fire at the rally in Butler, Pa. Crooks fired eight shots, killing Comperatore and wounding two others. Trump was grazed by a bullet but survived. "Suspending them when my husband was killed? You know, that’s not punishment," Helen Comperatore told "FOX & Friends Weekend," her voice breaking. "We really haven’t healed that much. We have no answers.". Though Helen believes Crooks "acted alone," she said she holds the Secret Service responsible for the botched security operation. "I believe that they failed my husband miserably, and I want answers from them," she said. "I want to sit down with the Secret Service and have them tell me everything that happened that day. Why was Butler such a failure? Why did Crooks walk around for an hour without being stopped?". Two weeks after the shooting, Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned amid the fallout. A September Senate report highlighted "multiple foreseeable and preventable planning and operational failures" by the agency that contributed to Crooks’ ability to carry out the attack.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [7/12/2025 12:17 PM, Victor Nava, 49956K]

FOX News [7/13/2025 6:00 AM, Diana Stancy, 46878K] Video HERE reports Presidential candidate Donald Trump took the stage at a routine campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, exactly a year ago, on July 13, 2024, one of hundreds he’d appeared at since announcing his first presidential campaign in 2015. But this rally turned out unlike any other of his political career. As Trump stood at the podium, with supporters holding signs that said "Joe Biden, you’re fired!" directly behind him, the president pointed to a chart detailing low illegal immigration numbers at the end of his first term and how they’d risen under the Biden administration. "That chart’s a couple of months old, and if you want to really see something that’s sad, take a look at what happened," Trump said, halting as the sound of gunshots pierced the air. Moments later, Trump ducked, and Secret Service agents rushed to his side. More gunshots followed, and attendees fearfully screamed while Trump remained covered, waiting for the all-clear sign. Once given the green light, Secret Service personnel rose alongside Trump to escort him from the stage. But Trump didn’t hide himself from his supporters. Instead, he emerged from the huddle, raised his fist high in the ai, and said "fight" three times, prompting the audience to erupt and chant "U-S-A!" as he exited. Ultimately, 20-year-old gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks fired eight bullets at Trump from a rooftop during the rally, with a bullet grazing Trump’s ear. The gunman also killed Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old firefighter, father and husband attending the rally, and injured two others. A Secret Service sniper killed Crooks during the shotting, and an FBI investigation remains in progress. No motive has been determined for why Crooks conducted the attack. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [7/12/2025 11:08 AM, Rich Calder, 49956K] reports the female US Secret Service agent immortalized alongside President Trump in the instantly iconic photo where he raised his fist and said "Fight! Fight! Fight!" after last year’s assassination attempt was raised in upstate New York and is admired by her colleagues, The Post can reveal. The 35-year-old agent — whose name was confirmed by sources but is being withheld by The Post for security reasons — grew up in Halfmoon, a small town in Saratoga County with roughly 25,000 residents. The Secret Service announced Thursday it suspended six agents without pay who were involved in securing the campaign rally site, but sources said none of the three agents in the iconic photo — including the woman — were disciplined. The Secret Service declined comment.

Washington Post [7/12/2025 7:00 AM, Danielle Paquette, 32099K] reports one year ago, eight bullets fired in under six seconds scarred the American psyche. Millions watched live as Donald Trump abruptly stopped speaking, clutched his ear and then dropped to the ground below a human shield of Secret Service agents. The gunman barely missed: A quarter-inch stood between the now-president of the United States and history-altering calamity. The attempted assassination jolted a fractured nation and transformed the 2024 campaign, boosting Trump in the polls after inspiring a minutes-later endorsement from the world’s richest man. It gravely wounded two Pennsylvanians and tore volunteer firefighter Corey Comperatore from his wife and daughters, whom he died trying to protect. It unleashed a torrent of conspiracy theories about the shooter, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, a registered Republican who the FBI said acted alone. It entrenched beliefs that political opponents aren’t just disagreeing; they’re at war. The Washington Post caught up with a dozen rallygoers who are still untangling how the brush with death that sweltering July afternoon warped their worlds. Some appeared in images captured by Post photographer Jabin Botsford before, during and after the shooting. Several described a lingering fear of crowds and a yearning to uncover more about how this happened. Others traced dramatic personal upheaval to the day Trump described as when God "spared my life for a reason" in Butler, Pennsylvania. All said they left changed.

