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 AP [7/7/2025 5:44 PM, Rebecca Santana and Gisela Salomon, 56000K] reports the Trump administration is ending the temporary status for nearly 80,000 Hondurans and Nicaraguans that has allowed them to live and work in the U.S. for a quarter of a century after a devastating hurricane hit Central America, according to federal government notices — a move that comes as the White House pushes to make more immigrants in the U.S. eligible for deportation. The notices are part of a wider effort by the current administration to make good on campaign promises to carry out mass deportations of immigrants. It’s doing this by going after people in the country illegally or those who’ve committed crimes that make them eligible for deportation but also by removing protections from hundreds of thousands of people, many admitted under the Biden administration. Temporary Protected Status is a temporary protection that can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary to people of various nationalities who are in the United States, which prevents them from being deported and allows them to work. The Trump administration has aggressively been seeking to remove the protection, thus making more people eligible for removal. The Department of Homeland Security said Monday in the Federal Register — in a notice set to become official on Tuesday — that Secretary Kristi Noem had reviewed the country conditions in Honduras and Nicaragua. She concluded the situations there had improved enough since the initial decision in 1999 that people currently protected by those temporary designations could return home. The department estimated that roughly 72,000 Hondurans and 4,000 Nicaraguans in the U.S. are covered by the status that will now expire in roughly two months. However, the TPS Alliance, which advocates for immigrants covered by these temporary protections, estimated that about 40,000 Hondurans would be affected because many had obtained legal residency through various immigration channels. Temporary Protected Status for both nationalities expired on July 5. The notices said the protections will be terminated 60 days after the notices are officially published in the Federal Register. The Hill [7/7/2025 12:38 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18649K] reports that, in announcing the move, the Trump administration called Honduras "a wonderful partner.” "Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that—temporary," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said. "It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago. Honduran citizens can safely return home, and DHS is here to help facilitate their voluntary return.” The statement on Nicaragua did not reference the authoritarian government of the country. "The impacts of a natural disaster impacting Nicaragua in 1999 no longer exist. The environmental situation has improved enough that it is safe enough for Nicaraguan citizens to return home. This decision restores integrity in our immigration system and ensures that TPS remains temporary," DHS said in its statement. The move is the latest in a series of revocations of TPS carried out by Noem, who has also lifted protections for Haitians, Venezuelans, Cameroonians and Afghans. For those four countries alone, lifting TPS would force hundreds of thousands to leave the U.S. Temporary protected status was issued for migrants from Nicaragua and Honduras after Hurricane Mitch devastated the countries, killing more than 10,000 in October 1998. In extending the status, former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas cited both widespread violence as well as violent crime in Honduras making conditions too dangerous to carry out deportations. A court order also kept the protections in place for both countries. The Trump administration has blasted TPS as an abuse of the immigration system, but many Democrats and immigration advocates say targeting those with legal status unwinds protections for those who have complied with immigration laws and have not committed crimes. The New York Times [7/7/2025 1:36 PM, Hamed Aleaziz, 138952K] reports Mr. Trump has for years criticized the T.P.S. program, which is intended to protect migrants from deportation if their home countries are facing natural disasters or conflict. The government periodically reviews the status but it can be renewed without limit, with the effect of giving migrants the ability to stay for an indefinite period. “Temporary Protected Status was designed to be just that — temporary,” Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, said in a statement. “It is clear that the Government of Honduras has taken all of the necessary steps to overcome the impacts of Hurricane Mitch, almost 27 years ago.” Citizens of Honduras and Nicaragua first received the protection after the countries were hit by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. “Honduras has made significant progress recovering from the hurricane’s destruction and is now a popular tourism and real estate investment destination,” the agency said in a federal register notice. The agency said that Honduras had created a program to welcome back its citizens. “Just like the decisions for Afghanistan, Haiti and Venezuela, this move by the Trump administration will cast tens of thousands into precarious situations, not to mention the follow-on repercussions for employers and communities who have relied on many from Honduras and Nicaragua who have been living and working here for years,” said Robyn Barnard, a senior director of refugee advocacy at Human Rights First. Blaze [7/7/2025 3:54 PM, Candace Hathaway, 1805K] reports that the DHS is moving to revoke Temporary Protected Status for certain Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals living in the U.S., which was set to expire on July 5, according to unpublished Federal Register notices. Honduran and Nicaraguan nationals residing in the U.S. will lose TPS 60 days after the notice is published in the Federal Register. CBS News [7/7/2025 2:55 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51860K] Video: HERE reports that the administration has now moved to dismantle TPS programs for hundreds of thousands of immigrants from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Haiti, Honduras, Nepal, Nicaragua and Venezuela, dramatically expanding the pool of those eligible to be arrested and deported by federal immigration authorities.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [7/8/2025 3:22 AM, Hamed Aleaziz, 330K]
New York Post [7/7/2025 4:29 PM, Josh Christenson, 49956K]
Bloomberg Law [7/7/2025 9:19 AM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 88K]
Breitbart [7/7/2025 1:51 PM, John Binder, 3077K]
NPR [7/7/2025 4:22 PM, Juliana Kim, 37958K]
CNN [7/7/2025 11:18 AM, Priscilla Alvarez, 875K]
FOX News [7/7/2025 11:28 AM, Preston Mizell, 46878K]
Daily Caller [7/7/2025 11:20 AM, Jason Hopkins, 1010K]
Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 12:48 PM, Annabella Rosciglione, 1934K]

Bloomberg [7/7/2025 9:48 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 1707K] reports the US Department of Homeland Security unlawfully terminated temporary protections for immigrants from Honduras, Nicaragua, and Nepal based on predetermined decisions, an immigration rights group argues in a new lawsuit. The agency violated the Administrative Procedure Act by canceling Temporary Protected Status designations without an objective review of conditions in those countries, the National TPS Alliance and several TPS recipients said in a complaint filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California. Removing those protections exposes tens of thousands of immigrants to deportation with other legal options for TPS recipients scarce. The terminations were also unlawful because the 60-day notice provided before they take effect is a sharp departure from past practices and because they were driven by unconstitutional racial animus, the plaintiffs argued. The TPS program allows immigrants from designated countries to remain in the US for up to 18 months at a time when conditions like armed conflict or natural disaster make their return unsafe. DHS is required by law to make an objective assessment of conditions again at least 60 days before a designation expires, before deciding whether protections should be renewed or terminated. Many TPS recipients have lived in the US for decades as protections have been extended multiple times. But the Trump administration has made curtailing TPS, along with other temporary humanitarian relief like Biden-era parole programs, a major piece of its immigration crackdown. DHS announced TPS terminations for Honduras and Nicaragua Monday after axing protections for Nepal in June.

The Washington Post [7/7/2025 2:11 PM, Anumita Kaur and MarianneLeVine, 32099K] reports a man was killed in an exchange of gunfire outside a U.S. Border Patrol facility in McAllen, Texas, on Monday after he opened fire near the building and law enforcement personnel confronted him, according to federal officials who are investigating the incident. Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, began shooting in the parking lot, aiming toward the building and law enforcement officials, just before 6 a.m., said John Saenz, a spokesman for the McAllen Police Department. One responding police officer, Ismael Garcia, a 10-year veteran of the force, was wounded in the knee and is being treated at a local hospital, Saenz said. He is in stable condition. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said two others were wounded, including a Border Patrol employee. “Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter,” according to a DHS spokesperson. “All three have gone to the hospital. This is an ongoing investigation led by the FBI.” Federal officials said there is no ongoing public safety threat but cautioned that people should avoid the area. Authorities have not determined a motive. Mosqueda was a Michigan resident, according to his forms of identification and his vehicle tags and registration, Saenz said. He was reported missing on Sunday from another address associated with him in Weslaco, Texas, a city near McAllen, the police spokesman added. NewsMax [7/7/2025 1:19 PM, Eric Mack, 4622K] reports “This morning an individual opened fire at the entrance of the United States Border Patrol sector annex in McAllen, Texas," a representative of the Department of Homeland Security, Tricia McLaughlin, wrote Monday in a statement to Newsmax, which was also posted to DHS’s X account. "Both Border Patrol agents and local police helped neutralize the shooter. "Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, including one shot in the knee. All three have gone to the hospital. This is an ongoing investigation led by the @FBI.” Federal agents returned fire at Mosqueda, who had an assault rifle and was carrying a utility vest, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez told reporters Monday morning. The New York Times [7/8/2025 3:22 AM, Christine Hauser and Mark Walker, 330K] reports that the gunman was identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda, 27, the police said. His last known address was in Ludington, Mich., but he had connections to Weslaco, Texas, about 16 miles east of McAllen. A motive for the shooting, which was being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, was not immediately known. The authorities said that Mr. Mosqueda had no known criminal record. Mr. Mosqueda was reported missing by his father, Jose Mosqueda, after he was stopped for a traffic violation by an officer with the Weslaco Police Department a little before 4 a.m. — about two hours before the shooting, Heriberto Caraveo, a department spokesman, said in an email. The elder Mr. Mosqueda told the authorities that he had last seen his son at about 2:30 a.m., the spokesman said. Mr. Mosqueda’s father told the officer that his son had a “mental deficiency,” but was not on any type of medication, Mr. Caraveo said. He also said that his son had weapons in his vehicle, Mr. Caraveo said. ABC News [7/7/2025 12:38 AM, Mireya Villarreal and Luke Barr, 31733K] reports the suspect never made it inside the building but fired "many, many rounds at the building," Rodriguez said. A photo of the door of the building showed the damage from bullets striking the glass. Mosqueda was "neutralized" by Border Patrol agents and local police, according to McAllen police and the Department of Homeland Security. Two officers and a Border Patrol employee were injured, including one officer who was shot in the knee, DHS said. He is expected to be fine, police said. Mosqueda was reported missing from a Weslaco, Texas, address at 4 a.m., police said, adding they don’t have more details on the missing person’s report. Mosqueda has a Michigan address and arrived in a car with Michigan tags, Rodriguez said. His car had additional weapons and ammunition inside, Rodriguez said. City officials said all flights at McAllen International Airport were delayed following the incident. Reuters [7/7/2025 2:17 PM, Staff, 51390K] reports Ryan Louis Mosqueda fired dozens of rounds at the entrance of the facility shortly before 6 a.m. and U.S. Border Patrol agents returned fire, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez told reporters. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security said a Border Patrol employee was also injured. Law enforcement found additional assault firearms and more ammunition in Mosqueda’s Chevrolet passenger car, which was parked nearby, Rodriguez added. "There were many, many, dozens of rounds fired by the suspect towards the building and agents in the building," he said. The facility where the shooting took place houses Border Patrol’s special operations teams, according to a former U.S. Customs and Border Protection official. Mosqueda is believed to have ties to the area as he was reported missing at 4 a.m. from a residence in Weslaco, about 18 miles (29 kilometers) east of McAllen, Rodriguez said, without giving further details. The FBI is leading the investigation as it involved an attack on federal officers and a federal building, Rodriguez said. The Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 12:02 PM, Morgan Kromer, 1934K] reports that the shooter was identified as Ryan Louis Mosqueda. His motive is unknown, but investigators believe it was a targeted attack on Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a post on X that such attacks will not be tolerated. "The Department [of Justice] has zero tolerance for assaults on federal officers or property and will bring the full weight of the law against those responsible," Blanche said. Border czar Tom Homan, who previously served as acting director of ICE, said on Fox News that attacks on ICE officers have increased since last year by 690% as of July 4. Homan cited Congress’s rhetoric as one reason for the increase in attacks. "We have senators, we have Congresspeople, that compare ICE to the Nazis, compare ICE to racists, and it just continues. The public thinks, ‘well if a member of Congress can attack ICE, why can’t we,’" Homan said.

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [7/7/2025 3:17 PM, Tali Arbel, 646K]
Axios [7/7/2025 2:28 PM, Sareen Habeshian, 13599K]
CBS News [7/7/2025 12:59 PM, Sarah Lynch Baldwin and Nicole Sganga, 51860K]
NBC News [7/7/2025 2:05 PM, Mirna Alsharif, 44540K]
(B) NBC News Daily [7/7/2025 1:31 PM, Staff]
CNN [7/7/2025 10:54 AM, Holmes Lybrand, 875K]
FOX News [7/7/2025 5:22 PM, Peter Pinedo, 46878K]
USA Today [7/7/2025 12:35 PM, Natalie Neysa Alund, 75552K]
Daily Wire [7/7/2025 6:28 AM, Zach Jewell, 3816K]

CBS News [7/7/2025 11:26 PM, Staff, 51860K] Video: HERE reports officials said Monday that a planned ambush led to an officer being shot in the neck outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, in the late-night hours of the Fourth of July.

Axios [7/7/2025 12:00 PM, Andrew Solender, 46878K] reports that at town halls in their districts and in one-on-one meetings with constituents and activists, Democratic members of Congress are facing a growing thrum of demands to break the rules, fight dirty — and not be afraid to get hurt. Why it matters: House Democrats told Axios they see a growing anger among their base that has, in some cases, morphed into a disregard for American institutions, political traditions and even the rule of law. "This idea that we’re going to save every norm and that we’re not going to play [Republicans’] game ... I don’t think that’s resonating with voters anymore," said one House Democrat. Another told Axios that a "sense of fear and despair and anger" among voters "puts us in a different position where ... we can’t keep following norms of decorum." Axios spoke to more than two dozen House Democrats for this story, with many requesting anonymity to offer candid insights about their interactions with constituents and activists. Zoom out: For months, Democratic lawmakers have fumed that their base’s demands to "fight harder" misunderstand the lack of legislative and investigative power afforded to the minority party in Congress. "We’ve got people who are desperately wanting us to do something ... no matter what we say, they want [more]," said Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), the chair of the center-left New Democrat Coalition, told Axios. Liberal voters have angrily accosted Democrats at town halls for — in their view — not doing enough to counter President Trump’s agenda. In response, some Democrats have tried to up the ante: Heckling Trump, mounting rogue impeachment attempts, and getting tackled by law enforcement and even indicted in their efforts to scrutinize the president’s deportation campaign. What we’re hearing: The grassroots wants more. "Some of them have suggested ... what we really need to do is be willing to get shot" when visiting ICE facilities or federal agencies, a third House Democrat told Axios. "Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough ... [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public," the lawmaker said. A fourth House Democrat said constituents have told them "civility isn’t working" and to prepare for "violence ... to fight to protect our democracy." A fifth House Democrat told Axios that "people online have sent me crazy s*** ... told me to storm the White House and stuff like that," though they added that "there’s always people on the internet saying crazy stuff." Between the lines: While other Democratic lawmakers said their discussions haven’t gone that far, nearly every one who spoke to Axios cited examples of voters’ panic and fury fueling demands to adopt brute force tactics. A sixth House Democrat said that when they try to persuade voters to channel their frustration into a focus on winning back Congress in 2026, "people who are angry don’t accept that. They’re angry beyond things." "It’s like ... the Roman coliseum. People just want more and more of this spectacle," said a seventh lawmaker. What they’re saying: Schneider, like other Democrats, said Trump impeachment efforts have proven extremely popular with grassroots voters and that, even as he has tried to shoot them down as impractical, some simply find the idea "irresistible." Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), a high-profile progressive, said he believes "the most effective pushback to Trump’s unconstitutional actions is to model a reverence for the Constitution and the rule of law." Zoom in: Many lawmakers said these voters tend to be white, well-educated and live in upscale suburban or urban neighborhoods. "What I have seen is a demand that we get ourselves arrested intentionally or allow ourselves to be victims of violence, and ... a lot of times that’s coming from economically very secure white people," said an eighth House Democrat. "Not only would that be a gift to Donald Trump, not only would it make the job of Republicans in Congress easier if we were all mired in legal troubles ... [we are] a group that is disproportionately people of color, women, LGBTQ people — people who do not fare very well in prison." The bottom line: "The expectations aren’t just unreal. They’re dangerous," the eighth House Democrat said. A ninth lawmaker told Axios: "I actually said in a meeting, ‘When they light a fire, my thought is to grab an extinguisher,’" a ninth House Democrat told Axios. "And someone at the table said, ‘Have you tried gasoline?’"

Breitbart [7/7/2025 7:03 PM, Joshua Klein, 3077K] reports Republican lawmakers are blasting Democrats over incendiary rhetoric - including calls for "blood" and warnings of being "willing to get shot" - which they say fueled a violent ambush on federal Border Patrol agents in McAllen, Texas, just hours after a bombshell report revealed the left’s increasingly militant push to fight against President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. In an Axios article published Monday, one Democrat lawmaker admitted, "Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough … [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public." According to the report, another added that activists are urging members to be "willing to get shot" when entering ICE facilities. In addition, dozens of Democrats said their supporters are becoming increasingly hostile - displaying "disregard for American institutions, political traditions and even the rule of law." Just hours later, 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda arrived in tactical gear and opened fire outside a Border Patrol annex in McAllen - injuring three, including a police officer shot in the knee, before agents fatally shot him. DHS confirmed the incident and said a full investigation is underway. In response, GOP members issued a wave of public statements condemning Democrat rhetoric and demanding accountability. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) condemned the rhetoric and its consequences. "When Democrats assault our brave law enforcement officers with their actions and rhetoric it encourages unstable people to go even further," he stated. "We call on every elected official to insist that law enforcement MUST be treated with the dignity and respect they deserve." On Monday, acting ICE director Tom Homan warned that leftist rhetoric has pushed some activists from protest to violence. "We have senators, we have Congress people that compare ICE to the Nazis… Attacks on ICE are up 700 percent," he stated.

FOX News [7/7/2025 1:11 PM, Kristine Parks, 46878K] reports border czar Tom Homan demanded Democratic politicians tone down their rhetoric against immigration officials after a Texas police officer was shot outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center over the weekend. "The rhetoric against the men and women of ICE is skyrocketing, especially by members of Congress," Homan told "America’s Newsroom" on Monday. "We have senators, we have congresspeople [who] compare ICE to the Nazis, compare ICE to racists, and it just continues. So the public thinks, well, if a member of Congress can attack ICE, why can’t we?". The rhetoric "has to stop," he warned, "or it’s a matter of time one of the ICE officers goes down or a criminal goes down. We’ve already seen an officer go down.” The officer was shot Friday night near the Prairieland Detention Facility in Alvarado, Texas, authorities said. The Department of Homeland Security said that more than a dozen agitators slashed the tires of federal vehicles and damaged security cameras at the ICE facility. The attack follows ongoing protests outside a DHS detention facility in Portland amid backlash against President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement agency. Homan said that attacks against ICE officers and federal agents conducting immigration enforcement are up nearly 700% compared to the same time last year. Democratic Rep. Stephen Lynch of Massachusetts and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz were criticized by conservatives in June after they compared federal immigration operations to the Gestapo, the infamous secret police force in Nazi Germany. Homan called on blue state politicians to be more responsible in their criticism of immigration officials, reminding them that these officers have families too. "We’re talking about life and death here. These men and women of ICE, the men and women of border patrol, they’re mothers and fathers too. They don’t hang their heart on a hook when they go to work," he said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [7/7/2025 2:11 PM, Diana Stancy, 46878K] Video HERE reports the White House is calling on Democrats in Congress to ramp down heated language toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and agents for Customs and Border Protection (CBP), after a gunman opened fire upon Border Patrol agents at an annex facility in McAllen, Texas, Monday. The Department of Homeland Security reported earlier in July that assaults against ICE officers and other federal immigration agents have risen nearly 700% in comparison to 2024. Specifically, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Democrats like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., should set up a meeting with ICE and CBP agents. "We certainly call on Democrats to tone down their rhetoric against ICE and Border Patrol agents, who, again, are everyday men and women. I would encourage AOC and other Democrats to actually meet with the United States Border Patrol," Leavitt told reporters on Monday. "These are honorable Americans who are just simply trying to do their job to enforce the law. They go home to their families every night, just like we all do, and they deserve respect and dignity for trying to enforce our nation’s immigration laws and to remove public safety threats from our communities." A spokesperson for Ocasio-Cortez did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Federalist [7/7/2025 2:21 PM, Abigail Nichols, 1142K] reports in a Monday article published by Axios, Democrat leaders told the outlet their supporters want more from them, including blood, to fight against Trump’s illegal immigration efforts. That same day, a man with a rifle and tactical gear shot at Border Patrol agents and local law enforcement in McAllen, Texas, resulting in a police officer being injured and the shooter being killed, according to Fox News. “Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough … [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public,” one anonymous House Democrat told Axios. The congressman said that “grassroots” supporters are telling lawmakers that when they enter ICE facilities, they need to be “willing to get shot.” Axios reported that more than two dozen Democrat representatives who spoke to publication are seeing more anger from constituents over the Democrats “not doing enough to counter President Trump’s agenda.” It has even “morphed into a disregard for American institutions, political traditions and even the rule of law,” according to Axios. “What I have seen is a demand that we get ourselves arrested intentionally or allow ourselves to be victims of violence, and … a lot of times that’s coming from economically very secure white people,” another anonymous House Democrat told Axios. In recent months, multiple Democrat politicians have come under fire for their behavior undermining the Trump administration’s immigration policies. New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani he screamed as he tried to rush at border czar Tom Homan, forcing security to hold him back. Senator Alex Pedilla yelled, approached the podium, and resisted security’s effort to remove him during a Department of Homeland Security press conference. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass blamed Trump for the chaos and violence in L.A. “The rhetoric against the men and women of ICE is skyrocketing, especially by members of Congress,” border czar Tom Homan said on Monday as he responded to law enforcement officers in Texas being shot at by a “typical protestors who go from protestor to criminal.” “We have senators, we have Congress people that compare ICE to the Nazis, compare ICE to racists, and it just continues,” Homan stated.

