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 Hill [6/24/2025 12:15 PM, Tara Suter, 18649K] reports eleven Iranian nationals illegally in the U.S. have been arrested, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to a Tuesday press release from the DHS, 11 Iranian nationals not in the U.S. legally were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last weekend. A U.S. citizen who "threatened to kill ICE law enforcement while harboring an illegal alien from Iran" was also arrested by ICE, according to the release. "Under [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in the release. "We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland," McLaughlin added. The arrests in multiple states, according to the DHS, came amid a conflict between Iran and Israel that the U.S. stepped in to over the weekend and a larger crackdown on immigration by the Trump administration. CBS News [6/24/2025 11:27 AM, Nicole Sganga, 51860K] Video HERE reports that among those arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since Sunday, June 22 was Mehran Makari Sahel in St. Paul, Minnesota. ICE’s St. Paul division alleged Sahel is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with admitted connections to Hezbollah. ICE said that five of those arrested possessed previous criminal convictions ranging from grand larceny to drug and firearm possessions. Officials have not linked these arrests to any specific terrorism plots and the Department of Homeland Security has stated that there are no current, credible threats to the U.S. homeland, despite a heightened security environment following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend. But all eleven Iranians have been charged or accused of crimes beyond civil immigration violations, according to ICE officials, who say the arrested men represent a threat to public safety. ICE officials tell CBS News that the arrests since Sunday are part of the Trump administration’s latest crackdown on illegal immigration. Federal officials have aimed to dramatically ramp up immigration arrests, with average daily arrests climbing from 660 in President Trump’s first 100 days to 1,200 in June — and the White House says its target is 3,000 arrests per day. On Monday, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters that homeland security officials are trying to "get in front of" threats to the U.S. by "working with our local governors and law enforcement to make sure that they recognize potential threats or suspicious activities." [Editorial note: consult video at source link] The Washington Times [6/24/2025 10:50 AM, Stephen Dinan, 2106K] reports that one of the targets is accused of being an Iranian army sniper, another has ties to Hezbollah and a third is deemed a known or suspected terrorist. Several others were caught with guns when they were arrested — a violation of federal law, which generally bars illegal immigrants from possessing firearms. In one arrest in Arizona on Sunday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents showed up at a residence to arrest Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, whose record includes a gun conviction and a conviction for threatening a law enforcement officer and who agreed to leave the U.S. in 2013 but never followed through. When agents made that arrest, a woman at the residence, Linet Vartaniann, threatened to "shoot ICE officers in the head," Homeland Security said. She was also arrested on charges of threatening an officer and harboring an illegal immigrant. NewsNation [6/24/2025 3:06 PM, Jorge Ventura, Jeff Arnold, 5801K] reports that the arrests are just the latest involving Iranian nationals after federal immigration officials say that more than 2,500 immigrants from Iran have been apprehended at the U.S.-Mexico border since 2021, NewsNation has learned. McLaughlin said that the agency has been "full throttle" on identifying and arresting violent extremists who entered the U.S. through former President Joe Biden’s "fraudulent parole programs or otherwise." The arrests took place in Georgia, Texas, Arizona, Mississippi, Colorado, Minnesota, California and New York. However, the arrests are the latest involving Iranian nationals. Federal officials have not publicly released the percentage of migrants who have been arrested by ICE who come from specific countries, including Iran. However, The Center Square reported that more than 700 Iranian nationals who entered the United States illegally were released by the Biden administration. The report indicated that the number of Iranian nationals who were arrested after crossing the country illegally grew from just 48 in 2021 to 797 in 2024. Of the nearly 800 who were taken into custody last year, nearly 450 were released into the United States. The Center Square’s data does not include Iranian nationals who were apprehended at U.S. ports of entry and what DHS characterized as "gotaways" — migrants who entered the country and were never found.