NewsNation [7/12/2025 4:03 PM, Staff, 5801K] reports it’s video you’ll only see on Your News Leader. Law enforcement agents uncovered an unsuspecting device used to steal your credit card information at a North Memphis grocery store. The discovery was part of a secret service operation that took place this week to combat a crime targeting lower-income families. For the last two years, WREG Investigators have told you about the drastic rise in a ruthless crime. Criminals use devices to illegally capture EBT card information. They often duplicate the card and drain SNAP benefits within minutes of being deposited into a person’s account. It’s a tactic known as skimming. This week, the U.S. Secret Service gathered federal, state, and local partners for a highly coordinated operation to combat it. "We couldn’t do this without you. We do not have the manpower to go out and check the numbers that we have," Mark Switzer, special agent in charge of the Memphis field office, said in a morning briefing Tuesday. The goal was to find the illegal skimming devices while also educating businesses on what to look for. Twelve teams saturated West Tennessee and North Mississippi on Tuesday and Wednesday, and WREG Investigators got an exclusive look. "With a partnership with the USDA, we’ve identified a number of point-of-sale terminals for EBT cards and some potential points of compromise," Switzer said. We went out with one of the teams as they went from business to business inspecting ATMs, gas pumps, and point-of-sale terminals for skimming devices. "These things get placed right on top of the point-of-sale terminal," Switzer said. They look like the real deal. They capture the data as each button is pushed while also pushing the real buttons underneath. Switzer said the systems are becoming more sophisticated. Sometimes the criminals work in groups overseas. Other times, they gather the data and sell it on the dark web. "There’s a number of levels of criminals that are out there getting a hold of this information and then using it for their own purposes, whether that be for personal gain or whether that be to finance some type of other criminal activity," Switzer said. Agents pried off the skimming device they found at the grocery store in North Memphis. It unveiled a keypad and reader attached by double-sided tape stuck to the real one. It was marked as evidence. Agents will now work to find out who installed it and how long it’s been there. "It’s estimated that every skimmer that is recovered is about $1 million worth of fraud that we prevent," Switzer said. Agents went to more than 400 businesses. They inspected 2,200 point-of-sale terminals, 857 gas pumps, and 234 ATMs. Four skimming devices were found. Based on that number, it’s estimated this operation prevented around $4 million worth of fraud. These operations have been taking place across the country and are believed to have stopped more than $200 million in theft.