The Daily Caller [7/7/2025 3:13 PM, Skye Graham, 1010K] reports physical attacks against immigration agents are surging as Democratic lawmakers admitted Monday that their constituents have been egging on violence against the Trump administration. An active shooter with a rifle attacked border patrol agents at an ICE facility in McAllen, Texas Monday morning. Authorities believe the attack was targeted. A police officer was separately shot in the neck on Friday outside of an ICE facility in Alvarado, Texas. Meanwhile, Democratic constituents are making clear that they expect lawmakers to take violent action to combat Trump’s deportation policies. President Trump’s Border Czar Tom Homan has repeatedly warned lawmakers that anti-ICE rhetoric will lead to violence against officers. Free Beacon [7/7/2025 2:00 PM, Matthew Xiao, 773K] reports House Democrats are warning that their base has become increasingly radicalized and doesn’t think lawmakers are doing enough to fight against the Trump administration, with some voters urging them to spill "blood" and "be willing to get shot.” "Some of them have suggested … [that] what we really need to do is be willing to get shot" when visiting ICE facilities or federal agencies, one of more than two dozen House Democrats interviewed by Axios said. "Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough … [that] there needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public." Another House Democrat told Axios that constituents are declaring "civility isn’t working" and calling for "violence … to fight to protect our democracy." Just hours after Axios published the report, a gunman wearing tactical gear opened fire at Border Patrol agents and police officers, injuring three, in what law enforcement says was a deliberate ambush outside a federal annex facility in McAllen, Texas. Agents and local police returned fire and killed the shooter, identified as 27-year-old Ryan Louis Mosqueda. According to the report, not every House Democrat said their constituents were calling for violence. But "nearly every one who spoke to Axios cited examples of voters’ panic and fury fueling demands to adopt brute force tactics," the outlet reported.

FOX News [7/7/2025 11:12 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin sends a warning to those committing unrest over deportations on ‘Hannity.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The AP [7/7/2025 6:08 PM, Jim Vertuno, Nadia Lathan and John Seewer] reports the death toll from catastrophic flooding in Texas over the July Fourth weekend has surpassed 100 as the massive search continues for missing people. The number of deaths reached 104 on Monday. In hard-hit Kerr County, home to Camp Mystic and several other summer camps, searchers have found the bodies of 84 people, including 28 children, Kerr County officials said. Authorities overseeing the search for flood victims in Texas said they will wait to address questions about weather warnings and why some summer camps did not evacuate ahead of the catastrophic flooding. The officials spoke only hours after the operators of Camp Mystic, a century-old all-girls Christian summer camp in the Texas Hill Country, announced that they lost 27 campers and counselors to the floodwaters. Meanwhile, search-and-rescue teams carried on with the search for the dead, using heavy equipment to untangle trees and wading into swollen rivers. Volunteers covered in mud sorted through chunks of debris, piece by piece, in an increasingly bleak task. With additional rain on the way, more flooding still threatened in saturated parts of central Texas. Authorities said the death toll was sure to rise. Authorities vowed that one of the next steps would be investigating whether enough warnings were issued and why some camps did not evacuate or move to higher ground in a place long vulnerable to flooding that some local residents refer to as “flash flood alley.” That will include a review of how weather warnings were sent out and received. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, said recent government spending cuts to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service did not delay any warnings. President Donald Trump, who signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County and plans to visit the area, said Sunday that he does not plan to rehire any of the federal meteorologists who were fired this year. Breitbart [7/7/2025 8:20 PM, Staff, 3077K] reports that in the torrential rainfall that began early Thursday, the Guadalupe River in Kerr County rose 20 feet in just two hours, 65 miles north of San Antonio and 101 miles west of Austin. Hunt, where the girls camp is located near Kerrville, received about 6.5 inches in three hours early Friday. And the area was hit with more rain over the weekend and Monday. But drier weather is forecast for Tuesday as the Guadalupe River has returned to more typical levels. The Llano River and San Saba River also dramatically rose. Eighty-four of the confirmed deaths, 56 adults and 28 children, occurred in Kerr County, Sheriff Larry Leitha said at a news conference Monday. Of the bodies, 22 adults and 10 children have not been identified. "We share our deepest condolences with all affected by this tragedy," a post by the sherif’s office said. "We ask private boat owners to stay off the Guadalupe River and its tributaries at this time to allow search and rescue teams to operate without interference." Travis County, which includes the state capital in Austin, has confirmed at least seven deaths. Also, four people are dead in Burnet County, six in Kendall County, two in Williamson County and one in Tom Green County. All-out searches are continuing. "There’s always hope," Jake Stovall, founder and director of Gulf Search and Rescue, told CNN about his all-volunteer crew of nine. "I’ve done this long enough. I’ve found people four days later and 20 foot up in a tree, clinging into the tree, dehydrated … We’re out here trying to find everybody alive, and if we find them deceased, then we, respectfully and with dignity, recover them." President Donald Trump signed an emergency declaration on Sunday after Gov. Greg Abbott declared 20 counties as affected over the weekend. The declaration authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to free up additional resources to assist with the response to the flooding. The declaration will ensure the counties "are going to have access to every tool, strategy, personnel that the state of Texas can provide to them, which will be limitless," Abbot said. More than 20 states have sent resources, including Florida, where Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered three swift-water rescue teams to the Lone Star state. A water rescue crew and two horseback riders arrived Monday from Mexico, as well. Also, 1,750 personnel and more than 975 vehicles have been deployed, the governor said in a statement. Trump told reporters Sunday he plans to visit Texas "probably on Friday." More than 850 uninjured people and eight hurt were rescued in Kerr County. The U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for saving 223 people. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted video of rescues. She singled out Chief Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, who "saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas. This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene." The Hill [7/7/2025 12:31 PM, Cate Martel, 18649K] reports that the deadly flash flooding has raised questions about preparing for these types of weather events, as well as warning the public. Some have pointed fingers at the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) for underestimating the fatal event. Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) suggested that the NWS cuts should be investigated. Keep in mind the NWS has defended its forecast. And the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed "the mainstream media" for "deliberately lying about the events leading up to the catastrophic flooding in Texas." The DHS then posted its timeline of its forecasting. The Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 12:06 PM, David Zimmermann, 1934K] reports President Donald Trump on Sunday signed a major disaster declaration to assist the emergency response in Kerr County. Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) issued a state-level disaster declaration on Friday and has since expanded it to include additional counties. More than 850 people have been rescued so far, and officials have said they are committed to searching until everyone is accounted for. Visiting Texas over the weekend, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said the Trump administration is committed to using "all the resources at the federal government" to help in the search and rescue operations. Texas Republicans at the federal level, including Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and John Cornyn (R-TX), have said they are closely monitoring the situation in their state as it develops. "There’s going to be a lot of finger-pointing, a lot of second-guessing and Monday morning quarterbacking," said Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), whose district includes Kerr County. "There’s a lot of people saying ‘why’ and ‘how,’ and I understand that.” Trump said he plans to visit the areas hit hardest by the natural disaster "probably" on Friday.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [7/7/2025 5:39 PM, Matthew Cullen, 138952K]
Bloomberg [7/7/2025 6:38 PM, Joe Lovinger, 19320K]
NPR [7/7/2025 12:41 PM, Rachel Treisman and Jaclyn Diaz, 37958K]
Reuters [7/7/2025 8:19 AM, Brendan O’Brien, 51390K]

ABC News [7/8/2025 4:30 AM, Staff, 31733K] reports search and rescue crews are searching for survivors in central Texas after catastrophic flooding over the Fourth of July holiday devastated the area.[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [7/7/2025 2:52 PM, Karen Hua, John Kelly, Nikki Nolan, and Paula Cohen, 51860K] reports the extreme rainfall and flash flooding that swept through central Texas in the early morning hours of July 4 left local officials and residents stunned by its sudden and deadly ferocity. More than 100 people were killed, including more than two dozen campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Kerr County. Many local residents say they did not receive any emergency alerts on their phones or did not understand the severity of the warnings they saw. CBS News analysis shows there were 22 warnings sent by the National Weather Service for Kerr County and the Kerrville area, with escalating language about the urgency of the situation. There were no alerts sent by local government officials in Kerr County or neighboring Bandera County, to its south; they were reliant on National Weather Service alerts. A number of other weather service messages had been sent July 2-3 to western and central areas of the state about the risk of flooding, but none foresaw the 20 inches of rain that would drench some locations when storms converged with added moisture from the remnants of Tropical Storm Barry, moving northwards from Mexico. This timeline is based on CBS News analysis of data from real-time alerts kept by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which tracks all emergency alerts sent by the National Weather Service and local governments.

The Hill [7/7/2025 8:51 AM, Sarah Fortinsky, 18649K] reports Camp Mystic in a statement posted on its website said 27 of its campers and counselors died in the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, over the Fourth of July weekend. "Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe river," the camp said in the statement. "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly." The camp said search and rescue operations continue, and they are in communication with local and state authorities "who are tirelessly deploying extensive resources to search for our missing girls.” The Kerr County Sheriff’s Office stated that, as of Sunday morning, 11 campers from Camp Mystic and one counselor were still unaccounted for. "We are deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from community, first responders, and officials at every level. We ask for your continued prayers, respect and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us," the statement continued. Trump signed a "major disaster declaration" for Kerr County, Texas, on Sunday morning, "to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need," he wrote in a Truth Social post.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [7/7/2025 3:45 PM, Alex Sundby, 51860K] Video: HERE

FOX News [7/7/2025 10:00 AM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the ‘horrific’ flooding in Texas and the response from the Trump administration.

Breitbart [7/7/2025 11:38 PM, Ian Hanchett, 3077K] reports that, on Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Fox & Friends,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the response to the floods in Texas “is exactly what President Trump has envisioned for FEMA” and stated that local officials have run the response and FEMA was there to plug the gaps and give a disaster declaration. Co-host Emily Compagno asked, “Madam Secretary, you stood next to the President as he talked about dismantling FEMA in favor of greater autonomy and targeted resources under the control of state and local officials. Does this tragic situation underscore that need for you, or does that change that dynamic of what would work best moving forward?” Noem answered, “I think what we’ve seen here is exactly what President Trump has envisioned for FEMA, is, immediately allowing the state to do the response and supporting them in every way that they can. So, this response was driven by Gov. Abbott (R) and his emergency management director and the local officials that were on the ground and we were immediately there to fill in the gaps where they needed and to give them their disaster declaration as soon as possible, which happened, almost immediately, as soon as the Governor asked. That’s the FEMA and how it should operate, rather than how it operated under the Biden administration and previous administrations, where it was slow to respond, slow to get resources there. We already have emergency response teams on the ground that have been there from the very beginning and then we want to empower the states to do the response that’s necessary to best serve their people. So, the FEMA that President Trump wants in place is one that takes care of people, but also empowers those people who live in those communities that know how best to respond to have the authority to do so.”

Washington Post [7/7/2025 3:12 PM, Dan Lamothe, 32099K] reports Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan touched down by helicopter Friday afternoon at Camp Mystic after treacherous weather in Texas improved just enough to reach the site of devastating and deadly flooding. Cold, wet, scared children greeted him, many shivering in mud with no shoes. Ruskan, 26, was part of an initial rescue effort after the Guadalupe River surged by more than 20 feet in less than two hours early Friday, killing at least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian retreat in rural Hunt, Texas. Across the region, at least 90 people were killed, authorities said Monday, with others still missing. While local authorities dispatched rescue workers to the region, the Coast Guard and Texas National Guard quickly joined the mission, sending military support to flood-afflicted areas. Texan officials said Sunday night that the National Guard’s Black Hawk helicopters had rescued 361 people, with 159 more people recovered by ground. Coast Guard officials said on social media that they dispatched the distinctive orange and white MH-65 Dolphin helicopters, evacuating 15 people from Camp Mystic and assisting in the rescue of 230 more. Ruskan, of Oxford, New Jersey, was at the center of that effort on Friday afternoon, and credited by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem with organizing the rescue of 165 people. He and his team — aircraft commander Lt. Ian Hopper, co-pilot Lt. Blair Ogujiofor and flight mechanic Seth Reeves — were summoned from the Coast Guard air station in Corpus Christi, Texas, more than 200 miles southeast of Camp Mystic. The Houston Chronicle [7/7/2025 4:50 PM, Jarrod Wardwell, 1982K] reports Ruskan was part of a four-person Coast Guard flight crew that landed at Camp Mystic early Friday afternoon and carried scores of campers to safety, away from the flooding disaster that killed at least 82 people total. When asked about the other 35 or so people in the crowd, Coast Guard officials said they did not "have clarity on the status of those rescued and would have to defer to local authorities." During the rescue mission, Ruskan said he was the only first responder at Camp Mystic, having traveled there with two pilots and a flight mechanic. The crew took off for Central Texas from Corpus Christi at about 6:30 a.m. and took seven or eight hours to reach the camp grounds due to the weather conditions in Texas.

Reported similarly:
CBS News [7/7/2025 5:38 PM, Christine Sloan, 51860K]
CNN [7/7/2025 6:08 PM, Zoe Sottile, 21433K]

Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 6:44 PM, Heather Hunter, 1934K] reports the White House is honoring U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan for his extraordinary bravery after saving 165 lives during the catastrophicTexas floods, a rescue effort that was not only his first-ever mission but one carried out under some of the worst flying conditions his team had ever faced. "Scott Ruskan and his aircrew saved 165 lives on their first mission during the Texas floods," the White House posted Monday on X. "From the U.S. Military to first responders and volunteers - these brave Americans remind us who we are. When disaster strikes, they don’t run from the storm. They run into it." The Department of Homeland Security also recognized Ruskan and his team, noting in a statement, "During the first rescue mission of his career, Rescue Swimmer Scott Ruskan directly saved 165 individuals… The Department of Homeland Security applauds the 65 Aircrew members for their heroism and bravery, including Lt. Ian Hopper, Lt. Blair Ogujiofor, and Flight Mechanic Seth Reeves." Ruskan, a 26-year-old rescue swimmer based in Corpus Christi, was deployed early on July 4 after devastating flash floods hit central Texas. The region, particularly Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp along the Guadalupe River, became the epicenter of tragedy, with floodwaters surging. Launched at dawn from Air Station Corpus Christi, Ruskan’s team battled through nearly seven hours of turbulence and near-zero visibility to reach Camp Mystic. "It was supposed to be a one-hour flight," Ruskan latertold Good Morning America. "It turned into a white-knuckle, seven-to-eight-hour operation just to land safely." Ruskan volunteered to stay behind to free up additional space in the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter, allowing more evacuees to be airlifted. With no other first responders immediately present, Ruskan became the camp’s sole triage coordinator, medical contact, and source of emotional support for nearly 200 terrified girls, many still in pajamas and some wearing only one shoe. "They were scared, cold, wet, and desperate for answers," Ruskan recalled. "But they looked to me for comfort and safety, and I had to live up to that."

CBS News [7/7/2025 5:38 PM, Christine Sloan, 51860K] reports a New Jersey man with the U.S. Coast Guard is being hailed as a hero for helping rescue more than 165 people from the deadly Texas floods. Many of those rescued were girls staying at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, where at least 27 other campers and counselors died in the devastating flash flooding. As the Guadalupe River surged in Texas on the Fourth of July, Coast Guard rescue swimmer Scott Ruskan, who is from New Jersey, flew with his team through severe weather to get to Camp Mystic, where hundreds were trapped. "We decided the best course of action was to leave me there," Ruskan said. Ruskan, 26, was on his first mission out of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. He found himself on the ground in the flood zone, setting up triage and comforting many girls at the camp. "It was pretty traumatic. You have a lot of kids who are having probably the worst day of their life, they are missing friends, they are missing loved ones, they don’t know where they are," Ruskan said. Ruskan and colleagues from the Air National Guard rescued 165 victims from the flood. "They were in need of airlift. There was no other way to get them out. Bridges were gone, roadways were gone, and the water was coming up too high for boat rescue. The only option was airlift," Ruskan said. Ruskan credited his crew. His family said he did exactly what he was trained to do. Ruskan was sworn in to the U.S. Coast Guard while at Rider University during the height of the COVID pandemic. His mother and aunt said the Warren County, N.J., native went to college for accounting but quickly realized saving lives was his calling. "Very proud. He is doing what he loves to do. This is exactly what he wants to do," his mother, Eileen Ruskan, said. "We are just grateful for him, you know, on the other hand, so full of sadness for these people that are living through what really he has tried to help and do his very best in," his aunt, Marie Rowan, said. "My thoughts and prayers go out to all the families that are involved in this today and the last few days," Eileen Ruskan said. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [7/7/2025 9:14 PM, Miriam Waldvogel, 18649K] reports President Trump told reporters Monday that he planned to visit Texas on Friday after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas over the weekend. At least 100 people are dead across six counties, including more than two dozen counselors and young campers from a Christian summer camp for girls. “That was a terrible event, terrible event,” Trump said. “Texas was just absolutely, so badly hurt by something that was a big surprise late in the evening.” It’s not clear yet where Trump will visit. The floods occurred along Texas’s Guadalupe River, roughly an hour’s drive northwest of San Antonio. Torrential rain from Thursday to early Friday morning resulted in deadly flash floods in towns such as Kerrville, Ingram, and Hunt, along with summer camps including Camp Mystic. Democrats have pointed to Trump administration cuts to the National Weather Service as a potential reason why flood victims did not receive better warnings. New York Times has reported that local officials had avoided installing more sophisticated warning systems due to cost and that several key nearby Weather Service offices were vacant at the time, although some openings predated the current administration. The White House said Monday that blaming Trump for the floods was a “depraved lie.” Trump signed a disaster declaration Sunday, freeing up federal funds and programs to assist with the response. More rain was scheduled to hit the region Monday. The National Service extended its flood watch through Monday night for much of central Texas.

Reported similarly:
(B) KPRC 2 News at Noon [7/7/2025 1:18 PM, Staff]

AP [7/7/2025 11:46 AM, Staff, 56000K] reports the Guadalupe River flood tragedy in Central Texas has escalated to a catastrophic level as of 09:33 AM CDT on Monday, July 07, 2025. Initially claiming over 80 lives, including 28 children in Kerr County, with 27 Camp Mystic campers and counselors still missing, the disaster has worsened with the confirmed failure of the Ingram Dam. This breach, reported amid ongoing evacuations in Kerrville, has unleashed a new wave of devastation, flooding homes, roads, and properties in Ingram, Hunt, Kerrville, Boerne, Comfort, Center Point, Bandera, Fredericksburg, Harper, Canyon Lake, New Braunfels, San Marcos, Seguin, and Blanco. Torrential rains exceeding 12 inches in hours caused the river to surge 26-40 feet, and with more heavy rain forecast for the Hill Country today, the situation remains dire. Wildlife and game, including deer and livestock, are at risk, displaced by the rising waters, while the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department works tirelessly to rescue stranded animals. President Donald Trump and Governor Greg Abbott are mobilizing a robust response. Trump has signed a major disaster declaration, unlocking federal aid and deploying the U.S. Coast Guard, which has rescued over 850 people. Abbott has declared a Day of Prayer and is surging state resources, including the National Guard and Texas Department of Public Safety, with over 400 first responders and 100 vehicles active in Kerr County. The Cajun Navy, a volunteer rescue group, has joined the effort, navigating treacherous waters to save stranded residents, including families like Erin Burgess, who survived by clinging to trees. Despite criticism over National Weather Service cuts, Trump and Abbott are coordinating to upgrade warning systems, though the focus remains on immediate rescue and recovery. As the crisis evolves, the next steps are critical. The Ingram Dam failure has left massive debris fields and damaged structures, necessitating urgent cleanup. Soon, recovery will shift to clearing mud, junk, and construction waste, with dumpster trailer services becoming essential. Look for roll-off dumpster rentals to handle large-scale debris removal—services like trailer delivery, debris loading support, and timely pickup will be in high demand. Construction dumpster rentals will follow as rebuilding begins, offering solutions for concrete, lumber, and other waste. These resources are already scarce, and with contractors booking up fast, securing them now is vital before they’re gone. Road repair and drainage installation will also ramp up to restore access and prevent future flooding, requiring quick action to lock in equipment and materials.

AP [7/7/2025 11:45 PM, Nadia Lathan and Jesse Bedayn, 56000K] reports Justin Rubio awoke in the wee hours to an alert on his phone, thunder, sirens and the thud of helicopter blades — the beginning of one of the largest rescue operations in Texas history. Rubio was determined to be a part of it. Even as authorities in Kerr County have repeatedly discouraged civilian volunteers, Rubio and dozens of others went out Monday to search for people still missing after flash flooding tore through the Texas Hill Country over the July Fourth weekend. The emotions wrapped up in the calamity that killed at least 100 people — and the urge to help find those still missing — at times butted up against officials’ need for structure and safety as they search over 60 miles (100 kilometers) along the Guadalupe River. The river grew by the size of a two-story building in less than an hour on Friday. One survivor described a “ pitch-black wall of death.” The flooding decimated shorelines, ripped trees from the ground, tossed and crushed a Ram truck, disappeared buildings and swept through a century-old summer camp packed with kids. Rubio, who picked through torn tree limbs Monday, said he couldn’t help but pitch in. “It’s sad. It eats at your soul, it eats at your heart,” he said. “I can’t just sit at home thinking about what’s going on out here.” The outpouring, volunteers say, is a Texas strain of solidarity, and officials have applauded the donations and volunteers in other areas. When it comes to search and rescue, however, fickle weather and a flash flood warning Sunday afternoon heightened authorities’ fears that unorganized volunteers may end up adding to the missing or dead. On Sunday and Monday, officials began closing more search sites to volunteers, instead directing them to a local Salvation Army. “We need focused and coordinated volunteers, not random people just showing up and doing what they do,” Kerrville Mayor Joe Herring Jr. said. “We remain hopeful every foot, every mile, every bend of the river.”

CBS News [7/7/2025 2:52 PM, Karen Hua, et al., 51860K] reports as the death toll climbs in central Texas from catastrophic flooding over the holiday weekend, many are wondering if the tragic event could have been prevented and who is to blame. President Trump has declared a major disaster for the state of Texas following flood waters that have claimed more than 80 lives so far. At least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a summer camp for girls, were killed in the flooding, and others are still missing. The storm dumped up to 20 inches of rain on some areas, and the Guadalupe River at Kerrville rose more than 20 feet in just an hour in the early morning of Friday, July 4. Many officials have begun to point fingers as to why the waters rose so quickly, with so little warning. During a July 4 press conference, Nim Kidd, the chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, said the forecast his office received on Wednesday in advance of the storm predicted several inches of rain, but that "the amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecast.” Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice reiterated that sentiment in the same press conference, saying the storms that hit the areas "dumped more rain than what was forecasted.” But when the same officials were asked why emergency managers didn’t do more to alert the public and evacuate campers in the area, they didn’t have a clear response, stressing that they were focused on the missing victims. According to Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, a top local government official, the area does "not have a warning system," and authorities were shocked by the ferocity of the floods. Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott was asked about concerns over staffing levels and budget cuts at the National Weather Service during a Sunday press conference and said he "knows nothing" about its staffing, although he said he did speak to Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, about budgeting for weather offices. Abbott said there are plans to hold a special session of the Texas State Legislature to investigate what happened in Kerrville. When asked if the federal government should hire back more meteorologists, Mr. Trump said, "I really wouldn’t, I think not." He spoke to reporters on Sunday about the Texas flooding, saying, "Nobody expected it, nobody saw it.” But the White House defended the work of the National Weather Service to CBS News and shared numerous reports of statements from other meteorologists, including Jason Runyon, who works for the National Weather Service and said that its office in New Braunfels, which contributes forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and other areas affected by the flooding, had extra staff on duty during the storms.