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Daily Wire [6/24/2025 11:58 PM, Nathan Gay, 3816K] reports federal immigration officials have arrested 11 Iranian nationals since Sunday, including a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member with "admitted connections to Hezbollah" and an individual on the U.S. terrorist watchlist. The operations, which occurred amid heightened tensions following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, spanned eight states and nine cities, with all 11 Iranians accused of crimes exceeding civil immigration violations, according to CBS News. The arrests come as security experts warn that Iran’s proxy network, which includes Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, has established connections within the United States that could be activated. Federal agents discovered an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card on Ribvar Karmi when he was apprehended in Alabama. He served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and entered the U.S. in October 2024 on a K-1 visa for migrants engaged to American citizens. Karmi is set to remain in ICE custody until removal proceedings begin. Mehran Makari Sahel, arrested in Minnesota, is a former member of the Iranian military’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and had "admitted connections to Hezbollah," according to ICE. Another arrestee, Yousef Mehridehno, had been living illegally in America for nearly eight years after lying on a visa application. He was apprehended on Sunday in Mississippi, four months after being added to the U.S. terrorist watchlist. During the last fiscal year, ICE arrested just 68 Iranian foreign nationals. "We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out — and we are," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told CBS. "We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland."

Daily Caller [6/24/2025 3:13 PM, Jason Hopkins, 1010K] reports amid the fallout of U.S. airstrikes at several Iranian nuclear facilities, the Trump administration arrested a reported "Iranian Army sniper" living unlawfully in the country. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested 11 Iranian illegal migrants over the past weekend, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Among those arrested in the nationwide sweep included Ribvar Karimi, who reportedly served as an Iranian Army sniper for roughly four years and was allegedly carrying an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card at the time of his arrest Sunday. "Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise," DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Tuesday in a prepared statement. "We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out — and we are," McLaughlin continued. "We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland." Karimi entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa — which is reserved for migrants engaged to American citizens — under the Biden administration in October 2024, according to DHS. However, he allegedly never followed through on the legal requirement to adjust his immigration status, making him removable. He remains in ICE custody pending his deportation proceedings. The other Iranian illegal migrants nabbed by ICE agents over the weekend also carry worrisome backgrounds.

NBC News [6/24/2025 6:30 PM, Corky Siemaszko, 44540K] reports eleven Iranian nationals with either criminal records or suspected terrorist ties who had been living in the United States illegally were arrested over the weekend while American war planes were bombing nuclear facilities in their homeland, federal officials announced Tuesday. In addition, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a U.S. citizen who is alleged to have harbored one of the Iranian nationals and threatened to "shoot ICE officers in the head," the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement. Before President Donald Trump gave the final order for the attack on the nuclear sites, Iran warned it would unleash terrorist attacks on the United States using sleeper cells inside the country, NBC News reported Sunday, citing two U.S. officials and a person with knowledge of the threat. DHS did not say any of the men who were arrested were suspected of being part of any terrorist plan, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Sunday that DHS had not identified any credible threats to U.S. soil. Unrelated to the arrests, a New York City-based immigration lawyer said ICE took an Iranian client of his into custody Monday even though he does not have a criminal record and was granted asylum in August after he told a judge he faced persecution in Iran for converting to Christianity. "They gave him no reason for why they took him into custody," the lawyer, Farzad Siman, told NBC News. "But he told me that there were other Iranians with him.” Siman said his 48-year-old client, whom he asked to be identified only as Ali to protect his family back in Iran, has never broken any U.S. laws. He said Ali immediately applied for asylum after he crossed the border into the country from Mexico on July 1, 2022. "He is a Christian convert from Islam and applied for asylum because he faces persecution for religious reasons if he were to return to Iran," Siman said. DHS did not immediately reply to a request for comment about Ali’s arrest. In announcing the 11 arrests, Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said DHS "has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country.” All of the Iranians arrested over the weekend and taken into ICE custody are men, and five of them have previous criminal convictions for grand larceny, drug and firearm possession and other crimes. Ribvar Karimi, whom ICE agents arrested Sunday in Locust, Alabama, was an Iranian army sniper from 2018 to 2021. He entered the United States in 2024 on a K-1 visa, which is meant for foreigners engaged to be married to American citizens. "Karimi never adjusted his status — a legal requirement — and is removable from the United States," the DHS said.