FOX News [7/12/2025 12:30 PM, Michael Dorgan, 46878K] reports Ryan Routh, the accused would-be assassin of President Donald Trump, has written an unusual letter to the judge asking why the death penalty isn’t on the table — and proposing that he be included in a prisoner swap with U.S. adversaries, even suggesting he be sent to freeze in Siberia in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier. Routh, who also said that he now wants to represent himself at trial, makes the outlandish requests in a letter to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon who is overseeing the federal criminal case against him. Routh is charged with attempting to assassinate Donald Trump, assaulting a federal officer and multiple firearms violations for the Sept. 15 incident in Florida, the second attempted assassination plot against Trump in a matter of months. The letter was filled with self-loathing and despair, and he also apologized to the judge and the courts for having initially accepted court-appointed attorneys but has now chosen to fire them. In the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 15, prosecutors say Routh set up a sniper hideout near Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. Armed with a military-grade SKS rifle that he had obtained illegally, Routh is accused of positioning himself in anticipation of Trump’s arrival to play golf. Before Trump came into range, Routh was spotted by Secret Service agents. When they confronted him, the agents opened fire, and Routh fled the scene, abandoning his rifle, officials said. During his attempted escape, he carried a written escape plan, multiple burner phones, fake IDs and stolen license plates, according to authorities. He was later arrested in Martin County the same day. NewsMax [7/12/2025 3:12 PM, James Morley III, 4622K] reports Ryan Routh is currently being held in a Miami federal prison for the alleged failed attempt on Trump’s life on Sept. 14 that was stopped by a Secret Service agent. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer, and several gun violations. In a June 29 letter, Routh lamented that he would not be eligible for the death penalty and asked that U.S. District Court Judge Aileen Cannon "trade" him for another country’s political prisoner. "[W]hy is the death penalty not allowed, at nearly 60 a life of nothingness without love — what is the point. Why is it not all or nothing?" he wrote. "I had wished for a prisoner swap with Hamas, Iran for a female protestor, or China for Jimmy Lai or one of the 40 others or to freeze to death in Siberia in exchange for a Ukrainian soldier so that I could die being of some use and save all this court mess — but no one acts; perhaps you have the power to trade me away," he wrote. "What an easy diplomatic vitory for Trump to give an American he hates to China, Iran or North Korea or wherever as a gesture of peace in exchange for an unjustly held democratic prisoner — everyone wins." Routh told Cannon on Thursday he wants to fire his court-appointed lawyers and represent himself, saying he will be ready to defend himself before a trial jury this fall. He made his request during a hearing in Fort Pierce. When the judge asked Routh, 59, whether he wanted her to appoint new attorneys to defend him, Routh replied: "No. I will represent myself." Routh is scheduled to stand trial in September, a year after prosecutors say a Secret Service agent thwarted his attempt to shoot Trump as he played golf. Routh has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to assassinate a major presidential candidate, assaulting a federal officer and several firearm violations.

Reported similarly:
Daily Caller [7/12/2025 2:54 PM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K]

FOX News [7/12/2025 7:00 AM, Kurt Knutsson, 46878K] reports healthcare data continues to be a top target for cybercriminals. In June alone, two major breaches compromised over 13 million patient records. Now, a newly confirmed Medicare data breach has affected more than 100,000 Americans. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) sent letters this week to those affected, confirming that hackers accessed sensitive data linked to Medicare.gov accounts. The breach traces back to suspicious activity starting in late 2023. According to CMS, cybercriminals used stolen personal data from external sources to fraudulently create Medicare.gov accounts. CMS has deactivated all affected accounts and is mailing new Medicare cards to the estimated 103,000 individuals affected. The agency says no confirmed identity theft cases have been reported yet. CMS stressed the action is being taken out of "an abundance of caution," but the breach raises questions about federal cybersecurity safeguards.

Washington Post [7/12/2025 8:28 AM, Vivian Ho, 32099K] reports a Pennsylvania man who beheaded his father and then displayed the severed head in a video he uploaded to YouTube was convicted Friday on murder and terrorism charges and sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Justin Mohn, 33, was found guilty of shooting his 68-year-old father, Michael Mohn, a federal employee, and then decapitating him at their suburban home on Jan. 30, 2024, Bucks County District Attorney Jennifer Schorn said in a statement. In the nearly 15-minute video Mohn posted after the killing, Mohn had called for the torture and execution of federal workers, espousing right-wing conspiracy theories in support of his manifesto. He also railed against immigration, the LGBT community, the Black Lives Matter movement and the antifa movement. The video was viewed about 5,000 times before YouTube took it down five to six hours later. Investigators discovered that Mohn had been planning for violence for at least five years, with his online history containing searches for purchasing handguns, sound levels of gunshots and bullet penetration of skulls, the district attorney’s office said. According to prosecutors, his writings included a "battle plan" as well as instructions for building explosives, research on federal buildings and terrorists like Timothy McVeigh, and "bounty posters" targeting politicians, judges and federal employees he deemed traitors. Mohn had also written from prison nearly two dozen letters to politicians and television personalities, in which he admitted his crimes and further pushed his political beliefs, the district attorney’s office said. Mohn’s conviction marked the first time a defendant has been found guilty of terrorism under Pennsylvania’s terrorism statute, the district attorney said.