FOX News [7/7/2025 7:37 AM, Staff, 46878K] reports Kurt ‘CyberGuy’ Knutsson discusses the Department of Homeland Security’s response to criticisms of the National Weather Service’s advanced alert system following Texas floods that left 80 dead. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS News [7/7/2025 3:10 PM, Staff, 51860K] Video HERE reports flash floods in Texas killed at least 95 people over the Fourth of July holiday weekend and left others still missing, including girls attending a summer camp. On Monday, Camp Mystic confirmed at least 27 campers and counselors had died in the flooding. The devastation along the Guadalupe River, west of Austin and northwest of San Antonio, has drawn a massive search effort as officials face questions over their preparedness and the speed of their initial actions. Here’s what to know about the deadly flooding, the colossal weather system that drove it in and around Kerr County, Texas, and ongoing efforts to identify victims. The floods grew to their worst at the midpoint of a long holiday weekend when many people were asleep. The Texas Hill Country in the central part of the state is naturally prone to flash flooding due to the dry dirt-packed areas where the soil lets rain skid along the surface of the landscape instead of soaking it up. An area of cliffs and steep hills called the Balcones Escarpment is also a factor. In addition to the geography, multiple weather factors contributed to Friday’s heavy rainfall, meteorologists say. Gov. Greg Abbott said that there were dozens of people unaccounted for across the state and more could be missing. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, who lives along the Guadalupe River, said Saturday that "nobody saw this coming." Various officials have referred to it as a "100-year-flood," meaning that the water levels were highly unlikely based on the historical record. U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a social media post that the U.S. Coast Guard was responsible for saving more than 200 people, as dramatic video showed Guard members conducting aerial rescues near Kerrville, while dark water covered the ground. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Politico [7/7/2025 12:43 PM, Chelsea Harvey, 16523K] reports the catastrophic floods that struck central Texas on Friday show that accurate weather forecasts alone aren’t enough to save lives. The National Weather Service issued timely warnings in advance of the deadly floods, meteorologists say. But they emphasized that forecasts are only one piece of an effective response — local authorities must be able to interpret weather warnings, communicate them to the public and help communities get to safety in time. Now more than 80 people are dead, with dozens more missing across the region as of Monday morning, including at least 10 campers and a counselor from Camp Mystic summer camp on the banks of the flooded Guadalupe River. Experts are still piecing together the reasons why. “I think this situation needs to be reviewed, both from a forecast and warning perspective and from a decision support perspective,” said Louis Uccellini, former director of the National Weather Service. “That involves a lot of work.” Authorities have resorted to finger-pointing in the wake of the floods. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly, the county’s top elected official, said at a press conference Friday that “we didn’t know this kind of flood was coming.” Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd suggested at a separate press conference that NWS forecasts fell short in advance of the floods. Experts say that isn’t true. Meteorologists can see extreme thunderstorms coming days ahead, but it’s notoriously hard to pinpoint the exact amount of rain they’ll produce, or how long they will linger in place, so far in advance. Meteorologists have to update their forecasts as better information becomes available. In the case of last week’s floods, NWS began to escalate its warnings as much as 12 hours in advance, issuing flood watches beginning Thursday afternoon and upgrading to a flash flood warning by 1 a.m. local time Friday, with more urgent warnings following into the early morning. “There have been claims that NOAA/NWS did not foresee catastrophic TX floods — but that’s simply not true,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at UCLA in a lengthy Bluesky thread defending the NWS weather forecasts. Still, Swain added that “even quite good weather forecasts do not automatically translate into life-saving predictions — there’s a lot of other work that has to take place to contextualize the forecast and ensure it gets to [the] right people.”

CNN [7/8/2025 4:08 AM, Danya Gainor, 21433K] reports in the early hours of Independence Day, rain pelted sleeping communities in central Texas. No one knew yet how devastating the storm would become. Entire neighborhoods vanished in flash flooding throughout the weekend, while residents and campers were swept away in the surging waters. The death toll across the state eclipsed 100 by Tuesday, and search and rescue efforts persist. As communities continue recovering from the catastrophic floods, questions swirl around how this tragedy happened. Several compounding factors made the flooding in central Texas a worst-case scenario. The National Weather Service began forecasting the threat of flooding in Kerr County as early as Thursday morning with a hazardous flood outlook. But the conditions turned deadly when more than an entire summer’s worth of rain fell in some areas over just a few hours Friday morning. Hunt, Texas, received about 6.5 inches of rain in just three hours — a 1-in-100-year rainfall event for the area. Drought conditions in central Texas are among the worst in the United States, making it difficult for the bone-dry soil to absorb rain and leaving the area particularly susceptible to flooding. The pouring rain sent river levels surging and triggered flash flooding. The Guadalupe River, which runs along several summer camps, rose from about 3 feet to 30 feet on Friday. The overwhelming rainfall is another example of rising global temperatures pushing weather toward extremes, events that are becoming more and more frequent. Texas has already seen multiple dangerous flooding events this year, and the United States saw a record number of flash flood emergencies last year.

ABC News [7/7/2025 5:21 PM, Julia Jacobo, Daniel Peck, and Kyle Reiman, 31733K] reports a "worst case scenario" of meteorological events combined with dryness and topography of the landscape in central Texas contributed to the weekend’s extreme flash flooding event that killed dozens of people in the region, according to reports. On Friday, torrential rain pounded the region, causing the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise 26 feet in just 45 minutes -- the second-highest on record, officials said. "Extraordinary" rainfall rates of 2 to 4 inches per hour in some areas -- such as Kerr County and Mason County -- equated to up to 18 inches in some spots, according to measurements from the National Weather Service (NWS). Texas Hill Country is often colloquially referred to as "Flash Flood Alley" because the weather and landscape in the south-central Texas region work together to produce rapid flood events, the Texas Water Resources Institute (TWRI) noted. While the threat of the flooding was communicated more than a day before the rain event began, the timing of the emergency -- during the middle of the night -- may have contributed to the high death toll. The Texas Department of Emergency Management activated state emergency response resources in anticipation of increased threats of flooding in parts of west and central Texas heading into the holiday weekend, it noted in a press release. In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration included the flash flooding risk in its three-to-seven-day hazards outlook, according to Shepherd. Flash flood warnings, including the flash flood emergency -- the highest alert for flash floods -- are distributed by the NWS in the same manner as tornado warnings: via the national EAS and WEA alert systems. The weekend flooding killed at least 94 people -- many of whom were campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, a Christian girls camp situated on the Guadalupe River. At least 11 campers are still unaccounted for, officials said on Monday.

CBS News [7/7/2025 8:21 AM, Staff, 51860K] reports at least 82 people are dead and at least 41 more are missing after devastating flash floods slammed Texas Hill Country, with water rescues taking place along the Guadalupe River, which rose rapidly early Friday morning to the height of a two-story building. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [7/7/2025 8:36 PM, Shawn McCreesh, 138952K] reports that, when a hurricane hit North Carolina last year, Donald J. Trump claimed without evidence that the Biden administration was avoiding helping residents in Republican areas. When wildfires burned through Los Angeles earlier this year, Mr. Trump excoriated local and state Democrats for the calamity, making false assertions about water use policy. But after a catastrophic flood that tore through Texas last week, leaving at least 100 dead, Mr. Trump cautioned against casting blame. “This is a hundred-year catastrophe, and it’s just so horrible to watch,” the president told reporters Sunday as he left his Bedminster golf course. Pressed on whether the disaster was exacerbated by his administration’s push to shrink federal agencies, including the National Weather Service, he deflected. “What a situation that all is,” Mr. Trump said. He appeared close to pointing the finger at former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. before stopping short: “That was really the Biden setup. That was not our setup. But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it either.” Unlike his predecessors, Mr. Trump has not hesitated to lean into partisanship during moments of major natural disasters. During his first term, he told aides he didn’t want to send money to Puerto Rico after it was hit by Hurricane Maria, saying that the island’s leadership was corrupt. In 2018, he threatened to withhold federal funds from California after wildfires erupted in the state. But with the floods that ravaged Texas, it was the Trump White House that was on the defensive. Its efforts to reduce the federal bureaucracy have led to worries among local and state emergency officials about curtailed resources and staffing for disaster preparedness and response. Key roles at local offices of the National Weather Service, in particular, went unfilled as the floods hit. Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York and the minority leader, wrote a letter to the Commerce Department’s acting inspector general demanding “an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding.” Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, wrote on social media that “accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters.” He added: “There are consequences to Trump’s brainless attacks on public workers, like meteorologists.” Unlike his rhetoric during the Los Angeles fires, the president has so far offered nothing but support for the efforts of officials in the red state, which voted overwhelmingly for his re-election. He said he was working in tandem with Gov. Greg Abbott. “We’ve been in touch with Governor Abbott — I’m very close to Governor Abbott — and everybody in Texas,” Mr. Trump said Sunday. “Kristi Noem has been, as you know, been there, and will continue to be there, and were working very close with representatives from Texas.”

The Hill [7/7/2025 5:21 PM, Saul Elbein, 18649K] reports local, state and federal officials are all pointing fingers in the wake of the deadly Texas flooding, but one thing is certain: The warnings weren’t heard by the people who needed them. After the catastrophic Independence Day floods that killed at least 90 across central Texas, state and county officials told reporters that the storm had come without warning. But a wide array of meteorologists — and the Trump administration itself — has argued that those officials, as well as local residents, received a long train of advisories that a dangerous flood was gathering. The timeline of the floods on Friday, experts say, revealed a deadly gap in the "last mile" system that turns those forecasts into life-saving action. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) timeline released over the weekend showed a drumbeat of steadily increasing warnings — something that is characteristic of flash floods, said John Sokich, former legislative director of the NWS staffers union. Meteorologists’ warnings of potential flooding, which drew on NWS forecasts, began as early as Wednesday, when CBS Austin meteorologist Avery Tomasco warned that the dregs of Tropical Storm Barry had parked "all this tropical fuel" over central Texas. Instead, beginning on the day of the flood, state and local officials insisted they had no idea the flood was coming.

Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 8:52 AM, Ross O’Keefe, 1934K] reports Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a letter to Department of Commerce acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson, asking him to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected the response to the tragic Texas floods. There have been questions about whether NWS staff cuts due to the Trump administration’s cost-saving mission could have led to a slower response to the floods, though the Department of Homeland Security has strongly rejected those claims. DHS outlined the various warnings sent out from the NWS, dating back to the morning of July 3. At least 82 people are dead from a deluge that hit central Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. Among the 82 dead are nearly two dozen children, most from Camp Mystic, a summer camp near the Guadalupe River. The mass casualty event is one of the deadliest for children in United States history. Twenty children were killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. "Following the disastrous and deeply devastating flash flooding in Texas this weekend, I urge you to immediately open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding," Schumer wrote in the Monday letter. The NWS is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Experts previously warned that cutting staff or funds to NOAA could lead to more weather-related deaths because of slower warnings and less accurate forecasts. Sen. Chuck Schumer is sending a letter to the Acting Inspector General asking him to explain whether NWS cuts affected the response to Texas floods. Schumer cited the New York Times’s reporting that the NWS offices in San Angelo and San Antonio had critical vacancies during the floods. They explained that positions such as warning coordination meteorologist, science officer, hydrologist, and other vital forecasting, meteorology, and coordination roles were vacant. The vacancy rate across the NWS offices has roughly doubled since January, the New York Times reported. "The roles left unfilled are not marginal, they’re critical. These are the experts responsible for modeling storm impacts, monitoring rising water levels, issuing flood warnings, and coordinating directly with local emergency managers about when to warn the public and issue evacuation orders. To put it plainly: they help save lives," Schumer wrote. However, the same outlet also reported that the failure to adopt a new local warning system, or "last mile" efforts, also contributed to residents not seeing the many alerts from NWS.

FOX News [7/7/2025 2:03 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 46878K] Video HERE reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Democrats and members of the media who have sought to blame President Donald Trump for the death toll from the flash flooding in Texas on Monday. Leavitt called out Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., in particular, accusing him of spreading "falsehoods." She then gave a timeline of warnings issued by the National Weather Service in the days and hours before the deadly flooding, which claimed the lives of at least 91 people, according to the Department of Homeland Security. "We have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media. Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning," Leavitt said. "Here are the facts. In the lead-up to this tragic national disaster, the National Weather Service did its job. Despite unprecedented rainfall, the NWS executed timely and precise forecasts and warnings," she added, highlighting a flood watch and press briefings conducted by the NWS in the region on July 3rd. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [7/7/2025 3:50 PM, Alexandra Hutzler, 31733K] reports the White House and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz defended the National Weather Service and accused some Democrats of playing politics in the wake of devastating floods in Texas. "I think this is not a time for partisan finger-pointing and attacks," Cruz said at a news conference with local officials in Kerr County on Monday morning. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later began her briefing on the offensive, calling out those who’ve questioned whether federal cuts to the NWS impacted staffing levels or forecasting abilities as the tragedy unfolded. "Unfortunately, in the wake of this once in a generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Senator Chuck Schumer and some members of the media," Leavitt said. "Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning." Schumer, the Senate’s top Democrat, on Monday called for an investigation into whether cuts made to NWS in the administration had any correlation to the level of devastation. "Following the disastrous and deeply devastating flash flooding in Texas this weekend, I write to urge you to immediately to open an investigation into the scope, breadth, and ramifications of whether staffing shortages at key local National Weather Service (NWS) stations contributed to the catastrophic loss of life and property during the deadly flooding," Schumer wrote in a letter sent to Commerce Department Acting Inspector General Roderick Anderson. In a statement to ABC News, the NWS highlighted that they gave briefings to emergency management the day before the tragic event and mentioned some alert lead times. "The National Weather Service is heartbroken by the tragic loss of life in Kerr County. On July 3, the NWS office in Austin/San Antonio, TX conducted forecast briefings for emergency management in the morning and issued a Flood Watch in the early afternoon. Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met. The National Weather Service remains committed to our mission to serve the American public through our forecasts and decision support services," the NWS said.

NewsMax [7/7/2025 11:54 AM, Solange Reyner, 4622K] reports It’s not the time to scrutinize officials’ response to the catastrophic and deadly flooding in Texas, Rep. Tony Gonzales told Newsmax in an interview. The focus should be on, "How do we find the people that are missing? How do we take care of those that have lost everything and those that have even lost more than everything?" he said. "When the time is right for us to do some deep dive on this, let’s figure out a way of how we can get ahead of the next thing," the Texas Republican told Newsmax’s "National Report.” "My take on the response is, I mean, the DHS secretary, Kristi Noem, was on the scene nearly immediately. I have heard no local response that they haven’t gotten all of the resources and the tools that they’ve needed from the federal government. "President Trump himself is leadership. You know, the fact that he’s coming later in the week, that’s exactly the right answer, because too many times folks will get in the way ... so, him waiting until later in the week is a testament to his leadership. But the other part of it, too, is, you know, how can we get ahead of some of these problems, these flash floods in Texas?" he added. "They happen very quickly here in San Antonio. About three weeks ago, there were 13 people that drowned in one of these flash floodings. That was a large city that got information right away. We have to do some deep dive analysis and figure out, Hey, what happened here? Was there a way that we can kind of get more notice to people ahead of time? And if the answer is yes, then we absolutely deserve the American people to get that done.” The destructive fast-moving waters that began before sunrise Friday in the Texas Hill Country killed at least 43 people in Kerr County, authorities said Saturday, and an unknown number of people remained missing. Those still unaccounted for included 27 girls from Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp along a river in Kerr County where most of the dead were recovered.

NewsMax [7/7/2025 12:40 PM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 4622K] reports Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, told Newsmax Monday that he’s "very proud" of the way Texans are coming together to help each other following the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County over the weekend that killed more than 80 people, including dozens of young girls who were attending summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River. "I’m very proud of Gov. [Greg] Abbott," Sessions said on "Wake Up America." "I’m very proud of the job that is being done by law enforcement, first responders. We saw with great heroism the Coast Guard that came to help, plucking people out [with] helicopters, 120 people that were up in trees, way up, 40 feet up. And this is what happens when you have neighbors helping neighbors.” "This is what I think President [Donald] Trump has given us back — a spirit of helping each other in our time of need," he said. "And the federal government, I know, is there also. So very, very pleased with the response so far.” Sessions, who serves as chair for the House Subcommittee on Government Operations, said he will travel to Texas to "review this flood" and determine the scale of the federal response. "We then have a question of the response that will come from [the Federal Emergency Response Agency], the response that will come from Congress, and the need to make sure that we properly respond back to this terrible, terrible problem," he said. Trump is expected to travel to central Texas to tour the devastation in person later in the week. Sessions hedged when asked if he thought that Trump’s tour will make him rethink his administration’s priority on returning much of FEMA’s functionality to the states.

AP [7/7/2025 3:07 PM, Michael Biesecker and Brian Slodysko, 56000K] reports former federal officials and outside experts have warned for months that President Donald Trump’s deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. After torrential rains and flash flooding struck Friday in the Texas Hill Country, the weather service came under fire from local officials who criticized what they described as inadequate forecasts, though most in the Republican-controlled state stopped sort of blaming Trump’s cuts. Democrats, meanwhile, wasted little time in linking the staff reductions to the disaster, which is being blamed for the deaths of at least 80 people, including more than two dozen girls and counselors attending a summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River. The NWS office responsible for that region had five staffers on duty as thunderstorms formed over Texas Thursday evening, the usual number for an overnight shift when severe weather is expected. Current and former NWS officials defended the agency, pointing to urgent flash flood warnings issued in the pre-dawn hours before the river rose. "This was an exceptional service to come out first with the catastrophic flash flood warning and this shows the awareness of the meteorologists on shift at the NWS office," said Brian LaMarre, who retired at the end of April as the meteorologist-in-charge of the NWS forecast office in Tampa, Florida. ″There is always the challenge of pinpointing extreme values, however, the fact the catastrophic warning was issued first showed the level of urgency." Questions remain, however, about the level of coordination and communication between NWS and local officials on the night of the disaster. The Trump administration has cut hundreds of jobs at NWS, with staffing down by at least 20% at nearly half of the 122 NWS field offices nationally and at least a half dozen no longer staffed 24 hours a day. Hundreds more experienced forecasters and senior managers were encouraged to retire early.

FOX News [7/7/2025 2:12 PM, Andrew Mark Miller, 46878K] reports Democrats and media outlets across the country have been quick to politicize the devastating flooding in Texas that killed at least 91 people by blaming climate change, President Trump, race and government cuts. "It is hard to make the Texas flood tragedy worse, except to know that on the same day Trump signed a bill cratering solar and wind energy that is vital in the battle against the climate change making these torrential rains more frequent," former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee posted on X on Saturday as bodies were still being recovered in Texas. "I think climate change is obviously a part of it," Dem. Rep. Joaquin Castro told CNN. "These floods are happening more often." "‘Waste, fraud & abuse’ is a handy mantra," Former Obama aide David Axelrod posted on X on Sunday. "And they surely exist, in & out of government. But cutting vital services like the weather service has predictable, hazardous consequences – especially when catastrophic weather events are becoming more frequent!". "Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters," Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., posted on X in response to reports that a specific meteorologist position in the area was unfilled at the time of the flood. "There are consequences to Trump’s brainless attacks on public workers, like meteorologists." White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson called it "shameful and disgusting" to see that, in the wake of this tragedy, people are politicizing what took place. "It’s shameful and disgusting that in the wake of tragedy, the left’s first instinct is to lie and politicize a disaster to target their political opponents. False claims about the NWS have been repeatedly debunked by meteorologists, experts and other public reporting," Jackson said. "The NWS did their job, even issuing a flood watch more than 12 hours in advance. The Trump administration is grateful to the first responders who sprung into action to save hundreds of lives during this catastrophe, and will continue to help the great state of Texas in their recovery efforts.” In a lengthy thread on X outlining the timing of the government’s response, the Department of Homeland Security said "the mainstream media is deliberately lying about the events leading up to the catastrophic flooding in Texas."

NewsMax.com [7/7/2025 11:16 AM, Sam Barron, 4622K] reports Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham told Newsmax on Monday she has had it with people looking to score political points in the wake of deadly flooding in Texas. The floods in central Texas have killed at least 82 people. Following the flooding, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., blamed the deadly flooding on President Donald Trump firing meteorologists from the National Weather Service, though the NWS said it had extra staff on duty. "Shame on those that want to create hate and division and spread misinformation," Buckingham said on "National Report." "When you’ve got families who have lost their children, their 7-year-olds this is not the time for political BS. This is a time to come together and be helpful. And if you’re not going to be part of the solution, then get the heck out. And I hope those elected officials that are throwing around these lies and this hate and that division, I hope they’re all unelected in the next term because clearly, they are not fit to lead.” Buckingham said the community of Texas has come together in the wake of the tragedy. "We are going to come out of this stronger, but it is a devastating loss," Buckingham, whose best friend’s niece is missing, said. "It’s just heartbreaking.” The Texas Land Commissioner praised the federal response to the storm. "The Trump administration has been amazing," Buckingham said. "[Homeland Security] Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s been amazing. The coordination out of the gate between the local, state and federal rescue teams has just been incredible. It’s what people want to see, all levels of their government working together in a time of crisis, to do as much as they can to help as many as they can.”

NewsMax [7/7/2025 2:11 PM, Eric Mack, 4622K] reports after a weekend of media criticism aimed at President Donald Trump amid flooding in Texas, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt opened Monday’s daily press briefing calling out the "depraved lies" pushed by Democrat and anti-Trump media opportunists. "Unfortunately, in the wake of this once-in-a-generation natural disaster, we have seen many falsehoods pushed by Democrats such as Chuck Schumer and some members of the media," Leavitt said in her opening statement Monday at the White House. "Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie. "And it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning.” Leavitt laid out the "facts," including saying, "the National Weather Service did its job," giving at least three hours of lead time on flash flood warnings – "despite claims to the contrary" by anti-Trump Democrats and media suggesting cuts to staffing could be to blame for citizens not getting warnings. "So to any person who has deliberately lied about these facts surrounding this catastrophic event, you should be deeply ashamed," Leavitt said. "At this time, the administration’s focus will be giving on giving the victims in their communities the support they deserve during these recovery efforts in this tragic time. The first questions in the briefing brought up the myriad misinformation peddled by Democrats and leftist media on the staffing of the National Weather Service, first responders, and Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Leavitt again condemned the critics targeting Trump and administration officials’ response. "Those comments are depraved and despicable, especially when so many Americans are mourning the loss of their children," Leavitt said. "The National Weather Service, as I said, did its job. Many experts, many meteorologists have said that many of you in the media, in all fairness, have said that as well.

Daily Caller [7/7/2025 11:45 AM, Robert McGreevy, 1010K] reports the left’s anti-Trump narrative about the Friday floods in Texas clashed with assertions from multiple meteorologists who claimed the National Weather Service (NWS) did exactly what it was supposed to do. ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos reported Saturday that "there were significant staffing shortfalls to the National Weather Service’s offices in the region.” Ryan Maue, a popular weather man with a PhD in meteorology from Florida State University, called Stephanopoulos’s reporting "[g]rotesque misinformation.” "NWS in Texas had extra staff on duty and did their jobs admirably, as always," Maue tweeted Sunday. Maue linked an Associated Press (AP) article revealing that the NWS actually had extra staff on duty for the flooding in a separate post. The NWS office in New Braunfels, Texas, which forecasts for Austin, San Antonio and the wider region, had additional staff on duty, NWS meteorologist Jason Runyen told the AP. "There were extra people in here that night, and that’s typical in every weather service office — you staff up for an event and bring people in on overtime and hold people over," Runyen told the outlet. Runyen’s assertions run counter to other legacy media reports, like a Saturday report from The New York Times (NYT) which said "Crucial positions at the local offices of the National Weather Service were unfilled as severe rainfall inundated parts of Central Texas on Friday morning.” CNN’s Senior National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem added to the noise Saturday, tweeting "MAGA and RW media seem very upset today as a chorus of us experts discuss the impact of cuts to weather forecasting.” Again, however, local meteorologists rejected claims that the NWS was in any way diminished. "The National Weather Service issued a flood watch for Kerr County more than 12 hours ahead of the catastrophic flood. A flash flood warning was issued for Hunt & Ingram 3 HOURS before the Guadalupe started to climb," Avery Tomasco, an Austin, Texas-based meteorologist for CBS News, tweeted Friday. "They did their job and they did it well," Tomasco concluded. While legacy media have blamed the staffing shortages and climate change, others point the finger at officials for not implementing a stronger warning system. "What they need is some kind of external system, like a tornado warning that tells people to get out now," local resident Christopher Flowers told the AP. Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly told the outlet the county had considered such a warning system, but that the "public reeled at the cost.” U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem indicated Saturday that the government would look into implementing such a system. "We know that everyone wants more warning time, and that’s why we’re working to upgrade the technology that’s been neglected for far too long to make sure families have as much advance notice as possible," Noem said in a Saturday press conference.

FOX News [7/7/2025 11:00 AM, Emma Colton Fox, 46878K] reports President Donald Trump’s 25th week back in the Oval Office in his second term is expected to include a trip to Texas to survey the tragedy and damage imposed after floodwaters devastated Hill Country, a third White House meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and ongoing tariff negotiations. Trump announced Sunday that he signed an emergency order to assist Kerr County, Texas, which was devastated on the Fourth of July by flash floods that have led to dozens of deaths and others missing in the area. "I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need," Trump announced on Truth Social Sunday. "These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing. The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders.” "Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State," he added. "Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!". Trump told the media he likely will head out to Texas and meet with locals devastated by the flooding and assess the damage later in the week. "We wanted to leave a little time," Trump told reporters Sunday from New Jersey when asked if he planned to visit Texas. "I would have done it today, but we’d just be in their way. Probably Friday.” At least 80 people are dead from the flooding, which first gripped the area on the morning of Independence Day, while at least 41 others are still missing as of Monday morning. Trump’s meeting with Netanyahu comes after he expressed his disapproval with Israel, as well as Iran, after announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran on June 24 that was followed by the nations continuing to trade strikes. Both countries launched accusations at each other that they had violated the ceasefire before Trump expressed his discontent in a comment to the media. "I’m not happy with them," Trump said at the White House on June 24. "I’m not happy with Iran either, but I’m really unhappy with Israel going out this morning.” The Monday meeting is expected to focus on the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct. 7, 2023, and has continued raging despite a previous ceasefire agreement early in 2025. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump is seeking to resolve the conflict between both Israel and Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza. "It’s heartbreaking to see the images that have come out from both Israel and Gaza throughout this war," Leavitt said. "And the president wants to see it end. He wants to save lives and, however, the main priority for the president also remains to bring all of the hostages home out of Gaza. As you know, his tireless effort has brought home many of the hostages, including all of the American hostages who were held there.”

The Washington Post [7/7/2025 10:11 AM, Joanna Slater and Justine McDaniel, 32099K] reports the Trump administration’s attempts to deport international students and scholars involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy are unconstitutional, lawyers argued Monday during the opening of one of the first federal trials challenging the president’s broad immigration policies. Lawyers for a college faculty union told a federal judge in Boston that the government’s push to arrest and remove noncitizen students and faculty based on their political beliefs was an infringement on the freedom of speech. The Trump administration has undertaken an unlawful coordinated policy to target those noncitizens, the lead attorney for the plaintiffs argued Monday. Justice Department attorneys denied the claim, telling U.S. District Judge William Young in opening arguments that federal agencies have acted within their authority to enforce immigration laws and that the plaintiffs’ allegations are not "reality.” Trump administration officials have repeatedly pledged to deport noncitizens they accuse of being "pro-Hamas" and for taking part in protests over the Israel-Gaza war that the government deemed antisemitic and disruptive. The Justice Department plans to argue it didn’t revoke visas based on noncitizens’ speech, attorney Victoria Santora said in her opening statement. Monday’s trial is unusual: While the initial months of the Trump administration have sparked hundreds of lawsuits and dozens of rulings by judges temporarily blocking its policies, almost none of the cases have reached the trial stage. The current nonjury trial comes after a string of legal defeats for the government in the individual cases involving students placed in detention. The most recent occurred on June 20, when a federal judge ordered the release of Mahmoud Khalil, a former Columbia University student who had been held in Louisiana since early March. Khalil’s arrest marked the start of a crackdown on noncitizens involved in campus activism opposing the war in Gaza. Several were grabbed by federal agents at or near their homes and sent to Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers, sometimes halfway across the country. Two of those who were detained and threatened with deportation — Khalil and fellow Columbia student Mohsen Mahdawi — are legal permanent residents. The students spent weeks or months in detention, but nearly all have since been released on bail as judges have expressed skepticism about the rationale for holding them, calling their arrests highly unusual and noting the lack of any evidence that they represented a danger to the community. None of the students have been accused of a crime. Instead of challenging individual detentions, the plaintiffs in Monday’s trial — the American Association of University Professors and the Middle East Studies Association — have taken a broader approach. Their case focuses on stopping what they have termed the "ideological deportation policy" of the Trump administration, which they say includes revoking visas and extends to arrests and deportations. The Justice Department said Monday that the administration does not have an immigration enforcement strategy based on protected speech and has "set immigration enforcement priorities within the confines of longstanding law.” Reuters [7/7/2025 3:03 PM, Nate Raymond, 51390K] reports that the trial stems from a lawsuit filed in March by the American Association of University Professors and its chapters at Harvard, Rutgers and New York University, and the Middle East Studies Association, in which they argued the administration was chilling free speech on campuses in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment. The Hill [7/7/2025 12:32 PM, Ella Lee, 18649K] reports the groups suggest their members’ speech has been chilled because of it. Ramya Krishnan, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said during opening arguments that the plaintiffs intend to present "unambiguous" evidence the students and faculty were retaliated against for "constitutionally protected advocacy.” She said the Department of Homeland Security launched an operation to identify and target students and faculty protesting Israel’s war in Gaza, called the Tiger Team. The team prepared reports on at least 100 students, "potentially hundreds," she said, and worked with other federal agencies to deport their targets. U.S. District Judge William Young, an appointee of former President Reagan, immediately identified a "problem.” The statute invoked by Rubio makes deportable any noncitizen whose "presence and activities in the United States" is deemed to have "potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences" by the secretary of State. "How do you deal with that?" he asked. "That’s lawful, isn’t it?". Krishnan said the plaintiffs are not specifically challenging the constitutionality of the foreign policy provision. However, the statute contains a safe harbor that bars deportation "because of the alien’s past, current, or expected beliefs, statements, or associations, if such beliefs, statements, or associations would be lawful within the United States." The plaintiffs say the Trump administration’s crackdown violates that ban. "Are you asking me to declare that the conduct of these public officials is unconstitutional as applied, notwithstanding this text?" Young asked. "That is correct," Krishnan said. The government intends to call four senior Homeland Security Investigations agents involved in four different arrests to testify and "debunk" the challengers’ theory that the government’s arrests are ideologically motivated.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [7/7/2025 3:28 PM, Armando Garcia, 31733K]

AP [7/7/2025 2:42 PM, Michael Kunzelman and Ben Finley, 56000K] reports the U.S. government would initiate deportation proceedings against Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he’s released from jail before he stands trial on human smuggling charges in Tennessee, a Justice Department attorney told a federal judge in Maryland on Monday. The disclosure by U.S. lawyer Jonathan Guynn contradicts statements by spokespeople for the Justice Department and the White House, who said last month that Abrego Garcia would stand trial and possibly spend time in an American prison before the government moves to deport him. Guynn made the revelation during a federal court hearing in Maryland, where Abrego Garcia’s American wife is suing the Trump administration over his mistaken deportation in March and trying to prevent him from being expelled again. Guynn said U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement would detain Abrego Garcia once he’s released from jail and send him to a “third country” that isn’t his native El Salvador. However, Guynn said he didn’t know which country that would be. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said trying to determine what will happen to Abrego Garcia has been “like trying to nail Jello to a wall.” She scheduled a hearing for Thursday for U.S. officials to explain possible next steps if Abrego Garcia is released. The New York Times [7/7/2025 6:44 PM, Alan Feuer and Minho Kim, 138952K] reports that at the hearing, Judge Paula Xinis, who is overseeing the original civil case emerging from the wrongful deportation, expressed frustration at the government’s shifting statements about its plans to handle Mr. Abrego Garcia. The statements in court by the Justice Department lawyer, Jonathan Guynn, further muddied an already unclear picture of Mr. Abrego Garcia’s future after the administration abruptly returned him to the United States last month to face criminal charges. There has been persistent confusion about what might happen to Mr. Abrego Garcia almost from the moment he was brought back from his erroneous expulsion to El Salvador. Much of the confusion has stemmed from ambiguous and contradictory statements from the Trump administration and from what appears to be dueling views from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security about how to handle the case.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [7/7/2025 3:05 PM, Zach Schonfeld, 18649K] r
Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 3:19 PM, Kaelan Deese, 1934K]

FOX News [7/7/2025 4:05 PM, Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson, 46878K] reports Justice Department officials told a federal judge that they plan to begin removal proceedings to deport Salvadorian migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a third country as early as this month — just one extraordinary admission of many heard by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis in a wide-ranging, hours-long hearing on Monday that ended with little in the way of satisfactory answers for all parties. Xinis ordered the Trump administration to produce a government official to testify under oath Thursday about plans to take Abrego Garcia into ICE custody upon his release from criminal custody in Tennessee and begin deportation proceedings to a third country. Lawyers for the Trump administration ultimately conceded Monday that Abrego Garcia could be removed from the U.S. as early as July 16 — just nine days from today. She repeatedly questioned how officials could pursue immediate deportation while simultaneously mounting a federal criminal case against Abrego Garcia. Asked by Xinis whether the government planned to hold Abrego Garcia in ICE custody until his criminal case in Tennessee is over, lawyers for the administration did not mince their words. The Washington Post [7/7/2025 5:38 PM, Steve Thompson, 32099K] reports a Justice Department lawyer said in federal court in Maryland on Monday that the Trump administration plans to again deport Kilmar Abrego García, this time to a country other than El Salvador, without waiting for the outcome of federal human smuggling charges against him in Tennessee should a judge there order him released pending trial. But, during a three-hour hearing, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis appeared incredulous over the administration’s lack of a definite plan for doing so, grilling Justice Department attorneys for details on what country officials are considering and how the deportation would proceed. The Department of Homeland Security "would explore its options for removal closer to the time when it would be taking him into custody," Justice Department lawyer Jonathan Guynn said. In an attempt to get answers, Xinis ordered the Trump administration to produce an official with knowledge of the plans to testify before her at 1 p.m. on Thursday.

CBS News [7/7/2025 2:32 PM, Jacob Rosen, 51860K] Video HERE reports a federal judge denied the Justice Department’s motions to dismiss Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s lawsuit over his mistaken deportation to El Salvador, calling one of the government’s motions "meritless." She did not immediately rule on Abrego Garcia’s motion to be moved to federal custody in Maryland, pending his criminal trial in Tennessee on human trafficking charges. U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis said to Justice Department attorney Bridget O’Hickey, "You made three arguments, defendants, and none are availing … meritless.” Xinis, who had ordered the government to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. after he was sent to El Salvador in March, questioned O’Hickey about whether the U.S. had indicted him in order to facilitate his return. The government did not notify Xinis or Abrego Garcia’s attorneys when he was returned to the U.S. in June and immediately indicted. Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, was part of a group of more than 250 Venezuelan and Salvadoran men who were deported from the U.S. to El Salvador and held in CECOT, a maximum security prison, in mid-March. Soon afterward, he sued the government over his deportation. His amended suit asks Xinis that he be held in custody in Maryland, rather than in Tennessee, where he’s currently being detained, as well as to block his deportation. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CBS Baltimore [7/7/2025 7:47 PM, Mike Hellgren and Christian Olaniran, 51860K] Video: HERE reports supporters of Kilmar Abrego Garcia rallied Monday as a judge in Maryland heard arguments over whether the Salvadoran native should be returned to the state ahead of his trial on federal human smuggling charges in Tennessee. The tense hearing comes amid a months-long legal battle that began after Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported from Maryland to El Salvador in March, despite a court ruling that barred him from being sent to his home country. Another hearing is set for 1 p.m. on Thursday, when the judge demanded that a government official with direct knowledge of plans for Abrego Garcia testify under oath. Then, she said she will decide on ordering his return to Maryland. Amid chants of "due process matters" and "bring Kilmar home," the advocacy group CASA made its voice heard ahead of Monday’s hearing before Judge Paula Xinis. "For more than three months, we have shown up rain or shine from El Salvador to Maryland," said CASA legal director Ama Frimpong. "Make no mistake, Kilmar is back on U.S. soil because of us." Frimpong said, "The (Trump) administration must release Kilmar back to his home right here in Maryland and take accountability for its heinous actions and end its assault on our immigrant communities once and for all." Delegate Ashanti Martinez, a Prince George’s County Democrat and chair of the Maryland Legislative Latino Caucus, told the crowd, "Kilmar Abrego Garcia is a Maryland man, not a gang member." "He is not a threat," Martinez said. "He is not a flight risk. He is not a criminal. He is a Prince Georgian, a man who is raising his family here, paying his taxes, and contributing to the fabric of this state like so many other hard-working immigrants who call Maryland home." The Trump administration unsuccessfully fought to get the Maryland case dismissed and told Judge Xinis that Abrego Garcia was "dangerous." Government attorney Jonathan Guynn said the Department of Justice intends to prosecute Abrego Garcia on human trafficking charges in Tennessee and will "protect the U.S. from a dangerous illegal alien." "This isn’t someone you’d want in your community," Guynn said, repeating that Abrego Garcia poses a dangerous risk even under strict conditions of release.

NewsMax [7/7/2025 7:20 AM, John Gizzi and Alannah Peters, 4622K] reports as Florida rushes to build and open its immigration detention center in the Everglades, officials and advocates are sharply divided over the facility’s true purpose. Between 2019 and 2022, Pew Research reported, about 400,000 illegal immigrants moved to Florida, bringing the total in the Sunshine State to an estimated 1.2 million. Gov. Ron DeSantis issued a Jan. 6, 2023, executive order declaring a state of emergency in response to the mass migration issue he attributed to an inadequate immigration policy under the Biden administration. In response to the migration crisis, the State of Florida began constructing "Alligator Alcatraz" — a term coined by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier in mid-June. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem framed the facility as part of a broader strategy, calling it a "cost-effective and innovative" approach to honoring "the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens." While many state and federal officials on the right view facilities like this as essential to fulfilling the "Make America Safe Again" agenda, immigration and environmental activists have condemned the site as unnecessary and extreme.

CBS Miami [7/7/2025 10:13 PM, Anna McAllister, 51860K] reports Cuban reggaeton artist Leamsy La Figura, arrested last week in Miami-Dade, is now being held at the Alligator Alcatraz immigration detention facility in the Everglades. He and other detainees claim they are enduring inhumane conditions, including lack of access to water, inadequate food and denial of religious rights. La Figura, whose real name is Leamsy Isquierdo, was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery. He was initially held at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center (TGK) before being transferred to Alligator Alcatraz. In a phone call from inside the facility, La Figura described what he called horrific conditions. "I am Leamsy La Figura. We’ve been here at Alcatraz since Friday. There’s over 400 people here. There’s no water to take a bath, it’s been four days since I’ve taken a bath," he said. He claimed the food is scarce and unsanitary. "They only brought a meal once a day and it had maggots. They never take off the lights for 24 hours. The mosquitoes are as big as elephants," La Figura said. Other detainees echoed La Figura’s concerns, alleging violations of their basic rights. "They’re not respecting our human rights," one man said during the same call. "We’re human beings; we’re not dogs. We’re like rats in an experiment." "I don’t know their motive for doing this, if it’s a form of torture. A lot of us have our residency documents and we don’t understand why we’re here," he added. A third detainee, who said he is Colombian, described deteriorating mental health and lack of access to necessary medical care. "I’m on the edge of losing my mind. I’ve gone three days without taking my medicine," he said. "It’s impossible to sleep with this white light that’s on all day." He also claimed his Bible was confiscated. "They took the Bible I had and they said here there is no right to religion. And my Bible is the one thing that keeps my faith, and now I’m losing my faith," he said. La Figura’s girlfriend said the couple shares a 4-year-old daughter. Authorities have not yet responded to the allegations made by detainees at the facility.

Breitbart [7/7/2025 3:04 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 3077K] reports the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal immigrants are being sent to Alligator Alcatraz — the illegal immigrant detention facility in the Florida Everglades — the Republican Party of Florida emphasized in a press release on Monday. The Florida GOP highlighted some of the illegal immigrants arrested in Florida showcased by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), noting that the federal agency clearly stated that some of the illegals listed are "the types of violent criminal illegal aliens who could end up being detained at Alligator Alcatraz." The criminal histories of the illegals captured by ICE in Florida are extensive.

ABC News [7/7/2025 6:29 PM, Armando Garcia and Laura Romero, 31733K] reports over 200 migrants who were sent to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison under accusations that they were members of a violent criminal gang are the responsibility of the United States, the government of El Salvador told a United Nations working group. El Salvador’s claims, outlined in a report submitted Monday in court, appear to contradict what President Donald Trump and administration officials have been saying for months: that they are unable to return any of the migrants sent to CECOT because they’re under El Salvador’s authority. "In this context, the jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these persons lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities, by virtue of international agreements signed and in accordance with the principles of sovereignty and international cooperation in criminal matters," El Salvador officials said in their report to the U.N. El Salvador’s comments were made in a report submitted in a court filing by the United Nations Office of The High Commissioner for Human Rights Working Group, which was investigating the "disappearances" of four Venezuelan men who were thought to have been sent to the country in March. To date, the Trump administration has not released a list of those sent to El Salvador. "The Salvadoran State emphatically states that its authorities have not arrested, detained, or transferred the persons referred to in the communications of the Working Group, " the El Salvador officials said in the report. "The actions of the State of El Salvador have been limited to the implementation of a bilateral cooperation mechanism with another State, through which it has facilitated the use of the Salvadoran prison infrastructure for the custody of persons detained within the scope of the justice system and law enforcement of that other State." The Trump administration invoked the Alien Enemies Act -- an 18th century wartime authority used to remove noncitizens with little-to-no due process -- to deport two planeloads of alleged migrant gang members to El Salvador by arguing that the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua is a "hybrid criminal state" that is invading the United States. The migrants were sent to CECOT as part of a $6 million deal the Trump administration made with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for El Salvador to house migrant detainees as part of Trump’s immigration crackdown. The Washington Post [7/7/2025 7:35 PM, Silvia Foster-Frau, 32099K] reports that the Trump administration, which is paying the Salvadoran government $6 million to house the migrants for a year, has not released a list of the people who were sent to the prison that day. In the filing submitted to U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg, the Salvadoran government deferred responsibility for the relatives of the four families — and other migrants in their custody — to the Trump administration. “The jurisdiction and legal responsibility for these people lie exclusively with the competent foreign authorities,” the Salvadoran authorities said, according to the document. “El Salvador said out loud what everyone knew: The United States is in charge of the Venezuelans shipped off in the middle of the night back in March,” said Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer and lead counsel in the case. The Department of Homeland Security and the State Department did not respond to requests for comment. The legal case focuses on the Trump administration’s invocation of the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old law that allows the government to circumvent legal due process for non-U. S. citizens who it determines are a national security threat and remove them from the country. That law has previously been invoked exclusively during times of war. The Trump administration has argued that the migrants deported under the statute are members of the Venezuela-based gang “Tren de Aragua,” and asserted the gang is carrying out an “invasion” in the United States at the direction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Reported similarly:

AP [7/7/2025 6:15 PM, Mark Sherman, 56000K]

New York Times [7/7/2025 5:51 PM, Alan Feuer, 138952K] reports for the past several months, the Trump administration has insisted in court that it has no control over the nearly 140 Venezuelan immigrants it deported to a prison in El Salvador this spring under the powers of a rarely used wartime statute. Both in filings and at hearings, Trump officials have asserted that because the men are being held by jailers in El Salvador, the Salvadoran government has control over their fate. The administration has repeatedly made that claim to argue that it has no real authority to bring the immigrants back itself. On Monday, however, lawyers for the Venezuelan men produced a document indicating that the government of El Salvador recently told the United Nations that it, in fact, bears no legal responsibility for the men. The document, written in response to a U.N. inquiry examining some of the deportations, also claimed that the Salvadoran government was merely doing the United States’ bidding when it accepted the men into its prison system. The document was included in a new court filing submitted to Judge James E. Boasberg, who has been hearing a long-running legal case brought by the Venezuelan men in Federal District Court in Washington. As part of that case, Judge Boasberg ordered the Trump administration last month to take steps toward providing the men with the due process they were denied when the White House deported them to El Salvador under the expansive powers of the wartime law, known as the Alien Enemies Act. The document could present a problem for the administration because it seems to undermine a position that lawyers for the Justice Department and top Trump officials have taken time and again in front of Judge Boasberg. The lawyers for the Venezuelans also claimed that department lawyers knew about the document for months but failed to inform either them or the judge.