New York Post [7/12/2025 8:16 PM, Chris Harris, 49956K] reports gunfire during a class reunion left four people injured in Tennessee Saturday — and now, police are on the hunt for the shooter. Authorities in Chattanooga have yet to release a description of the suspect, but have assured people no threat to the public exists, reported the Chattanooga Times Free Press. The four shooting victims were taken to an area hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries, according to multiple reports.

Washington Post [7/12/2025 8:00 AM, Kadia Goba, 32099K] reports someone using an outdated cellphone number belonging to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford (R-Arkansas) contacted at least one current and one former member of Congress seeking help with a purported project related to first lady Melania Trump. The impostor contacted Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Missouri) and disgraced New York GOP congressman George Santos via the popular messaging app Telegram and directed them to install a special “Phoner App” so more information could be shared with them about the alleged project, according to both Burlison and Santos. The incident, which occurred in June, is part of a growing trend of scams — some of them driven by artificial intelligence — targeting government officials and their staff through impersonation schemes. U.S. authorities are currently investigating a separate impersonation campaign from June that used AI technology to send voice and text messages purporting to be Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Separately, Crawford’s office confirmed that multiple individuals had been contacted via voice memo by someone using what appeared to be AI-generated imitations of Crawford’s voice. He reported the claims to the FBI, which did not respond to requests for comment. Members of Congress increasingly rely on Telegram, Signal and other text messaging apps to communicate with one another and the broader political ecosystem. But recent scams have prompted warnings. In a July 2 memo to senior congressional staff, the House Chief Administrative Office’s cybersecurity department advised staff to be "vigilant" of ongoing "smishing" and "vishing" campaigns targeting senior government officials.

Breitbart [7/12/2025 5:56 PM, Staff, 3077K] reports that the State Department on Friday began notifying 1,353 affected workers of their pending job losses as the department reduces its workforce by 15%. The people losing their jobs amid the downsizing work in positions that are being eliminated or consolidated, a State Department official told media on Thursday, NBC News reported. "This is the most complicated personnel reorganization that the federal government has ever undertaken," the official told reporters during a briefing. "It was done so in order to be very focused on looking at the functions that we want to eliminate or consolidate, rather than looking at individuals.". The State Department notified 1,107 civil service and 246 foreign service workers of their pending job losses, CBS News reported. The department plans to eliminate nearly 3,400 positions, including many who have already accepted voluntary departure offers this year. The State Department also will close or consolidate many U.S.-based offices as part of the reduction in force that is being done in accordance with a reorganization plan, which members of Congress received in March. The Trump administration says the downsizing is needed to eliminate redundancy and better enable the State Department to focus on its primary responsibilities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio created the downsizing plan, which he said is needed due to the department being too costly, ideologically driven and cumbersome, The New York Times reported. The downsizing isn’t going unchallenged on Capitol Hill. All Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Friday opposed the downsizing in a letter sent to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. "During a time of increasingly complex and widespread challenges to U.S. national security, this administration should be strengthening our diplomatic corps — an irreplaceable instrument of U.S. power and leadership — not weakening it," the Democratic Party senators said. "However, [downsizing] would severely undermine the department’s ability to achieve U.S. foreign policy interests, putting our nation’s security, strength and prosperity at risk.".