ABC News [7/7/2025 11:34 PM, James Hill, 31733K] reports a federal magistrate judge in Wisconsin has recommended that the case against a Milwaukee judge accused of helping an undocumented man evade arrest by immigration authorities not be dismissed. Judge Hannah Dugan, 65, was arrested in April and charged in a two-count federal indictment alleging that she knowingly concealed a person sought for arrest by immigration authorities and for obstruction of official Department of Homeland Security removal proceedings. Lawyers for Dugan, in part citing the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in President Donald Trump’s immunity case, have argued she has judicial immunity for official acts and that her prosecution is unconstitutional. Late Monday -- in a non-binding decision -- U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph issued a 37-page report and recommendation, reaching the conclusion that there is no shield from prosecution in this case. The recommendation will be presented to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who will make the final decision on the motion. "It is well-established and undisputed that judges have absolute immunity from civil lawsuits for monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts," the magistrate judge wrote in her decision. "This, however, is not a civil case. And review of the case law does not show an extension of this established doctrine to the criminal context. Accordingly, I recommend that Dugan’s motion to dismiss the indictment on judicial immunity grounds be denied." Joseph noted that while many of Dugan’s alleged actions could arguably be considered judicial acts, that does not mean prosecution is barred "where the indictment alleges that the acts were done ‘corruptly’ or to facilitate a violation of the criminal law." "What matters is whether the judge, even in performing her official duties, is accused of committing a crime," Joseph wrote. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The AP [7/7/2025 9:17 PM, Scott Bauer, 56000K] reports that the case highlighted a clash between President Donald Trump’s administration and local authorities over the Republican’s sweeping immigration crackdown. Democrats have accused the Trump administration of trying to make a national example of Dugan to chill judicial opposition. Dugan filed a motion in May to dismiss the charges against her, saying she was acting in her official capacity as a judge and therefore is immune to prosecution. She argued that the federal government violated Wisconsin’s sovereignty by disrupting a state courtroom and prosecuting a state judge. U.S. Magistrate Judge Nancy Joseph on Monday recommended against dropping the charges. The ultimate decision is up to U.S. District Judge Lynn Adelman, who can accept the other judge’s recommendation or reject it. “We are disappointed in the magistrate judge’s non-binding recommendation, and we will appeal it,” Dugan attorney Steven Biskupic, a former federal prosecutor, said in a statement. “This is only one step in what we expect will be a long journey to preserve the independence and integrity of our courts.” Joseph wrote in her recommendation that while judges have immunity from civil lawsuits seeking monetary damages when engaging in judicial acts, that does not apply to criminal charges like those in this case. “A judge’s actions, even when done in her official capacity, does not bar criminal prosecution if the actions were done in violation of the criminal law,” Joseph wrote.

Federal News Network [7/7/2025 7:20 PM, Justin Doubleday, 2346K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is set to receive a massive influx of funding to boost law enforcement hiring and make major capital investments under the recently passed tax and reconciliation bill. The so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed late last week includes an additional $165 billion for DHS over the next decade. Much of the funding would go toward border security and immigration enforcement. The DHS provisions in the reconciliation bill were led by House Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.), who resigned from Congress after voting for the bill. Earlier this year, DHS told Congress it would allocate approximately $43.8 billion of the reconciliation bill’s funding in fiscal 2026. That would be in addition to the $115.5 billion DHS is requesting in total spending as part of the annual 2026 appropriations process. “Now, in some ways, the more difficult part begins, which is trying to figure out the spending plans, the acquisition planning that needs to go into this, the hiring plans,” Chris Cummiskey, former under secretary for management at DHS, told Federal News Network. The new funding would support hiring surges at several DHS components, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol. The bill includes $4.1 billion for CBP to hire 5,000 customs officers and 3,000 border patrol agents over the next four years. It also includes $2 billion for annual retention or signing bonuses at CBP, as well as $600 million for recruiting, hiring and retention initiatives. As for ICE, the bill allocates $8 billion to hire 10,000 new officers through 2029. It also includes $858 million for ICE retention and signing bonuses and $600 million to support marketing, recruiting and onboarding programs. DHS says it is now offering ICE and Border Patrol agents $10,000 signing bonuses.

CNN [7/8/2025 4:00 AM, Angélica Franganillo Díaz, 21433K] reports three months after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shut down three oversight offices, slashing staff from hundreds to a dozen, advocates and whistleblowers say the move gutted an already fragile accountability system. The oversight is crucial as at least 11 people have died in ICE custody since the start of the fiscal year, according to agency data and press releases. With months still left in the fiscal year, 2025 is already nearing the 12 deaths reported in all of fiscal year 2024 as the Trump administration continues its immigration enforcement push. Michelle Brané, a former Immigration Detention Ombudsman, which is an office providing neutral oversight of federal immigration detentions, said the true toll “could be much higher.” “People’s lives are at risk,” she continued. The closures have significantly reduced internal oversight at a time when DHS is handling complex immigration operations. The department is also moving to open new detention sites, including one in the Everglades dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” which President Donald Trump visted last week. Private immigration detention contractors are also ramping up: CoreCivic is reopening the Dilley detention center and is expanding in four states, while GEO group is reactivating sites in Georgia and Newark, New Jersey. Advocates have raised alarm about the lack of accountability, citing inhumane conditions, medical neglect, and abuse in some federal detention facilities.

USA Today [7/7/2025 6:45 PM, Bart Jansen, 75552K] reports President Donald Trump ordered an extension of his freeze on hiring rank-and-file federal workers through Oct. 15, to lock in savings from layoffs and deferred retirements. Trump has reduced the federal workforce by tens of thousands. For example, the Department of Veterans Affairs said on July 7 it had reduced its workforce by 17,000 since January and aimed to shrink it another 12,000 through attrition by the end of the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30. The department began the year with 484,000 workers. Trump’s order says, “No Federal civilian position that is vacant may be filled, and no new position may be created” except for exemptions or as required by law. His previous hiring freeze, ordered in January, had been extended through July 15 and has now been extended again. Congress designates some agency functions in statute, which require a change in law to abolish, while others are created by agency chiefs and can be eliminated. Lawmakers are debating whether to agree with some of the administration’s decisions to dismantle agencies and reduce the workforce. “Contracting outside the Federal Government to circumvent the intent of this memorandum is prohibited,” the order says. The heads of agencies “shall seek efficient use of existing personnel and funds to improve public services and the delivery of those services,” the order says. Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins said a department-wide reduction in workforce was "off the table," but officials would continue to look for ways to make the agency more efficient. "Our review has resulted in a host of new ideas for better serving Veterans that we will continue to pursue,” Collins said.

AP [7/7/2025 3:25 PM, Carlos Rodriguez, 11859K] reports as a professional, Julio César Chávez fought 115 times in the ring. Now, the former world champion said he was ready to fight outside of it to defend his same-name son, who was arrested by U.S. immigration agents at his Los Angeles home for overstaying his visa and lying on a green card application. The 39-year-old Chávez Junior also has an active warrant for his arrest in Mexico for alleged arms and drug trafficking and suggested ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. “It’s complicated, there’s a lot of talk, but we’re calm because we know my son’s innocence,” the elder Chavez told El Heraldo newspaper. “My son will be anything you want, anything, but he is not a criminal and less everything he’s being accused of.” Alejandro Gertz Manero, Mexico’s Attorney General, said on Sunday that the investigation against Chávez Junior started in 2019 after a complaint filed by U.S. authorities against the Sinaloa Cartel for organized crime, human trafficking, arms trafficking, and drug trafficking. “He knows a lot of people, we live in Culiacan, it would be impossible not to know all of the people that are doing illicit stuff, but that does not mean nothing,” Chavez said. “In my time I met everybody, and they did not come after me.”

USA Today [7/7/2025 6:32 PM, Josh Peter and Lauren Villagran, 75552K] reports an attorney for boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Jr. said Monday he does not know whether his client is still in the United States after he was arrested by ICE last week. Chávez Jr. was scheduled to appear in court Monday to seek early release from a pretrial diversion program stemming from gun charges in January 2024. But Chávez Jr. did not appear at the Los Angeles Superior Court Northwest Division and his attorney, Michael Goldstein, said he did not know his client’s location. Goldstein said that two days ago he learned Chávez Jr. was in Hidalgo, Texas in the custody of DHS. When asked Monday if Chávez Jr. is still in the United States, Goldstein told USA TODAY Sports: "We have no idea. We have no information. Unfortunately." Chávez Jr., 39, was arrested July 2 outside of his home in Studio City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, according to DHS. ICE then detained the former world champion boxer and began the process for expedited removal to Mexico, DHS said in its initial statement. USA TODAY Sports reached out to DHS for an update to Chávez Jr.’s status and was directed to its July 3 press release. The arrest took place just days after Chávez Jr., a former world champion, fought celebrity boxer Jake Paul in Anaheim, California. Chávez Jr., the son of legendary Mexican boxer Julio Cesar Chávez Sr., lost a 10-round bout to Paul by unanimous decision. DHS said Chávez Jr. faces an arrest warrant in Mexico for his alleged ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel. n August 2023, Chávez Jr. entered the country legally with a B2 tourist visa that was valid until February 2024. In its press release, DHS stated former President Joe Biden’s administration allowed Chávez Jr. to reenter the country in January and paroled him into the country at the San Ysidro port of entry in California. The Trump administration has launched a far-reaching crackdown on immigration in an effort to fulfill the president’s campaign promise to deport millions of people in the country illegally. Mexico’s top prosecutor on July 6 said U.S. authorities have known since at least 2023 that Chávez Jr. was wanted in Mexico on charges related to his alleged ties to the Sinaloa drug cartel, according to an EFE news service report. Chávez Jr. “entered the United States with the knowledge of American authorities, with a tourist visa that they accepted,” Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero told EFE. “They knew perfectly well that there was an arrest warrant.”

The Hill [7/7/2025 11:30 AM, Jim Townsend, 18649K] reports in 1940, Harry Truman, then a little-known U.S. senator from Missouri, drove 10,000 miles across the United States visiting military bases and contractors to find out, in-person, how billions of recently appropriated tax dollars were being spent to equip America to enter history’s biggest war. Truman went on to chair a special bipartisan committee charged with examining the war effort which uncovered billions in waste and fraud, saved countless lives, and helped make possible the Arsenal of Democracy that still serves to protect our country. Members of Congress who have been trying to inspect Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities are carrying on this vital tradition of "oversight by showing up," where members make site visits — sometimes unannounced — to gather facts directly from the people and places where the work of government is being performed. The Trump administration is trying to block these efforts by harassing and prosecuting members of Congress who come to Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, denying access, or imposing protocols that do not appear to serve any purpose other than impeding efforts to oversee Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of authority and funding it receives from Congress. The White House and Immigration and Customs Enforcement should abandon this stonewalling which runs afoul of the U.S. Constitution and federal law. As the Supreme Court has repeatedly held, Congress has a wide-ranging power and responsibility to conduct oversight that goes beyond accepting information offered up by the executive branch. In spelling out why it is so important for Congress to be able compel information via subpoena, the court wrote, "information which is volunteered is not always accurate or complete.” Similarly, when members of Congress show up with little or no notice to inspect a government agency or contractor’s facility, they are attempting to get information without the filters that federal agencies often apply to the facts. Members of Congress and their staffs have also repeatedly gone to war zones to hear directly from the troops. In 2004, for example, soldiers told Reps. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), Frank Wolf (R-Va.), and Jim Marshall (D-Ga.) about the threat posed by road mines in Iraq which accelerated the armoring of military vehicles serving in the region. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s recent refusal to allow members of Congress to visit its facilities conflicts with federal law. Section 527 of Public Law 118-47 bars Immigration and Customs Enforcement from preventing members of Congress from entering an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility for the purpose of conducting oversight. The law also states that "nothing in this section may be construed to require a member of Congress to provide prior notice of the intent to enter a facility.” The administration argues that Section 527 does not apply because the facilities in question are not detention facilities, a position at odds with the law and the facts. Section 527 applies to "any facility operated by or for [the Department of Homeland Security] used to detain or otherwise house aliens…." These are facilities where migrants are being detained and where members of Congress have been illegally prevented from visiting. Unaccountable power is inconsistent with democratic self-government and the individual rights and liberties for which our nation’s Founders and many other Americans risked their lives. It is also bad for military preparedness that helps to keep us a free country.

FOX News [7/7/2025 7:00 AM, Mark Morgan, 46878K] Video HERE reports in the middle of directing the most underwhelming deportation effort in modern American history, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has now decided to play swamp games. Rather than investing in a durable, institutional enforcement backbone capable of sustaining President Donald Trump’s mass deportation mandate, Noem is shoveling detention funds into a pop-up project in a Florida swamp – proudly dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." It’s not a joke. It’s an insult. Let’s be clear: the heart of the Trump immigration agenda is mass deportation. That requires infrastructure like beds, buses and planes. And when it comes to beds, we’re talking real detention facilities and actual jails, not circus tents surrounded by reptiles. So why is Noem building a "soft-sided" facility in an ecologically fragile mosquito pit, 45 miles from downtown Miami? Why is she seeking to sideline ICE’s institutional partners with decades of experience and instead cutting side deals with states desperate for political brownie points? To be clear, this isn’t a critique of Florida’s historic leadership on immigration enforcement at the state-level. The concern is what could happen next. Noem has publicly said she bypassed traditional vendors because she felt they were "too expensive" and not offering "fair prices." So, she turned to Republican governors to see if they could do it cheaper. In her words: "I went directly to states and asked them if they could do a better job providing this service." She’s now courting states and companies with zero ICE experience, hoping for a discount detention revolution. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [7/7/2025 5:15 AM, MaryAnn Tierney, 153395K] reports when a flash flood inundates your town or a wildfire devours your neighborhood, you expect the federal government to show up — fast, focused and fully mobilized. That expectation underpins our national resilience. But today, that system is cracking. The help Americans rely on in their darkest hours is in danger of arriving late, underpowered or not at all. The early morning of Friday brought a fresh reminder of what is at stake. At least 81 people, including 28 children, died in catastrophic flooding in Central Texas that occurred following record rainfall. In just four hours, the amount of rain that typically falls over four months fell — upward of 15 inches in some parts of the region — triggering flash floods that swept away cars, washed out roads and submerged parts of a summer camp and entire neighborhoods. Emergency responders carried out desperate water rescues as rivers surged beyond their banks. The devastation struck a region still reeling from earlier flooding this spring, which had already prompted a major disaster declaration from President Trump. Recovery from that storm is far from over. These are not isolated incidents; we now live in an era of climate change with faster, stronger and less predictable storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, now warns of “rapid intensification,” when tropical systems quickly escalate from mild to major hurricanes in a matter of hours. That compresses the time emergency managers have to evacuate communities, marshal resources and respond. It leaves less room for error and demands more from the systems that protect us. And yet, the very system designed to meet this moment is being hollowed out. The uncomfortable truth is this: With each passing day, the federal government is becoming less prepared to face the next big disaster. And as the risk grows, the ability to deliver on its vital disaster response mission is shrinking. I’ve spent over 25 years responding to disasters. I know what it looks like when government rises to the moment, and I know the warning signs when it’s about to fall short. Those signs are flashing now. Since January, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which helps people before, during and after disasters, has lost more than 20 percent of its permanent staff — its most experienced, field-ready responders. Thousands of temporary employees remain on the job, but their contracts are running out. These are people trained to work with disaster survivors. FEMA cannot replace them or bring in new talent because of hiring restrictions. Local hires, who were once a flexible, community-based option, now require many slow approvals. FEMA Corps, which was meant to be a pipeline of young Americans trained to support response and recovery efforts, has been defunded. Contracts for evacuation logistics, shelter operations and flood insurance agents have been allowed to expire. At the same time, the backbone of preparedness — training — was closed down for months. Over 7,000 emergency personnel were locked out of courses that teach them how to respond to mass casualty events, hazardous materials incidents and catastrophic natural disasters. This training isn’t theoretical. It saves lives.

NewsMax [7/7/2025 12:35 PM, Michael Dorstewitz, 4622K] reports Democrats and legacy media figures always find a way to blame Republicans for every tragedy, whether it’s a natural disaster or a mass shooting. And they do it before all the facts are in and while rescue efforts are still ongoing. The Central Texas flash flood was no exception. U.S. Coast Guardsmen were still tirelessly saving lives in the aftermath of the flood that occurred on Independence Day. Water levels rose an estimated 29 feet on the Guadalupe River in the Texas Hill Country when the finger-pointing began. California state Sen. Scott Weiner blamed the event on the Trump administration. "Trump & Musk gutted the National Weather Service," said the liberal Democrat. "The result was predictable: A bad forecast leading to the death of children in a horrific flood". CNN’s Dana Bash also claimed that Trump spending cuts to NOAA and the National Weather Service played a role in inadequate warnings to the public. CNN chief political analyst David Axelrod joined the chorus. "This horrific tragedy in Texas is a canary in coal mine," claimed Axelrod, who was a strategist for Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. "Yes, there’s waste in government. But it also performs vital functions, like adequately forecasting storms and coordinating with local authorities in a timely way to deal with them.” However, the National Weather Service reported that they had issued multiple flood watches beginning Thursday morning, July 3, well in advance of the flooding. Also on Thursday at 6:22 PM local time the NWS elevated the watch into a warning. By 1:14 a.m. on Friday, residents in the area were warned via Wireless Emergency Alerts to expect "Considerable" or "Catastrophic" flood damage. Three hours, 21 minutes later the area was besieged by catastrophic floodwaters. As meteorologist Chris Martz observed, "The National Weather Service (NWS) office in San Antonio was extra staffed during the storms. A flood watch was issued 15 hours ahead of time, and a flash flood warning three hours before.” So if the National Weather Service did its job assessing the data and warning the public, who or what else could they blame? Climate change, of course. Dana Bash asked Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat, if he believed that "the changing climate is a part of what we are seeing go on here?" He knew his lines and delivered them on cue: "I think that climate change is obviously a part of it.” But the public is finally waking up to the fact that the climate hysteria we’ve been subjected to for decades is little more than a scam, thanks to climatologists like Dr. Judith Curry who are fearlessly coming forward. Referring to her own field of study during a recent interview, she remarked that "It’s not science anymore; it’s become a pseudoscience.” If we truly "follow the science" as they suggest, we’ll find that there’s no emergency with the climate. The only "emergency" is the Left’s loss of control over our lives. But while mainstream media figures are beating the bushes trying to pin the Texas flood on Trump or climate change, they’re missing a truly amazing story — a story of heroism and hope. And it was handed to them by the very Trump administration they’ve come to despise — in this case by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. "United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas," Noem reported. "This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene," she added. "Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG.” According to X user Intelschizo, a former USCG Intelligence Specialist Petty Officer First Class, "This achievement sets a new record for the most lives saved by a Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer in a single mission, surpassing the previous record of 153 saves during Hurricane Katrina. Bravo Zulu to AST Ruskin and U.S. Coast Guard Heartland District personnel currently operating around Kerrville.” This is the story the legacy media missed in their rush to bust Trump and push climate change — the story of a true American hero, proving once again that not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they wear an orange dry suit, a mask, fins and a snorkel, and hang by a cable from a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and is a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He’s also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and a Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz’s Reports — More Here.

USA Today [7/7/2025 1:35 PM, Nicole Russell, 75552K] reports he scene in Kerr County and other areas of the Texas Hill Country is worse than any horror film. The Guadalupe River surged more than 26 feet in less than an hour in the early morning of July 4, Friday, sweeping away homes and flooding campgrounds as children and adults slept. At least 90 people died in the flood, including as many as 27 children. Authorities say 10 children from a summer camp are still missing. Amid the horror, heroes and helpers have emerged. Scott Ruskan, 26, is a new Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He has been hailed as a hero for helping save the lives of 165 flood survivors on his first rescue mission. Others gave their lives helping to save lives. Richard Eastland, the director of Camp Mystic, died attempting to rescue campers caught in the raging flood. More than 700 girls were staying at the Christian camp when the flash flood hit. Julian Ryan, 27, also died a hero. As water rose inside the mobile home he shared with his fiancée, two children and his mother, he broke a window, allowing his family to escape the flood. But the broken glass cut an artery in his arm. As he bled to death, Ryan told his family, "I’m sorry, I’m not going to make it. I love y’all.” Still, most of the stories emerging from this tragedy offer only heartbreak and devastation. A search crew found sisters Blair and Brooke Harber with their hands locked together. The girls were only 11 and 13 years old. As a mother of two children the same ages as Blair and Brooke, I’m horrified. I can’t imagine the pain and anguish that their parents, and so many other parents, are now suffering. My heart also breaks for the family and friends of Chloe Childress, a counselor at Camp Mystic who planned to attend the University of Texas at Austin this fall. Her high school principal described Chloe as having had a "remarkable way of making people feel seen" and "steady compassion that settled a room.” So many other stories are being told of children and young people lost to the flood, of adults swept away in an instant, of families devastated forever that we can hardly absorb the magnitude of this horror. Texas leaders must address questions about warning system. Although it is a sensitive moment for grieving families and communities, state leaders in Texas need to address several urgent questions.

FOX News [7/7/2025 10:35 AM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Fox News’ Jonathan Hunt provides updates on the attack on a police officer in Alvarado, Texas, and the attack on an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon. Border czar Tom Homan discusses the Trump administration’s investment in immigration enforcement.

NBC 5 Chicago [7/7/2025 5:42 PM, Staff] reports a group of Democratic lawmakers is seeking to outlaw the use of masks and civilian clothing by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agents, drawing pushback from the Trump administration. During a controversial ICE action in Chicago earlier this year, federal agents wearing facemasks could be seen in the South Loop taking undocumented people into custody. Many of the agents wore civilian clothing, with no name tags or badges. Activists complained that the raid was being carried out by “secret police.” Now legislators in Chicago and elsewhere are trying to ban the practice. “We want to know who is arresting or interrogating or detaining who? For what? Under what circumstances?” said Chicago Rep. Jesus “Chuy” Garcia. “Most importantly, we want there to be due process.” Garcia is among those speaking out against so-called “masked and unmarked” enforcement actions. New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez has introduced a bill to outlaw masked and unmarked agents acting on behalf of the federal government, She called the practice undemocratic.” Her measure is based on a “no secret police” law introduced in the California legislature by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco). Wiener said the only way to build understanding between neighborhoods and law enforcement is for both sides to know and understand each other. That changes, he said, when officers wear masks. “It’s really scary,” Wiener said. “It creates a form of secret police and that’s not what we need in California.” But the department of Homeland Security is defending its immigration crackdown and the use of masks by its personnel. Assistant Secretary of HHS, Tricia McLaughlin told Fox News that her agency has seen a 500% increase in assaults against its law enforcement operators since the mass deportation effort began. That effort is expected to increase now that President Donald Trump has signed his signature spending package. The so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” which includes $2 billion for the Department of Homeland Security and almost $30 billion for ICE, a massive increase in the agency’s budget.

New York Post [7/7/2025 1:39 PM, Jennie Taer, 49956K] reports President Trump’s "border czar" Tom Homan wants ICE agents to arrest at least 7,000 illegal immigrants every day — more than double the current quota — after the agency received a giant budget boost for its mass deportation campaign with the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill. "And for those that say 3,000 a day is too much, I want to remind them, do the math, we have to arrest 7,000 every single day for the remainder of this administration just to catch the ones Biden released into the nation," Homan told reporters Monday outside the White House. Trump signed the nearly 900-page bill into law on July 4, opening the door for ICE to hire 10,000 new officers and double its capacity to detain illegal immigrants. The law will only "turbocharge" Trump’s deportation effort, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLauglin told The Post last week.

Telemundo [7/7/2025 6:12 PM, Anagilmara Vílchez, 3352K] reports during June, the Donald Trump administration made 209 deportation flights, the highest monthly figure recorded in the last five years, surpassing the maximum figures made by his predecessor, Joe Biden, according to data compiled by Thomas Cartwright of the Witness at the Border group, which tracks these flights since January 2020. The previous monthly records were September 2021, with 193 flights during an operation to repatriate Haitian immigrants, and 153 in August 2023, according to the recent witness at the Border report. Since Trump took office in late January, the government has conducted 829 deportation flights, an increase of 12% (90 more flights) over the same period in 2024, Cartwright said in the report. "It’s hard to know, but 115 people per plane would be a reasonable assumption," Cartwright told News Telemundo. This would mean that some 190,000 people [have been] deported on ICE Air charter flights, he calculated. According to data compiled by Witness at the Border, the Trump administration managed to expand the number of countries accepting deportation flights to about 40, including Chile, Argentina, Egypt, Romania and several African nations. However, more than half of the flights (116) were destined for the Northern Triangle of Central America, Guatemala (51), Honduras (43), and El Salvador (22), according to the report. That the number of flights rose from 190 in May, to 209 in June, also represented a jump in flights to each of these countries, for example, Honduras went from eight to 43; El Salvador from five to 22; and Guatemala from three to 51. This while other governments, such as the Mexican, received fewer deportees, according to the data. At least 10 of the flights in June were carried out on military aircraft, according to the report. After an analysis of data and interviews with experts, Noticias Telemundo reported in March that the use of Department of Defense aircraft was something unpublished - and a more expensive and inefficient modality, since since 2010 the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) has deported immigrants by air on private airlines. Cartwright’s analysis estimates that between 70 and 80 people can be deported on each military plane, compared to 125 or 135 who move on a regular ICE Air flight.

Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 5:57 PM, Heather Hunter, 1934K] reports House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called for "aggressive oversight" of Immigration and Customs Enforcementduring an appearance on ABC’s The View Monday. He criticized the agency’s recent conduct under the Trump administration and defended immigrant communities targeted by federal enforcement. Pressed by cohost Alyssa Farah Griffin on whether he supported progressive calls to defund ICE, Jeffries stopped short of endorsing the idea but condemned the agency’s "overly aggressive behavior," and pledged that House Democrats would closely scrutinize ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. "We need aggressive oversight as it relates to the overly aggressive behavior that we’ve seen from ICE, from the Department of Homeland Security," Jeffries said. "Donald Trump and Republicans promised to go after violent felons, but instead, they’re going after law-abiding immigrant families, in some cases deporting American citizens and children, some with cancer. America is better than this." The segment was part of a broader conversation about the spending bill recently signed by Trump, which includes $170 billion for expanded ICE operations. Cohost Ana Navarro described the situation as one of "mass deportation efforts," citing reports of masked ICE agents conducting "military-style ICE raids" in U.S. cities and detaining migrants "without any due process." Navarro asked Jeffries what his message was for immigrants feeling fearful and hopeless under the current immigration policies. Jeffries responded by accusing Trump of unleashing "an unprecedented flood of extremism" and urged Americans not to lose hope. "We can never lose hope in the resilience of the American people to face turbulence - and this is an incredibly turbulent moment - but to power our way through it and to come out stronger on the other side," he said. "I still believe in the fundamental goodness of the American people." He reaffirmed his support for border security but emphasized the need for bipartisan immigration reform that honors America’s values as "a nation of immigrants."

AP [7/7/2025 12:38 PM, Holly Ramer and Amanda Swinhart, 56000K] reports after six 12-hour shifts milking cows, José Molina-Aguilar’s lone day off was hardly relaxing. On April 21, he and seven co-workers were arrested on a Vermont dairy farm in what advocates say was one of the state’s largest-ever immigration raids. "I saw through the window of the house that immigration were already there, inside the farm, and that’s when they detained us," he said in a recent interview. "I was in the process of asylum, and even with that, they didn’t respect the document that I was still holding in my hands.” Four of the workers were swiftly deported to Mexico. Molina-Aguilar, released after a month in a Texas detention center with his asylum case still pending, is now working at a different farm and speaking out. "We must fight as a community so that we can all have, and keep fighting for, the rights that we have in this country," he said. The owner of the targeted farm declined to comment. But Brett Stokes, a lawyer representing the detained workers, said the raid sent shock waves through the entire Northeast agriculture industry. "These strong-arm tactics that we’re seeing and these increases in enforcement, whether legal or not, all play a role in stoking fear in the community," said Stokes, director of the Center for Justice Reform Clinic at Vermont Law and Graduate School. That fear remains given the mixed messages coming from the White House. President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise to deport millions of immigrants working in the U.S. illegally, last month paused arrests at farms, restaurants and hotels. But less than a week later, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said worksite enforcement would continue. Asked for updated comment Monday, the department repeated McLaughlin’s earlier statement. "Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability," she said.

New York Post [7/7/2025 12:02 PM, Ryan King, 49956K] reports President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, brushed aside socialist New York City mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s commitment to defying Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if he wins the election in November. "Good luck on that," Homan told reporters at the White House Monday. "We’re going to be in New York City, and President Trump said it two weeks ago, we’re going to double down, triple down on sanctuary cities. "Why? Not because [they’re a] blue city or blue state, because we know that’s where the problem is," he went on. "They’re releasing public safety threats and national security threats to the streets every day because they don’t honor our [requests they be] detained.” Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary last month in an upset over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, has called ICE a "rogue agency.” "We have to stand up and fight back," Mamdani told NBC’s "Meet the Press" June 29. "We saw ICE agents arrest a migrant at Federal Plaza, and then we saw NYPD officers arresting a pastor who was peacefully observing that arrest.” "Those days are going to come to an end when I’m the mayor.” Earlier this month, Trump threatened to arrest Mamdani if he attempted to block ICE operations. "[Trump’s] statements don’t just represent an attack on our democracy but an attempt to send a message to every New Yorker who refuses to hide in the shadows: If you speak up, they will come for you," Mamdani shot back. "We will not accept this intimidation.” Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams has been cooperative with the Trump administration on key immigration issues, something Mamdani has used against Hizzoner. But Homan warned Monday that ICE will persevere no matter who is in Gracie Mansion.

Reported similarly:
Blaze [7/7/2025 1:30 PM, Andrew Chapados, 1805K]

Breitbart [7/7/2025 2:46 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 3077K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has highlighted several criminal illegal aliens who have been arrested in Florida as Alligator Alcatraz opens in Florida, and it includes those with criminal histories of homicide, sexual assault of a child, and more. DHS released a sampling of the illegal immigrants Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) has arrested in Florida — much like they did with those arrested in Los Angeles as the L.A. riots ran wild. "Below are some of the dangerous criminal illegal aliens arrested by ICE in Florida. These are the types of violent criminal illegal aliens who could end up being detained at Alligator Alcatraz," DHS explained. On June 9, for instance, ICE Miami arrested Mexican illegal immigrant Adolfo Santoscoy-Rodriguez, whose criminal history includes a conviction of child abuse and forcible rape. Noel Acosta-Moya, hailing from Venezuela, has also been convicted of crimes against a child, "kidnapping and sexual assault of a child under 13." DHS Secretary Kristi Noam said in a statement that "Alligator Alcatraz, and other facilities like it, will give us the capability to lock up some of the worst scumbags who entered our country under the previous administration." "We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida. Make America safe again," she added.

FOX News [7/7/2025 9:39 AM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman reports on the Department of Homeland Security responding to the increase in violence against agents after an officer was shot outside of an ICE detention center in Texas.

Breitbart [7/7/2025 4:18 PM, Warner Todd Huston, 3077K] reports the Trump administration has quadrupled the arrests of migrants in sanctuary state Colorado, data shows. The Trump administration has focused on several blue states to fulfill the president’s campaign promise of a crackdown on illegal immigration, and in Colorado that has amounted to a 300 percent increase in ICE apprehensions. Federal data shows that in the latest period ending on June 10, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 1,355 people. That compares to the 342 who were picked up during the final year of the Biden administration. That is a 300 percent rise. The arrest rate has averaged about nine per day, according to the Denver Post. Those taken into custody come from Mexico and Central and South America, as well as foreign countries including Afghanistan. ICE is also ramping up arrests in other sanctuary states.

Axios [7/7/2025 8:20 AM, Russell Contreras and Alayna Alvarez, 13599K] reports images of masked, heavily armed immigration agents pulling people off Colorado streets and out of courthouses in unmarked cars have left many shocked and wondering: Is all of this legal? It is — at least for now. Since its post-9/11 creation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has operated with broader powers and fewer restrictions than local police — rules designed to help the FBI identify and detain terror suspects. But under the Trump administration, those tools have been redirected to target unauthorized immigrants, potentially millions of them, and critics say ICE has become the closest thing the U.S. has to a secret police force.

The New York Times [7/7/2025 8:39 PM, Jill Cowan and Mimi Dwyer, 138952K] reports it had been a quiet morning in MacArthur Park, a hub in one of Los Angeles’s most immigrant-heavy neighborhoods. Children at a summer camp were playing outside, but the park was otherwise largely empty. Then, dozens of armed federal agents began marching over soccer fields and grass berms, based on footage of the incident. Military-style vehicles blocked the street and a federal helicopter flew overhead. They wore fatigues, masks and helmets and marched in lines. Some were on horseback. Camera crews followed alongside them. Los Angeles leaders have grown weary after thousands of National Guard troops and Marines arrived nearly a month ago and immigration raids have become a regular, visible occurrence. But they took particular umbrage at Monday’s extraordinary show of force in MacArthur Park and issued a swift and furious rebuke. “What I saw in the park today looked like a city under siege, under armed occupation,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a news conference on Monday afternoon, adding that she had traveled regularly into conflict zones as a member of Congress. “It’s the way a city looks before a coup.” Dozens of federal agents were observed in the park, many arriving in armored military vehicles. They were joined by 80 California National Guard troops under the command of President Trump, according to the office of Gov. Gavin Newsom, who criticized the effort and has tried to stop the federalization of Guard members through a lawsuit. Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, did not respond to specific questions about the purpose of the operation at MacArthur Park or whether anyone had been detained. “The operation is ongoing,” she wrote in an email. “So that should be a message in of itself.” Asked to clarify that message, she responded that it was an immigration enforcement operation and that such efforts “are not in one single location.” FOX News [7/7/2025 4:14 PM, Louis Casiano, Bill Melugin, 46878K] reports federal agents, accompanied by members of the National Guard, were conducting an immigration raid in Los Angeles on Monday, according to images on social media. The operation targeted an area near MacArthur Park, an area with a large immigrant population, in the city’s Westlake neighborhood, which is heavily Hispanic and has a heavy MS-13 influence. U.S. Border Patrol agents were seen on horseback in the park. Mayor Karen Bass, who has been a vocal opponent of immigration raids in the city, appeared at the scene and demanded to speak with ICE leadership. Border Patrol Chief Gregory Bovino told Fox News that he was the official on the phone with Bass, who demanded the raid be stopped. Bass has called for the Trump administration to end immigration enforcement in her city, calling the operations "inhumane." The Hill [7/7/2025 6:06 PM, Tara Suter, 18649K] reports that video posted Monday by a local Fox reporter who said it was taken at the park appeared to show Bass interacting with a U.S Border patrol agent. In a statement obtained by CBS News, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said that "U.S. Customs and Border Protection led a large–scale federal immigration enforcement operation in downtown Los Angeles today, supported by the military units that President Trump deployed to the area earlier this year to protect federal property and agents." "ICE was involved but the operation was led by CBP, which has been overseeing immigration enforcement efforts in the LA area for the past weeks." the statement continued.

Breitbart [7/8/2025 4:27 AM, Paul Bois, 3077K] reports Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass lamented the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in a park notorious for fentanyl and drug abuse. As Breitbart News reported, protesters clashed with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as well as the military in Los Angeles on Monday. The protesters were seen confronting Border Patrol agents patrolling the park on horseback while being accompanied by military personnel — a likely protection against potential acts of violence on federal agents. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass condemned the presence of federal agents and military personnel in the park. “It is outrageous and un-American that we have federal armed vehicles in our parks when nothing is going on in the parks,” she lamented in a press conference. “It’s outrageous and un-American that the federal government seized our state’s national guard.” In a post on X, Bass also claimed children had been at play in the park when agents came to the scene. “I met some of the children who had to leave the park today because of a military-style operation designed to strike fear in the heart of our city today. We will not be afraid and we will not be divided. We will stand TOGETHER,” she said. Despite the mayor’s claims about MacArthur Park being an innocent haven that had no need for federal intervention, local reports have routinely characterized the famous park as being a den of drugs, homeless encampments, and crime. Recently, the situation became so untenable that beloved historic businesses threatened to flee if the city continued to avoid the problem. People on social media were quick to correct the mayor characterizing the park as an innocent place for children to enjoy.

ABC News [7/7/2025 5:50 PM, Luke Barr and Anne Flaherty, 31733K] reports heavily armed federal border agents and U.S. troops descended upon MacArthur Park in Los Angeles on Monday afternoon as part of an immigration raid that appeared to turn up mostly empty. The operation, which included 90 armed troops and 17 military Humvees, displaced a summer day camp, according to Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, who said the only point of the operations appeared to be "a political agenda of provoking fear and terror." According to a post on X by the Defense Department, U.S. military personnel were on the ground to ensure the safety of federal agents. It was not immediately clear who or what was targeted. Bass posted a video of agents, some on horseback, moving in what she called a "skirmish line" across the mostly empty park. The operation included some 17 Humvees, four military cargo trucks and two military ambulances, officials said.

Los Angeles Times [7/7/2025 6:31 PM, Melissa Gomez, Rachel Uranga and Brittny Mejia, 14672K] reports dozens of immigration agents, some on horseback, others carrying rifles in armored vehicles, swept through MacArthur Park on Monday in an extraordinary show of force at the heart of Los Angeles’ immigrant community. Heavily armored Border Patrol officers with a fleet of white minibuses partially blocked the streets surrounding the park, which has become a source of crime and drugs in the area in the last few years. Activists with megaphones were able to warn locals at the park before the contingent arrived, according to police sources. Mayor Karen Bass also showed up to the park, which sits just west of downtown Los Angeles. It’s unclear if anyone was arrested during the sweep. U.S. Border Patrol Sector Chief Greg Bovino, who has been leading the operations on the ground in Los Angeles, was present during the operation. Asked for comment on whether any arrests had been made, a senior DHS official, said, "We don’t comment on ongoing enforcement operations."

Reported similarly:
Telemundo52 [7/7/2025 2:13 PM, Jonathan Lloyd, 103K]

NewsNation [7/7/2025 6:04 PM, Cameron Kiszla, 5801K] reports federal agents were spotted near MacArthur Park in the Westlake district on Monday as part of an apparent immigration raid that was quickly condemned by local leaders. Mayor Karen Bass, City Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez and Council President Marqueece Harris Dawson decried the raids at a Monday afternoon press conference. Late Monday morning, KTLA’s Rich Prickett reported that he spotted Department of Homeland Security and military vehicles on site. He also counted at least four white vans similar to the types of vehicles federal agents have recently been using to transport people to jails and detention sites. It’s unclear if anyone was arrested on Monday, but more than 1,600 people were arrested between June 6 and 22, the Times reports. Monday’s incident, however, appears to be more for optics than an actual crackdown, Harris-Dawson said.

Los Angeles Times [7/7/2025 11:35 AM, Jenny Jarvie, 14672K] reports for many Angelenos, the spectacle of armed federal agents — faces hidden behind neck gaiters and balaclavas — jumping out of unmarked vans to snatch people off the streets presents a clear threat to public safety. As federal immigration agents have ratcheted up enforcement raids, arresting and detaining anyone they suspect of violating immigration laws, critics warn their tactic of masking — particularly when wearing plain clothes and no visible marker of identity — spreads fear and panic across communities and imperils citizens as well as immigrants without legal status. "It’s very dangerous," said Scott Shuchart, who worked for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from 2022 until January of this year as an assistant director for regulatory affairs and a policy counselor. "If somebody comes up to you with a mask and a T-shirt and no badge, why would you think that they are exercising a legitimate authority, as opposed to being a violent criminal trying to do you harm?" Schuchart said. "How do you know that you need to not resist to avoid arrest, as opposed to resist arrest to possibly survive the encounter?". But defenders of federal immigration agents also cite security as a reason for masking. They present immigrants without legal papers as a threat to public safety, even though the majority of people ICE arrested across LA in early June had no criminal record. They also argue that masking is necessary because a convergence of factors — supercharged political rhetoric, more sophisticated facial recognition technology, and increased threat of doxing on social media — makes the job more dangerous for agents in the field. "We have a lot of agents whose faces are being put on social media platforms across the country," said Mathew Silverman, national president of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association. "We have politicians right now that are saying, ‘We will find these federal agents who have masks on. We will expose them.’ It’s just creating an era in law enforcement where trying to do the jobs of law enforcement is becoming more and more difficult.” As the Trump administration has set a new goal of arresting 3,000 unauthorized immigrants a day, officials say they have not introduced any new policy requiring agents to obscure their identity. "Rules haven’t changed on masks," Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told The Times. Last week, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi suggested at a Senate subcommittee hearing that she did not know plainclothed agents were concealing their faces while conducting arrests. But Bondi also seemed to justify masking, saying that officers, and their families, were being threatened and doxed. "I can assure you that if they’re covering their faces now, it’s to protect themselves," she said. "But they also want to protect all citizens.” Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has defended the practice of federal officers concealing their identity. "I’m sorry if people are offended by them wearing masks," he said in early June. "But I’m not going to let my officers and agents go out there and put their lives on the line, their family on the line because people don’t like what immigration enforcement is.” In an interview with Fox News, Lyons said it was "not right for agents to be demonized, called modern day Nazis.”

Los Angeles Times [7/7/2025 5:22 PM, Kevin Rector, 14672K] reports California and a coalition of 17 other states threw their support Monday behind a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of recent federal immigration enforcement raids in Los Angeles, asking a federal court to issue a temporary restraining order against such operations while their legality is challenged. The states’ action adds substantial heft to a lawsuit filed last week by advocacy groups and detained individuals, who accused the federal government of violating the rights of Los Angeles residents by sending masked immigration agents to detain people in certain L.A. neighborhoods based on little more than the color of their skin. It came the same day that heavily armed agents in tactical gear swept through MacArthur Park in Los Angeles in a stunning show of force that further rattled local residents and drew outrage from local officials. In their amicus filing, the states wrote that masked and unidentified ICE and CBP agents were stopping people in L.A. communities without any legitimate cause, and that such stops have "shattered [the] rhythms of everyday life" and diminished public safety in those neighborhoods.

CBS Los Angeles [7/7/2025 5:31 PM, Austin Turner, 51860K] Video: HERE reports activists and local politicians on Monday criticized a local hospital on allegations that it’s aiding federal law enforcement in immigration enforcement matters. During a news conference, community and union leaders, city and state representatives and more gathered outside Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital, where they accused the hospital of allowing officers working with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to monitor patients. According to a Facebook post by the Glendale Teachers Association, ICE detained a woman, Milagro Solis Portillo, in Sherman Oaks on July 3. The association claims Portillo was injured during the encounter with officers and was left handcuffed, covered in vomit for more than eight hours. Her condition required hospitalization, and she’d been staying at Glendale Memorial since. ICE, the association claims, then contracted private detention officers to monitor Portillo at all times during her hospital stay. The association says the situation has created a "hostile and frightening environment" for staff and other patients. "I really want to emphasize what has taken place here at this hospital and what has occurred here, I think, is highly disturbing," said State Senator Sasha Renee Perez, who represents Glendale and much of the San Gabriel Valley. "[It] just highlights how aggressive the Trump administration has become in their pursuit to demonize and target our immigrant community." In a statement, Dignity Health said it cannot prevent law enforcement or security from maintaining a presence in public areas of hospitals. "Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital acknowledges the community’s concerns regarding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and we share a desire to keep our neighbors safe," the statement reads. "The hospital cannot legally restrict law enforcement or security personnel from being present in public areas which include the hospital lobby/waiting area."