FOX News [7/12/2025 9:32 PM, Alexandra Koch, 46878K] reports FBI Director Kash Patel on Saturday squashed rumors of a rift inside the Trump administration’s law-and-order team, just hours before the president himself defended Attorney General Pam Bondi amid Jeffrey Epstein probe backlash. The criticism came after the FBI and Department of Justice on Sunday released a memo shutting down theories about an alleged Epstein client list, finding a tell-all document exposing his associates did not exist. Fueling the fire was a one-minute gap in a surveillance video from Epstein’s cell, which was part of the evidence the DOJ released. The review found the disgraced financier died by suicide in jail in 2019. Fox News reported Friday that Patel’s No. 2, Deputy Director Dan Bongino, was considering resigning if Bondi stayed on as head of the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. There were unconfirmed reports that Patel might step down as well, but he shot that down with a social media post Saturday, saying "conspiracy theories" about a potential resignation over Bondi’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files "just aren’t true.". "The conspiracy theories just aren’t true, never have been," Patel wrote. "It’s an honor to serve the President of the United States @realDonaldTrump — and I’ll continue to do so for as long as he calls on me.". Hours after Patel’s post, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to express unhappiness with his follower’s reaction. Trump supporters posted videos to social media Saturday afternoon charring MAGA hats in protest. "What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB," Trump wrote. "We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening.". He went on to describe Epstein as a "guy who never dies" and shifted blame to former President Barack Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA director John Brennan, and the Biden administration. "They created the Epstein Files, just like they created the FAKE Hillary Clinton/Christopher Steele Dossier that they used on me, and now my so-called ‘friends’ are playing right into their hands," Trump wrote. "Why didn’t these Radical Left Lunatics release the Epstein Files? If there was ANYTHING in there that could have hurt the MAGA Movement, why didn’t they use it?". Multiple sources told Fox News Digital Bongino and Bondi butted heads at a White House meeting Wednesday, with Bongino accusing Bondi of a "lack of transparency from the start" in the Epstein files probe. The former Secret Service agent-turned FBI official allegedly raised his voice at Trump’s White House chief of staff before storming out, and has since been weighing resignation over the episode, insiders said. Bondi and Patel, however, have presented a united front. Sources close to Bondi claim she has "no intention of stepping down" and the pair are in constant communication.

NBC News [7/12/2025 7:49 PM, Raquel Coronell Uribe, 44540K]
President Donald Trump has come out in support of embattled Attorney General Pam Bondi following a dispute between her and FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino over the Justice Department’s handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. The Justice Department decided not to release any additional Epstein files and has affirmed that there is no list containing Epstein’s clients. Bongino, frustrated with the DOJ’s decision, had a heated confrontation with Bondi and has considered resigning from his post amid the disagreement, according to a person who has spoken with Bongino and a source familiar with the interactions that Bongino and FBI Director Kash Patel have had with Bondi. Epstein died in 2019 while in custody, and a medical examiner ruled his death a suicide. He was facing sex trafficking and conspiracy charges. The handling of the Epstein files has become a flashpoint of disagreement among MAGA conservatives. Trump sought to unify his party Saturday as he came out in support of Bondi, taking to social media to say she is doing a "fantastic job" and that his administration should all be "one Team.". "What’s going on with my ‘boys’ and, in some cases, ‘gals?’ They’re all going after Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is doing a FANTASTIC JOB! We’re on one Team, MAGA, and I don’t like what’s happening. We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and ‘selfish people’ are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein," Trump wrote. The president went on to name-check Patel, saying his agency should be focused on a list of other priorities, "instead of spending month after month looking at nothing but the same old, Radical Left inspired Documents on Jeffrey Epstein." The list included calling for an investigation into the 2020 election, which Trump has repeatedly falsely claimed was rigged. "LET PAM BONDI DO HER JOB — SHE’S GREAT!" Trump wrote, adding that people should "not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.".

Reported similarly:
New York Post [7/12/2025 7:56 PM, Anna Young, 49956K]