US News & World Report [7/7/2025 6:14 PM, Staff, 24051K] reports the Trump administration’s recent travel and visa restrictions have left some hospitals in the United States without essential staff, according to a report from the Associated Press. International doctors who were set to start their medical training this week are finding they are stumbling at the last hurdle -- a visa to enter the country. It is currently unclear precisely how many residents have been affected, but six medical residents who were interviewed by the AP said that after years of training and work, they are being prevented from starting their assignments by what should be a routine procedural step. One example is a doctor in Canada who was matched to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Harrisburg. Her visa was stymied because although she is a permanent resident in Canada, she is a citizen of Afghanistan. "I don’t want to give up," she told the AP under the condition of anonymity, "but the situation also seems so helpless." The problem is concerning for U.S. hospitals, particularly those located in low-income or rural areas, as they foresee staffing shortages. However, the halt to interviews for J-1 visas for approved work or study-related programs was lifted in mid-June. The national nonprofit that facilitates the residency match process said the visa situation is resolving; however, for some, it is too little too late. Two residents in India told the AP they are still unable to secure appointments at any U.S. embassies, despite the lifting of the J-1 visa pause. An incoming resident from Egypt has secured a visa appointment for mid-August, but she is concerned that her program may not be able to wait for her arrival.

USA Today [7/7/2025 6:00 AM, Danae King, 75552K] reports thousands of Haitian immigrants living in Ohio on Temporary Protected Status are making plans to leave the country after the Trump administration announced the end of the deportation protection. But they aren’t going back to their home country. The Trump administration says conditions in Haiti have improved enough that it is safe for those living in America with the special temporary status to return to the Caribbean nation. But going back to Haiti is a "death sentence," say community leaders and advocates. Instead, Haitians living in central Ohio are scrambling to find a safe third country like Canada or Mexico to go to, said Jean Manuel, a Haitian American businessman and advocate who helps some of the approximately 30,000 Haitians living in Columbus. Haitians with TPS, which protects immigrants from certain countries from deportation and allows them to work legally in the United States, will lose that protection as of Sept. 2, according to Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. In February, Noem ended a Biden-era extension of TPS for Haitians that was to expire in February 2026, and, on June 27, she announced the status will officially end on August 3. That means protections will end in September. As of July 2024, more than 520,000 Haitians were eligible for TPS, according to Homeland Security. A DPS spokesperson said the decision to end TPS for Haitians is meant to ensure the immigration status remains temporary.

NewsNation [7/7/2025 2:41 PM, Jackie Koppell, 5801K] reports for 20 years, American troops relied on local Afghans to help them in their fight against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. Now, many of the people who helped America are one week away from possibly being deported back to their troubled homeland. An estimated 12,000 Afghans are living in the U.S. legally with Temporary Protected Status, but it’s set to expire on July 14. Unless the Trump administration reverses its decision, many living here could be sent back to Afghanistan, leaving them vulnerable to reprisals from the Taliban. NewsNation spoke with an Afghan living in America with this protected status. They said, "It’s not that I will be the only person who will be physically tortured or abused, but my relatives are moving between places just to mitigate the risk and avoid unnecessary targeting and attention toward them." According to members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, some of whom are veterans themselves, the move puts America’s reputation at risk and threatens national security. "That would be a moral stain on America. The rest of the world would look at America and say, Americans don’t keep their promises. Americans don’t stand by their friends, just imagine how less safe we will be as a country if that’s the reputation we have," said Afghanistan veteran Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo. Vietnam veteran, Rep. Jim Baird, R-Indiana, pointed out, "How many people are you going to get to come work with us if we can’t honor when we say we’re going to do something and don’t do it?" In the termination announcement, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said, "Afghanistan has had an improved security situation, and its stabilizing economy no longer prevents them from returning to their home country.”

FOX News [7/7/2025 8:54 AM, Rachel del Guidice, 46878K] Video HERE reports some leading Democrats are acknowledging that their party has failed when it comes to border security and messaging, according to a new report on Sunday from New York Times. "When you have the most Latino district in the country outside of Puerto Rico vote for Trump, that should be a wake-up call for the Democratic Party," said Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, D-Texas. The report highlighted that Gonzalez witnessed President Donald Trump "win every county in his district along the border with Mexico." Gonzalez’s 34th district in Texas has swung dramatically from voting heavily Democratic in recent presidential elections to going in favor of Trump in 2024. "This is a Democratic district that’s been blue for over a century," Gonzalez told the Times. Trump’s 2024 victory and subsequent crackdown on illegal immigration has alarmed his critics while delivering on a clear pledge during his successful campaign, and Democrats are left wondering how they got here. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [7/8/2025 2:23 AM, Staff, 1934K] reports an illegal immigrant from Venezuela who was suspected of murder while living in his home country was arrested in Michigan. Franh Enrique Yonkaiker Machado-Rivas was apprehended by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents from the Gibraltar Border Patrol Station in Gibraltar, Michigan. He was stopped by local police officers during a traffic stop last Wednesday and found to have been driving without a license, according to a press release by Border Patrol. Machado-Rivas was wanted by the International Criminal Police Organization for his connection to a murder investigation in Venezuela. Machado-Rivas admitted to agents that he was living in the U.S. illegally, said CBP agents. He was being processed to be officially removed from the country. His arrest, and forthcoming deportation, come as the Trump administration continues its illegal immigration enforcement programs. "This arrest highlights the Border Patrol’s unwavering commitment to protecting our communities and upholding the rule of law," said Chief Patrol Agent John R. Morris. "Through strong partnerships with local and federal law enforcement, we are able to identify and remove dangerous individuals - like this homicide suspect - before they can pose a threat to public safety."Machado-Rivas was the second illegal immigrant in Michigan since March who was arrested for a connection with a homicide. "This kind of cooperation between U.S. Border Patrol and local law enforcement agencies epitomizes the real results being achieved through our collaboration," CBP officials said after the arrest in March of the homicide suspect. "A homicide suspect no longer threatens our communities because of our teamwork. We are proud of all our local, state, and federal partnerships."

CBS News [7/7/2025 9:37 PM, Kiki Intarasuwan, Jordan Freiman, 51860K] reports passengers at some airports across the U.S. no longer have to remove their shoes during regular preflight security checks, two sources familiar with the change confirmed to CBS News on Monday. The change appears to be a phased approach, sources said, and the first airports where the no-shoes requirement is expiring include Baltimore/Washington International Airport, Fort Lauderdale International Airport, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, Portland International Airport, Philadelphia International Airport and Piedmont Triad International Airport in North Carolina. However, CBS News correspondents at Los Angeles International Airport and New York City’s LaGuardia Airport reported Monday night that they and other passengers didn’t have to take off their shoes. Travelers with TSA PreCheck already didn’t have to remove their footwear. In order to have PreCheck, travelers must submit an application and go through a clearance process with the Transportation Security Administration. The change comes amid reports that the TSA has let the security rule expire for fliers going through the standard TSA screening lines. In a statement to CBS News on Monday, TSA said the agency and the Department of Homeland Security "are always exploring new and innovative ways to enhance the passenger experience and our strong security posture." The no-shoes rule was implemented by TSA nationwide in 2006. The official adoption of the rule came several years after Richard Reid, a British man who would come to be known as the "shoe bomber," attempted to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoe in December 2001. Reid failed to detonate the explosives, and the plane landed safely in Boston after passengers helped subdue him. Following that incident, airlines and TSA began asking passengers to voluntarily remove their shoes when going through security. The New York Times [7/7/2025 9:14 PM, Christine Chung, 138952K] reports that the change was first reported by Gate Access, a travel newsletter written by Caleb Harmon-Marshall, who says he is a former T.S.A. officer. He added that he had seen a soft launch of the new policy at an airport as well as an internal memo briefing officers about it. The new policy is good for passengers and is long overdue, Mr. Harmon-Marshall said in an emailed statement. He added that officers would now be able to screen travelers more swiftly. “They should feel relieved knowing that technology has advanced so significantly that T.S.A. officers can detect threats while wearing shoes,” he added. “In the old days, this wasn’t the case.” The T.S.A. has been requiring passengers to remove their shoes since 2006, nearly five years after a terrorist tried to detonate an explosive in his shoe while aboard an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami. Travelers pay for the privilege of keeping their shoes on, one of the hallmarks of the T.S.A.’s PreCheck program, which costs roughly $80 for five years and grants expedited screening. Mr. Harmon-Marshall said in his statement that he believed a “huge shift” was underway with the PreCheck program. The T.S.A. knows that allowing standard travelers access to perks like keeping on their shoes “will significantly diminish the value of PreCheck,” he added.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [7/7/2025 4:53 PM, Caroline Cubbin, 49956K]
ABC News [7/7/2025 11:09 PM, Katherine Faulders and Sam Sweeney, 31733K] Video: HERE

FOX News [7/7/2025 4:45 PM, Ashley J. DiMella, 46878K] reports a flight passenger made an observation after setting off an alarm while going through airport security — which sparked a "sweaty" conversation online. Posted in the "r/tsa" forum on Reddit, the message was bluntly titled, "My crotch got flagged twice, thoughts?". Plenty of other people took to the comments section to speculate about what could have set off the alarm. A spokesperson for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) told Fox News Digital that sweat could play a role in setting off alarms.

(B) NBC News Daily [7/7/2025 3:56 PM, Staff] reports today is the last day of the holiday travel rush. TSA says over 18 million people nationwide traveled by air over the Fourth of July holiday. LAX anticipated more than 1.5 million travelers flying in and out. Yesterday was the busiest day. As many as 247,000 people were expected to pass through as they headed home.

FOXNews.com [7/7/2025 11:14 AM, Staff, 46878K] reports a teenager recently went viral after she showed an unusual dedication to a popular Texas grocery chain and its tortillas. Nashville resident Anna Jones recently boarded a flight from Austin to Tennessee with an unconventional cargo: She had over 200 flour tortillas from H-E-B with her. Jones recorded other people boarding the plane, then confessed her secret to the internet in a video on June 14. "All these people and no one knows I have 200 H-E-B tortillas in my backpack," Jones wrote on TikTok. Jones revealed to USA Today that hauling tortillas long-distance is something of a family tradition. The last time she visited her dad in Texas, he bought as many as 300 tortillas for her to bring home, Jones said. "It was pretty obvious that it was tortillas. This is kind of normal for [the TSA], I guess.” "We bring them home, and we can freeze them, and we just use them until they run out," the teen said. She also noted that Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents didn’t give her a hard time with her flatbread-filled backpack. "I just went on through," Jones told USA Today.

Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 4:46 PM, Mackenzie Thomas, 1934K] reports Jacobs is known for his role in the "Sharpiegate" incident related to Hurricane Dorian in 2019, for which he was found to have allowed outside political pressure to influence the agency’s decisions regarding the hurricane. NOAA’s role has become more pronounced in the wake of the floods in Texas, as Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of allowing too many job cuts within the agency that also houses the National Weather Service. There is no evidence that suggests job cuts contributed to Texas residents’ lack of preparation for the floods, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Trump have pushed back against such claims. However, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) submitted a letter to the acting inspector general for the Department of Commerce on Monday to begin an investigation into the issue.

New York Times [7/8/2025 3:22 AM, Eduardo Medina and Livia Albeck-Ripka, 330K] reports officials in central North Carolina rescued dozens of stranded people on Sunday night and early Monday morning after Tropical Depression Chantal dumped up to 10 inches of rain in parts of the state, bringing significant flooding that inundated homes, closed highways, trapped drivers and pushed rivers up to near historic levels. The storm, which made landfall as a tropical storm early Sunday in South Carolina and then moved inland, had weakened to a post-tropical cyclone by Monday afternoon and was moving northeast over Chesapeake Bay toward eastern Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, where there were flood watches posted. The worst effects of the storm have so far been felt in central North Carolina, where tens of thousands of people lost electric power and at least two tornadoes were confirmed, the authorities said. The storm downed trees and power lines and swamped hundreds of roads. As of Monday afternoon, the authorities had reported one death caused by the storm. The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said that Sandra Portnoy Hirschman, 83, of Pittsboro, N.C., died after she drove her vehicle into floodwater on Sunday night in Chatham County. Tropical cyclones typically drop large amounts of rain along and near the storm’s path. The slower and more significant the storm’s size, the higher the likelihood of higher rainfall totals. Some storms can drop well over 30 inches of rainfall, like when Hurricane Harvey dropped over 60 inches near Nederland, Texas, in 2017. In Orange County, N.C., which includes Chapel Hill, officials said in a statement Sunday night that several water rescues and evacuations were underway in low-lying areas. In Moore County to the south, floods washed out roads and broke at least two dams. Both counties declared states of emergency. At Camelot Village in Chapel Hill, an apartment complex with a history of flooding, emergency crews rescued several residents from floodwaters. The water level in the Eno River rose to a record 25.63 feet. The Haw River outside Burlington, N.C., about 60 miles northwest of Raleigh swelled to 32.5 feet overnight, a few inches short of a record set during Hurricane Fran in 1996. The National Weather Service warned of “major flooding,” and a section of Interstate 40 east of Burlington was closed Monday morning because of floodwaters.

CNN [7/7/2025 12:48 PM, Maureen Chowdhury, 21433K] Video: HERE reports search and rescue works are still facing complications as they go work through the flood debris according to Kerrville City Manager Dalton Rice, who urged volunteers to stay out of the way if weather conditions worsen. Rice notes that search and rescue operations are covering nearly 100 kilometers between Kerr County and Comal County. “This is a massive field that is happening and again this is unprecedented flood events, So we are still currently in the, in the, primary search phase, which is the rapid one. They are running it, you know, we have different segments that are gridded out, each one of those segments are taking anywhere between an hour to three hours, up to two kilometers for each segment. So what that means is we’re running into a lot of technical challenges with terrain, with water, even potentially with weather you know in the rising fields,” Rice explained. He then urged volunteers to “stay out of the way because if we start getting weather reports … and all of the other complications that are out there, we then have to pull off of those search and rescue missions to be able to communicate to those volunteers to get off of-to make sure they don’t become victims themselves.”

Washington Post [7/7/2025 4:19 PM, John Muyskens, Allyson Chiu and Naema Ahmed, 32099K] reports more than a dozen summer camps dot the banks of the Guadalupe River and its tributaries, a vast network of waterways twisting through the hills of Kerr County, Texas. But many of the camps’ idyllic locales also face the danger of severe flooding, since much of the land near the river is designated as a high-risk area by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In the most affected area, on the upper Guadalupe River in Kerr County, at least 13 of them lie next to or are partially inside high-risk flood zones, according to a Washington Post analysis of FEMA maps. The rural area northwest of San Antonio is part of a swath of Central Texas known as Flash Flood Alley because it is one of the deadliest places in the country for rapid floods. Over the holiday weekend, that risk became reality when torrential downpours dumped rain on the area, sending river water surging into camp grounds in the middle of the night. As of Monday, at least 94 people, including 28 children, have been confirmed dead following the flash floods.

Bloomberg [7/7/2025 8:33 AM, Brian K. Sullivan and Mary Hui, 19320K] reports a year after Hurricane Beryl broke the Houston power grid, Texas — America’s epicenter of extreme weather — is facing another crisis. Torrential downpours that dropped almost 2 feet (24 inches) of rain in a few hours on Friday caused historic flooding across central Texas, killing at least 82 and leaving many more missing, including children. The deluge continued over the weekend, and skies may not clear until Tuesday at the earliest. Texas has been on the frontline of severe weather for decades, from strong storms to drought and even freezing temperatures. Last year, the southern state was scorched by its largest ever wildfire, while the oil capital of Houston was struck by the worst windstorm in 40 years. On the list of disasters costing $1 billion or more, Texas ranked first from 1980 to 2024 with 190, according to data from the National Centers for Environmental Information. But visibility on future events is likely to be less clear. The US has stopped collecting data on costs following the start of Donald Trump’s second term as president, as weather becomes more extreme.

Washington Examiner [7/7/2025 4:49 PM, Emily Hallas, 1934K] reports a slew of governors have deployed teams to aid Texas as its death toll continues to rise after devastating flash floods tore through the state over the weekend. As of late Monday afternoon, at least seven states have authorized emergency relief support for Texas in the aftermath of flooding that killed at least 91 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp for girls particularly affected by the disaster. Kerr, Llano, and Bell counties were among the hardest hit areas. Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 10 campers and one counselor from Camp Mystic remain missing. Search and rescue teams are still racing to find an unknown number of victims across other localities hit by the floods, including 10 in Travis County, according to county spokesman Hector Nieto. Several other states deployed rescue teams in response to the Texas Division of Emergency Management’s request through the Texas Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid system that allows states to support one another during natural disasters. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump will visit the devastated areas later this week. Leavitt said Trump’s tour of the "once-in-a-generation national disaster" will likely be on Friday.

ABC News [7/7/2025 5:41 PM, Staff, 31733K] reports the night that devastating flooding obliterated parts of Texas, Stuart Gross said he was awakened by nearby screams as raging waters swept up homes and citizens. The Ingram, Texas, resident told ABC News he has lived near the Guadalupe River for more than 45 years and has seen other floods, but "this was the biggest." "We had a 30-foot wall of water, 300 yards wide, go down by my house at 85 miles an hour," Gross said of the flooding that began in the early hours of Friday. Gross, who was able to get his wife and "fur babies" to safety, said he does not think this tragedy was preventable, but said he doesn’t know "why we don’t have an early warning system on this river, not that it would’ve changed everything." Many people like Gross are now surveying the aftermath of the devastating floods, searching for missing family members or grieving the loss of loved ones. Another survivor, Carlos Valles, began to assess the damage in Louis Hays Park, where he was preparing his production team for a Fourth of July music festival. The area of the festival, which has been going on for more than 20 years, is now surrounded by torn-down trees, mangled metal and flipped-over forklifts and cars. Valles began to cry as he evaluated what had happened. "Water rose so quick, you couldn’t do anything about it," Valles told ABC News. Regardless of the damage, Valles said the "biggest thing" is the lives that were lost in the floods, which includes young campers at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp housing hundreds of young girls. "Our stages, stuff can be replaced with time, but lives cannot, you cannot bring all these children back," Valles said. As of Monday, 10 girls and one counselor from Camp Mystic are still unaccounted for, according to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. William said the tragedy feels "surreal" and "not real."

Los Angeles Times [7/7/2025 9:30 AM, Kevinisha Walker, 14672K] reports it’s going to be a bad fire season. Even at what historically has been the start of rainy season in Southern California, we had some of our worst fires. The Eaton and Palisades fires in January caused an unprecedented level of destruction, killing at least 30 people, destroying more than 16,000 homes in L.A. County and leaving a burn zone 2½ times the size of New York’s Manhattan. Two weeks into peak fire season, wildfires are spreading in California. Officials say it’s just the beginning. More than a dozen fires began sparking across Riverside and San Bernardino counties last week. A fire in rural San Luis Obispo County had grown to more than 80,000 acres as of Sunday evening and was California’s largest this year, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Experts warn that the latest fiery events set the stage for what is to come over the next few months as the state moves from an unusually dry winter and spring into what are expected to be a hot summer and fall. Matt Rahn, director of the Wildfire Conservancy, told The Times: "We are on track for a pretty devastating year overall. If we get hotter and drier throughout the state, then that risk increases significantly. We’re hoping that that doesn’t happen, but all predictions are pointing to a much hotter, drier summer and fall.” Sweeping changes at federal agencies that play key roles in California’s wildfire preparation and response could make a challenging season even worse. The forecast comes as the Trump administration is enacting budget cuts, layoffs, office closures and restructuring at the U.S. Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. As my colleague Hayley Smith reports, weakening the three agencies at the start of fire season puts California at a dangerous disadvantage. Southern California fire chiefs caution that a season of devastating wildfires is all but guaranteed. "We can never let our guard down," said L.A. County Fire Chief Anthony Marrone, who helped lead the region through the January wildfires.

MarineLink [7/7/2025 2:35 PM, Staff, 108K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard renamed its operational districts from numerical to geographic designations, a key initiative under Force Design 2028 (FD2028). This strategic change, directed by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem on May 21, 2025, aims to indicate more accurately the regions they serve and represent. Renaming operational districts revises a numbered system established during World War II, when the Coast Guard operated as part of the Navy to ensure alignment between the services. In the 80 years since the Coast Guard separated from the Navy, the Service has maintained the numbered districts. However, the Navy stopped using numbered districts over 25 years ago. Updating operational districts to regional names will more clearly align districts with their areas of responsibility, facilitate collaboration with interagency partners, and ensure the American public and maritime stakeholders can easily find and understand the districts in which they live, recreate and operate. This change is a direct action within FD2028’s organization campaign, which is focused on adapting the Coast Guard’s structure to remain effective and responsive. "This renaming is more than just a change in labels; it’s a critical step in our journey to become a more agile, capable, and responsive fighting force,” said Acting Commandant Kevin E. Lunday. “Under Force Design 2028, we are driving fundamental changes to speed decision-making, improve strategic alignment, and ultimately best serve the American people for decades to come. This initiative underscores our commitment to ensuring that change is lasting and has an enduring impact on the Service and the Nation.

ABC News [7/7/2025 7:53 AM, Staff, 31733K] reports swimmer Scott Ruskan is being hailed as a hero for his efforts to rescue dozens of people in the devastating floods at Camp Mystic. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [7/7/2025 8:27 AM, Staff, 46878K] reports Petty Officer Scott Ruskan speaks with Fox News’ Lawrence Jones in Kerrville, Texas, to reflect on the heroic rescue mission as Central Texas continues to reel from the devastation left by the flash floods. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [7/7/2025 10:33 AM, Staff, 31733K] Video: HERE reports Travis Reynolds’ niece Devyn Smith was carried for miles before she climbed to safety in a tree and was eventually helped by Coast Guard rescuer Carl Jeter.

StateScoop [7/7/2025 7:30 PM, Colin Wood, 40K] reports in a letter Monday addressed to leaders of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Democratic lawmakers demanded to know why the agency hasn’t responded to their recent inquiries about the level of support the agency is providing state and local election offices. Ranking members Rep. Joseph D. Morelle and Sen. Alex Padilla wrote that they’re seeking “urgent updates” to the status of numerous election security policies and programs offered by CISA under previous administrations. The letter, which is addressed to CISA acting Director Madhu Gottumukkala and Mona Harrington, assistant director of CISA’s National Risk Management Center, demands a “comprehensive briefing” on CISA’s operations and personnel before July 21. “CISA’s repeated failure to respond to our requests for information while undertaking a significant reshaping of the agency’s personnel and mission is unacceptable,” the letter reads. “We remain deeply troubled by the lack of information CISA has provided to congressional oversight committees and the lack of substantive responses to our questions.” The lawmakers reference their roles in protecting elections infrastructure via the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, as well as three past attempts to obtain information about CISA’s operations via letters sent to the agency in February, March and April. CISA did not immediately respond to an email from StateScoop requesting an explanation for its lack of communication. Morelle and Padilla write that they’re especially concerned with rumors of additional funding cuts and personnel cuts within the agency, which under former President Joe Biden and the first administration of Donald Trump provided or brokered numerous services designed to protect election systems. They note the widely reported figures of 1,300 potential cuts from the full-time CISA workforce and 40% of its contractors. The letter contains a list of more than 20 questions, as broad as “What is the status of CISA’s reorganization?” and as detailed as “How many requests for physical security assessments has CISA received from election officials since January 2025, and how many physical security assessments have been conducted?” They ask whether CISA is still providing vulnerability scanning services, and whether CISA is doing anything to advertise the availability of its offerings to state and local agencies.

Federal News Network [7/7/2025 2:38 PM, Michele Sandiford, 2346K] reports The FBI is being urged to step up its efforts to protect government officials from mobile cyber threats. In a new letter to the bureau, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said its current spyware guidance isn’t enough to protect against advanced cyber tools. He pointed to how spyware has been found on the phones of dozens of government employees.

CyberScoop [7/7/2025 9:06 AM, Tim Starks] reports the tax and spending bill Congress sent to President Donald Trump and that he signed into law over the holiday weekend contains hundreds of millions of dollars for cybersecurity, with a heavy emphasis on military-related spending. The biggest single pot of money under the “One Big Beautiful Bill” would be for Cyber Command, a $250 million allocation for “artificial intelligence lines of effort.” Another $20 million would go to cybersecurity programs at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command — which counts among its geographical areas of responsibility territorial waters for cyber adversaries in Russia, China and North Korea — would get $1 million for cyber offensive operations. Cyber offense was something the second Trump administration emphasized when coming into office. A $90 million pool of funds for several purposes at the Defense Department would include “cybersecurity support for non-traditional contractors.” A broader set of funds at the Coast Guard would allow some funds to be spent on cyber there. A $2.2 billion allocation for maintenance includes upkeep of “cyber assets.” A $170 million allocation for “maritime domain awareness” includes “the cyber domain.”

CyberScoop [7/7/2025 2:02 PM, Matt Kapko] reports in an underworld fueled by infamy and money that leaves a trail of human misery in its wake, the unbound collective colloquially known as Scattered Spider deviates from many norms in cybercrime. The cunning threat group composed of young, native English-speaking people lacks cohesion, is rife with infighting and doesn’t have a data leak site, which many financially motivated cybercriminals use to claim responsibility for alleged victims and ramp up pressure to pay extortion demands. Scattered Spider’s preferred methods of intrusion — social engineering and phishing — makes it difficult for most threat hunters to attribute attacks to the collective with confidence. The cybercrime outfit doesn’t leave the types of fingerprints behind that researchers typically track, and as a result there’s considerable discrepancies and uncertainty across the industry with respect to what Scattered Spider is, how it determines targets and which companies it has attacked. As Scattered Spider has risen the ranks of cybercrime — most recently suspected of attacking Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom, United Natural Foods, WestJet and Hawaiian Airlines — researchers have been mapping clues about the organization and how it operates. Following a brief hiatus starting last summer, Scattered Spider regrouped earlier this year and has hit dozens of companies in the retail, insurance and aviation industries. The group first gained notoriety for attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment in 2023. Scattered Spider has infiltrated more than 100 businesses since 2022, hitting organizations in hospitality and gaming, manufacturing, technology and cloud services, telecommunications, retail, manufacturing, food production, insurance and financial services, media, apparel, business process outsourcing, health care, transportation and aviation, according to researchers. The group’s total take on extortion demands exceeds $66 million, the cybersecurity firm Halcyon told CyberScoop, but it’s likely collected much more. “I’ve had clients pay them eight figures,” said Charles Carmakal, chief technology officer at Mandiant Consulting, which tracks the group as UNC3944.

Daily Caller [7/7/2025 7:19 PM, Hudson Crozier, 1010K] reports the Department of Justice (DOJ) is investigating whether a Muslim advocacy organization it previously linked to Hamas should maintain eligibility to receive taxpayer funds, according to emails obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DOJ’s Executive Office for Immigration Review said June 30 that it was currently probing a complaint accusing the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) of irregularities in its financial reporting and support for terrorism. The review centers around federal funding California has allocated for immigration-related services to CAIR, a group that high-profile Democrats have embraced for years as a force for civil rights. “We appreciate your patience as we thoroughly review the matter,” the DOJ wrote to watchdog group Intelligent Advocacy Network (IAN), which filed the complaint on March 13. “Should we require additional information, we will reach out to you.” Federal officials named CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 trial of activists who were convicted of running a charity funding Hamas, and the United Arab Emirates labeled CAIR a terrorist organization in 2014, IAN noted. The DOJ’s court filings said CAIR was part of a “Palestine Committee” led by a Hamas official advancing the Islamist group’s interests in the U.S. CAIR’s local media team did not respond to multiple requests for comment. California’s Department of Social Services, which allocated the federal government’s funds to CAIR, did not respond to a request for comment. IAN’s complaint also highlights past statements by Zahra Billoo, who leads CAIR California’s San Francisco Bay Area office, in which she praised Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel as “decolonization” and declared that a slain Hamas leader’s “martyrdom is not in vain” in July 2024. In 2018, former Democratic California Gov. Jerry Brown appointed Billoo to an advisory panel tasked with informing California’s state librarian on “civil liberties and civil rights issues,” state webpages show. IAN also accused CAIR California of failing to report some government funds on its tax forms, inexplicably awarding subgrants to itself through its regional offices and other discrepancies, citing state and federal documents it obtained. In one example, CAIR awarded more than $3.6 million to “CAIR LA,” a branch of CAIR California that is not a registered tax-exempt nonprofit but a part of CAIR California, records show. CAIR California called IAN a “hate group” promoting a “smear campaign” in a March press release responding to the complaint.

Axios [7/7/2025 7:19 AM, Justin Kaufmann, 13599K] reports the mass shooting in River North that claimed four lives and injured 14 others was the start of a violent Fourth of July weekend in Chicago. There were at least three mass shootings in Chicago from Wednesday to Saturday night. In addition to the River North shooting, seven people were injured from a shooting in Back of the Yards late Friday night, while four people were injured in a shooting near the Cook County Courthouse early Saturday morning. No arrests have been made in any of those shootings yet. Overall, the city’s July Fourth shootings were down from last year, with at least 50 shot and six killed this year. That number doesn’t include the River North mass shooting since it technically happened before the weekend began. Also, the numbers don’t reflect any shootings from Sunday night. Gun violence in the city continues to trend down in 2025, with about a third fewer homicides year over year.

The AP [7/7/2025 2:10 PM, Matthew Lee, 56000K] reports the Trump administration is revoking the terrorism designation of a group led by Syria’s new president as part of a broader U.S. engagement with the transitional government since the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad late last year. In a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he took the step in consultation with the attorney general and treasury secretary on June 23. The decision had not been previously announced, although it was made as the Trump administration has been moving to ease or end many U.S. sanctions that had been imposed during Assad’s rule. The step looks to further end Syria’s isolation since a lightning rebel offensive ousted the Assad family from decades of rule and gives the new government a boost as it tries to rebuild a country shattered by 13 years of civil war. The brief notice, which was put online in an advance public inspection section of the Federal Register website on Monday, offered no details but said the revocation of the foreign terrorist organization designation for the al-Nusrah Front, also known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, would take effect when it is formally published. Al-Nusrah was originally designated a foreign terrorist organization for its previous affiliation with al-Qaida. In 2017, it split and changed its name to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, which the first Trump administration added to the initial designation. U.S. officials said the formal revocation of the designation would be published Tuesday and would be accompanied by statements from the State and Treasury departments. Syria has been improving relations with the United States and other Western countries following the fall of Assad in December in an offensive led by now-interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa ‘s group. On June 30, seven days after Rubio signed the revocation, President Donald Trump signed an executive order ending many U.S. economic sanctions on Syria, following through on a promise he made to al-Sharaa when the two met in Saudi Arabia in May. The order was meant to end the country’s isolation from the international financial system and allow it to open up for commerce and investment, officials said at the time. CBS News [7/7/2025 4:50 PM, Joe Walsh, 51860K] reports that the group, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra, has been on the U.S.’s list of foreign terrorist organizations for more than a decade, dating back to its affiliation with al Qaeda. The terrorist designation makes it harder for the group or its leaders to accept assistance from Americans, work with American banks or travel to the U.S. Rubio said the revocation of the group’s terrorist status "recognizes the positive actions taken by the new Syrian government under President Ahmed al-Sharaa."

Reported similarly:
New York Post [7/7/2025 4:00 PM, Ryan King, 49956K]
Bloomberg [7/7/2025 3:15 PM, Ryan Chua, 19320K]

FOX Business [7/7/2025 2:32 PM, Morgan Phillips, 9940K] reports President Donald Trump threatened to hit members of the BRICS alliance — including China, Russia and India — with an additional 10% tariff for being "anti-American.” His announcement came as the alliance was hosting its yearly summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. "Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy," Trump said in a post on Truth Social Sunday. Such a threat would mark the first time Trump placed tariffs on Russia during his second presidency — the nation avoided levies during Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs as trade with Russia has already decreased 90% since its invasion of Ukraine. The bloc’s leaders appeared to take aim at Trump in a statement Sunday night that called out tariffs and the strikes on Iran. Without naming Iran or the U.S. directly, the statement deemed attacks on "civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities" as a "violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the IAEA.” The statement also voiced "serious concerns" over "unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures," while stopping short of naming Washington.

FOX News [7/7/2025 11:35 AM, Morgan Phillips, 46878K] reports Democrats are assembling a new policy brain trust called Project 2029, an effort aimed at shaping the party’s long-term vision and regaining electoral strength. But at a time when there’s widespread agreement that Democrats need fresh ideas and new voices, the inclusion of longtime party insiders - especially former President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan - is raising eyebrows across the political spectrum. "It’s really disappointing to see the lack of self-awareness on Jake’s part," said Brett Bruen, former director of global engagement in the Obama White House. "Having Jake involved, let alone leading this, will only lead to stupid, superficial changes." "These Democratic leaders need to take a long look in the mirror and understand they played a big part in bringing this situation about - and exit stage left." Modeled in name and structure after the Heritage Foundation’s conservative Project 2025, Project 2029 brings together high-profile Democratic veterans to outline a policy road map. After a decade of standing more against President Donald Trump than for anything else, the group is dedicated to helping Democrats define the policies that can win the 2028 election. The initiative, first reported by The New York Times, is led by longtime Democratic strategist Andrei Cherny and a cast of familiar faces - including Sullivan, Neera Tanden, Biden’s domestic policy advisor; Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of New America; Justin Wolfers, University of Michigan economist; Jim Kessler, co-founder of Third Way; and Felicia Wong , former president of the Roosevelt Institute. But Sullivan’s role has drawn particular criticism from both Republicans and progressives. Sullivan was Biden’s top advisor during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members. He reportedly offered to resign at the time once the evacuation didn’t go as planned. He’s also drawn fire for the Biden administration’s failure to help Israel and Hamas reach a lasting ceasefire, and for its Ukraine policy - which, as one European diplomat told Fox News Digital, seemed aimed at letting Ukraine "lose slowly."

Reuters [7/7/2025 11:5 AM, Daphne Psaledakis and David Brunnstrom, 51390K] reports U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Malaysia later this week to attend a meeting of Southeast Asian Nations in his first trip to Asia as America’s top diplomat, the State Department said on Monday. Rubio will travel July 8-12 and take part in meetings in Kuala Lumpur with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose ministers are gathering there, the State Department said in a statement. He is also scheduled to meet with senior Malaysian government officials. Rubio will seek to firm up U.S. relationships with partners and allies in the region, who have been unnerved by President Donald Trump’s global tariff strategy. The trip is part of a renewed U.S. focus on the Indo-Pacific region and represents an effort by the Trump administration to look beyond the conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of its attention. "Top topics that he’s going to want to hit, obviously, are to reaffirm our commitment to East Asia, to ASEAN, to the Indo-Pacific, and not just ... for its own sake," a senior State Department official told reporters. "I think a key message that the secretary likes to deliver is that we’re committed, and we prioritize it because it is in America’s interests, right? It promotes American prosperity and it promotes American security." The official added that Rubio would be prepared to discuss trade, which is likely to come up during the trip, including reiterating that the need to rebalance the United States’ trade relationships is significant and echoing any messages from the White House and United States Trade Representative. ASEAN countries have been nervous about Trump’s tariffs and have questioned the willingness of his "America First" administration to fully engage diplomatically and economically with the region.

Breitbart [7/7/2025 2:19 PM, Olivia Rondeau, 3077K] reports Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard’s task force, charged with carrying out President Donald Trump’s executive orders related to the intelligence community (IC), is interviewing "whistleblowers" who could expose Russian collusion hoaxers, analyzing previous election processes to investigate vulnerabilities, and more as part of the administration’s goal to maximize transparency. The Director’s Initiatives Group (DIG), established by Gabbard in April, was launched with the mission of "rebuilding trust in the IC," starting with "investigating weaponization, rooting out deep-seeded politicization, exposing unauthorized disclosures of classified intelligence, and declassifying information that serves a public interest.” "The DIG is also leading assessments of IC structure, resourcing, and personnel to improve efficiency and eliminate wasteful spending," Gabbard’s office said at the time. The task force was created to get the IC into compliance with several of Trump’s executive orders, including Ending the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Restoring Freedom of Speech and Ending Federal Censorship, Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing, and Holding Former Government Officials Accountable for Election Interference and Improper Disclosure of Sensitive Governmental Information. In a three-month update to Breitbart News, an ODNI official revealed what the DIG has already accomplished, and what it is working on next.

CBS News [7/7/2025 2:10 PM, Melissa Quinn and Jacob Rosen, 51860K] reports aJustice Department and FBI review of the investigation related to disgraced late financier Jeffrey Epstein found that there was no "client list" or evidence that he blackmailed prominent figures, according to a memo detailing the findings. The review also concluded that Epstein died by suicide while in custody at a Manhattan correctional facility in August 2019. Epstein was facing federal sex trafficking charges, and his death was subsequently investigated by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog and the FBI. The Justice Department and FBI said in their memo that video footage reviewed by bureau investigators — and made available to the public — confirmed that Epstein was locked in his cell and nobody entered tiers of the unit where he was housed at the time of his death. Investigators also "did not uncover evidence that could predicate any investigation against uncharged third parties," according to the memo. "This systematic review revealed no incriminating ‘client list.’ There was also no credible evidence found that Epstein blackmailed prominent individuals as part of his actions," the Justice Department and FBI said in their two-page document detailing the conclusions. Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI leaders had pledged to release information about Epstein after President Trump returned to the White House earlier this year. Files related to Epstein’s case, as well as the circumstances surrounding his death, have been the subject of conspiracy theories for years. Among the speculation about the records involving Epstein was that the federal government was concealing information to shield powerful and prominent figures who were allegedly named in them. While Bondi suggested during a Fox News interview in February that a "client list" was sitting on her desk, the purported document never materialized.

Reported similarly:
The Hill [7/7/2025 1:25 PM, Rebecca Beitsch, 18649K]
CNN [7/7/2025 2:43 PM, Hannah Rabinowitz, 875K]

Wall Street Journal [7/7/2025 11:54 PM, Lara Seligman and Alexander Ward, 646K] reports President Trump said Monday the U.S. would resume providing Ukraine with arms to help it withstand Russian attacks after months of trying without success to draw Moscow into negotiations on ending the war. “We have to, they have to be able to defend themselves,” Trump said of aiding Kyiv during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “They are getting hit very hard. Now they are getting hit very hard. We’re gonna have to send more weapons.” His comments were the strongest indication so far that Trump has come around to the idea of strengthening Kyiv’s defenses less than a week after it was disclosed that the Pentagon was withholding a shipment of arms earmarked for Ukraine. In a statement late Monday, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said: “At President Trump’s direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops.” Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a telephone call Friday that he wasn’t responsible for the halt in weapons shipments to Kyiv. Trump said that he had directed a review of Pentagon munitions stockpiles after the U.S. struck Iran’s nuclear sites last month but hadn’t ordered the department to freeze the arms deliveries, according to people briefed on the conversation. The call with Zelensky came shortly after Trump publicly said he was “very disappointed” and “didn’t make any progress” on a Ukraine peace deal in a separate call Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump urged Putin to end the war during the call, but Putin refused, according to the Kremlin. “I’m disappointed, frankly, that President Putin hasn’t stopped,” Trump said Monday night. Trump assured Zelensky that the U.S. will send as much military aid as it can spare, the people said.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [7/7/2025 11:51 PM, Luke Broadwater and Maggie Haberman, 138952K]

New York Times [7/7/2025 9:26 PM, Nick Cumming-Bruce, 138952K] reports hundreds of thousands of hungry, exhausted and often battered Afghans have been expelled from Iran in recent weeks, under a harsh deportation drive that accelerated sharply last month, international aid workers say. Since March, when Iranian authorities ordered undocumented residents to leave the country, about 800,000 Afghans have poured across the border, Babar Baloch, a spokesman for the United Nations’ refugee agency, said on Monday. Almost 600,000 of them have been forced out since June 1. During and since the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last month, Iranian officials have repeatedly cast suspicion on Afghans as possible spies for Israel, amplifying longstanding rumors and tensions. In that environment, and with the approach of a July 6 deadline set by the Iranian government, the pace of migrations soared to an average of about 30,000 per day recently, peaking on Friday at more than 50,000 people crossing into Afghanistan, Mr. Baloch said. Iran has ranked as the world’s biggest host country for refugees, with nearly 3.5 million according to the United Nations, primarily people who fled decades of war and violence in Afghanistan. Aid groups estimate that in reality, the Afghan population in Iran is much larger — including about two million refugees who are undocumented — and Iran’s patience with them appears to have run out. Iranian authorities say that Afghans with proper documents are still accepted, and U.N. officials confirm that some of those returning to Afghanistan in recent weeks had received visas from Iran’s consulate in the western town of Herat to go back to Iran. But most Afghans in Iran face a harsher reality. “The gloves are off,” Arafat Jamal, the U.N. refugee agency representative in Kabul said in a phone interview. “There’s a bit of a frenzy at the moment, no one is going to oppose deportations of Afghans right now so those who wish to deport them have been ramping it up.” Even before the war, Afghans faced barbed taunts about taking subsidized food from the mouths of Iranians. Returnees, including refugees with valid legal documentation for being in Iran, describe being picked up by the police from their places of work or seized on the street, and then being forced into buses and held in detention sites before being transported to the border. They also relate endless extortionate demands for bribes to get out of detention centers, onto buses or finally to get across the border.

Breitbart [7/7/2025 12:53 PM, Lucas Nolan, 3077K] reports China’s TikTok is reportedly planning to launch a new app tailored specifically for U.S. users in September as the company seeks to address national security concerns and comply with federal legislation. The move could signal that Tiktok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance is close to selling its American operations to comply with federal legislation. The Information reports that TikTok, the wildly popular social media platform owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is preparing to release a U.S.-exclusive version of its platform in September. The move comes as part of an ongoing effort to comply with federal legislation requiring the divestment of TikTok’s American operations due to national security concerns. According to sources, the new app, internally referred to as "M2," will replace the existing version, codenamed "M," on U.S. app stores on September 5. Users will be directed to download the replacement version, and the current app will cease functioning after March 2026, providing a transition period for TikTok’s estimated 170 million U.S. users. The decision to create a separate app for the United States follows the passage of a law by Congress mandating that ByteDance either sell its U.S. TikTok business or face a nationwide ban. The U.S. version of the app will be managed under the oversight of a U.S.-based ownership group, including tech giant Oracle. Breitbart News recently reported that President Trump said a group of "very wealthy people" was close to a deal to acquire TikTok in the United States. In an interview aired on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, President Donald Trump disclosed that he has a group of wealthy individuals ready to acquire TikTok, whose identities he plans to reveal in approximately two weeks. The president added that the deal would likely require approval from Beijing, but expressed confidence that Chinese President Xi Jinping would give the green light.

Reuters [7/8/2025 12:11 AM, Staff, 51390K] reports China warned the Trump administration on Tuesday against reigniting trade tension by restoring tariffs on its goods next month, and threatened to retaliate against nations that strike deals with the United States to cut China out of supply chains. Washington and Beijing agreed to a trade framework in June that restored a fragile truce, but with many details still unclear, traders and investors on both sides of the Pacific are watching to see if it will unravel or lead to a lasting detente. On Monday, President Donald Trump began notifying trade partners of sharply higher U.S. tariffs from August 1, after he delayed all but 10% of his April duties on most countries to give them time to strike deals with the world’s largest economy. China, initially singled out with tariffs exceeding 100%, has until August 12 to reach an agreement with the White House to keep Trump from reinstating additional import curbs imposed during tit-for-tat tariff exchanges in April and May. "One conclusion is abundantly clear: dialogue and cooperation are the only correct path," the official People’s Daily said in a commentary, referring to the exchanges in the current round of China-U.S. trade tension. The article was signed "Zhong Sheng", or "Voice of China", a term the paper uses to express views on foreign policy. Reiterating Beijing’s view that Trump’s tariffs amount to "bullying", the paper added, "Practice has proven that only by firmly upholding principled positions can one truly safeguard one’s legitimate rights and interests." The remarks set the stage for another round of tariff war should Trump stick to what the ruling Communist Party’s official daily said was "a so-called ‘final deadline.’" The average U.S. tariff on Chinese exports now stands at 51.1%, while the average Chinese duty on U.S. goods is 32.6%, with both sides covering all their trade, the Peterson Institute for International Economics said. The paper also took a swipe at regional economies that are considering striking tariff reduction deals with the United States that cut China out of their supply chains.

{End of Report} RETURN TO TOP