The Hill [7/12/2025 5:03 PM, Filip Timotija, 18649K] reports Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang dismissed concerns over President Trump’s tariff agenda, saying the California-based company will "work through it" and emphasized that the U.S. needs to bolster its production of chips. "Nobody likes disruptions and no one likes abrupt changes, but these settlements will — President Trump will settle these deals and countries will reorganize and resettle, and we’ll work through it," Huang said in an interview with USA Today published on Friday. Trump has reshuffled U.S. trade policy since returning to the White House, and he has recently notified countries about the tariff rates some will face at the start of next month. The president has alerted nations about the "reciprocal" rate that will come into effect on Aug. 1, and some of warned of countermeasures and called for further negotiations. "Every single year there were rules and taxes and tariffs and policies and regulations, and we survived. I have every confidence that the world is going to survive this, companies will survive this and whatever it turns out to be, we’ll make the best of it," Huang said. This week, Nvidia became the first public-traded company to hit a market capitalization above $4 trillion. Huang met with Trump at the White House the same day. The two have had five meetings since the president took office on Jan. 20, USA Today reported. Huang said on Friday that the U.S. has to manufacture more semiconductors, arguing the push will yield benefits across various sectors. "Absolutely. I believe President Trump’s vision, his bold vision to manufacture in the United States, it’s great for our industries, it’s great for our society," the Nvidia head said to USA TODAY. "We’ve lost a lot of manufacturing capability and skills, which is really great for skilled craft and people that work with their hands and build things," he added. "We want to celebrate that. We want to bring that back to the United States. It’s very important to national security, industrial security, supply chain resilience.” His remarks come as a bipartisan duo, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.), sent a letter to Huang this week, asking him to reconsider an upcoming visit to China over national security concerns.

CBS News [7/12/2025 724 , Margaret Brennan, Erin Lyall, and Sharaf Mowjood 51860K] Video HERE reports the relatives of American Saifullah Kamel Musallet told CBS News on Saturday that the 20-year-old man from Tampa was beaten to death Friday by settlers in the Israel-occupied West Bank, where he was visiting family. Musallet was meant to be headed back to Florida this week, his relatives said. He was killed in a confrontation with settlers while protecting his family’s land in the town of Sinjil, north of Ramallah, according to his family and the Palestinian Health Ministry. Settlers allegedly surrounded Musallet for more than three hours, blocking an ambulance and paramedics from reaching him, according to a statement from the family. His younger brother carried him to an ambulance after the mob cleared, but Musallet died before reaching the hospital, the statement said. Mohammed Saber Zaben, the head of the local municipality of al Sharqiya, told CBS News on Friday that the majority of the landowners in his region are Palestinian-Americans who hold U.S. citizenship and that some have been physically attacked and had their property destroyed amid ongoing tensions between settlers and residents. He said the settlers have prevented Palestinian farmers from accessing their lands as part of a plan to establish an illegal outpost on the privately owned lands. Under international law, the areas are known as A and B within the Occupied West Bank. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [7/13/2025 12:19 AM, Staff, 56000K] reports Iran’s foreign minister said Saturday that his country would accept a resumption of nuclear talks with the U.S. if there were assurances of no more attacks against it, state media reported. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a speech to Tehran-based foreign diplomats that Iran has always been ready and will be ready in the future for talks about its nuclear program, but, “assurance should be provided that in case of a resumption of talks, the trend will not lead to war.” Referring to the 12-day Israeli bombardment of Iran’s nuclear and military sites, and the U.S. strike on June 22, Araghchi said that if the U.S. and others wish to resume talks with Iran, “first of all, there should be a firm guarantee that such actions will not be repeated. The attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities has made it more difficult and complicated to achieve a solution based on negotiations.” Following the strikes, Iran suspended cooperation with the U.N. nuclear watchdog, which led to the departure of inspectors. Araghchi said that under Iranian law, the country will answer the agency’s request for cooperation “case by case,” based on Iran’s interests. He also said any inspection by the agency should be done based on Iran’s “security” concerns as well as the safety of the inspectors. “The risk of proliferation of radioactive ingredients and an explosion of ammunition that remains from the war in the attacked nuclear sites is serious,” he said.He also reiterated Iran’s position on the need to continue enriching uranium on its soil. U.S. President Donald Trump has insisted that cannot happen. Israel claims it acted because Tehran was within reach of a nuclear weapon. U.S. intelligence agencies and the International Atomic Energy Agency had assessed Iran last had an organized nuclear weapons program in 2003, though Tehran had been enriching uranium up to 60% — a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in an interview published Monday said the U.S. airstrikes so badly damaged his country’s nuclear facilities that Iranian authorities still have not been able to access them to survey the destruction.

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