NewsMax [6/24/2025 8:54 PM, Staff, 4622K] reports Attorney General Pam Bondi said this week that her Department of Justice (DOJ) is on "high alert" on the heels of American airstrikes this weekend targeting Iranian nuclear development sites. The comment came during a House Appropriations Committee session in Washington on Monday. As reported by the website ZeroHedge, Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, asked Bondi about the number of Iranian nationals who may have entered the United States illegally. The issue is of great concern, with hostilities flaring in recent days between Israel and Iran. The two nations have traded attacks, with Israel intent on decapitating Iran’s development of materials used in nuclear weapons, though a ceasefire is, for the moment, in place. "Over 1,000 have entered our country, and I can tell you we are on high alert, and everyone is looking at that very closely," Bondi said. As reported, she went on to suggest that the FBI is on guard against possible Iranian sleeper cells within the U.S. She drew a line between those cells and Iranian nationals who entered the United States across the southern border under the Biden administration. The New York Post, citing reporting from Fox News, said that under President Joe Biden, over 1,500 Iranian migrants were caught crossing the border illegally, with close to half released into the U.S. Gonzales told Bondi "I want to, as much as we can, get ahead of it to give you the resources, the instruments that you need to go out and make sure that we’re preventing things from happening, not waiting until after the fact." He said proposals to cut funding for the DOJ and its subsidiary agency, the FBI, could hurt national security. ZeroHedge quoted Bondi as saying the DOJ is committed to "doing more with less" amid budget cuts across the DOJ and the federal government, before saying Congress can help by passing the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Passed by the House, it is now before the Senate.

CNN [6/24/2025 6:07 PM, Josh Campbell, Holmes Lybrand and Sean Lyngaas, 21433K] reports the shaky ceasefire brokered by President Donald Trump between Israel and Iran has not stopped federal officials from continuing to closely monitor any threats stemming from the conflict in the Middle East, federal officials told CNN. Security and intelligence officials are not currently tracking any credible threat to the US but have issued several warnings over the potential for lone wolf and cyber-attacks stemming from the conflict. At the FBI, senior leaders are in the process of pulling agents away from assisting the Trump administration’s nationwide immigration enforcement mission so they can return to their focus on guarding against counter terrorism threats. The FBI began temporarily scaling back its support for Trump’s immigration ambitions, a move to ensure agents are focusing on any potential threats to the homeland stemming from US strikes on Iran, CNN reported Monday. While the final number of agents to be reassigned has not been determined, sources said some field offices could see a drastic reduction in personnel working on immigration efforts.

Breitbart [6/24/2025 8:45 PM, John Binder, 3077K] reports Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem observed a deportation flight of illegal aliens in Panama who sought to make it to the United States-Mexico border to cross illegally. Noem traveled to Panama City, Panama, on Tuesday to tout the Trump administration’s extension of an agreement between the U.S. and the Central American country that seeks to deport illegal aliens from Panama before they are ever able to make it to the U.S. Some of the illegal aliens deported on the flight had been convicted of sex crimes, robbery, and drug trafficking. "Under this understanding, 2,044 migrants without legal grounds to remain in Panama were deported to 23 countries between August 2024 and June 2025," a DHS press release states. In particular, Noem spotlighted that deportation flights out of Panama are far less costly than deportation flights out of the U.S., saving American taxpayers about half the cost per deportation. The Trump administration’s major crackdown on illegal immigration has helped effectively shut down the Darien Gap in Panama, considered one of the most dangerous regions for U.S.-bound illegal aliens to pass through before getting to the southern border. As of February, illegal immigration through the Darien Gap had plummeted 99 percent compared to the same time the year prior when President Joe Biden was in office. Specifically, just 408 U.S.-bound illegal aliens passed through the Darien Gap in February, while more than 37,000 U.S.-bound illegal aliens had passed through in February 2024.

Breitbart [6/24/2025 9:43 PM, Staff, 3077K] reports President Donald Trump’s Homeland Security chief on Tuesday praised a US agreement with Panama on migrant repatriation flights and said Washington was ready to replicate it with other countries. Under an agreement signed last July by the administration of Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden, Washington finances the repatriation of irregular migrants who enter Panama overland from Colombia. During a visit to the Central American nation, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the United States was willing to pay other countries to do the same. "The United States is more than willing to help share the cost of this, in order to make sure that these countries take their responsibilities seriously, to accept their citizens back home," she told reporters. More than 2,300 migrants have been deported from Panama on around 50 flights so far under the agreement. Noem observed the departure of one such flight Tuesday carrying Colombian migrants. She also met President Jose Raul Mulino and other senior Panamanian officials. Last July, Washington pledged $6 million in funding for migrant repatriations from Panama. In May of this year, it said the figure had risen to $14 million. "Under President Trump, we’ve allocated an additional $7 million to Panama to repatriate illegal migrants and put an end to illegal immigration," US Ambassador Kevin Marino Cabrera wrote Tuesday on social media platform X. Hundreds of thousands of US-bound migrants have crossed the lawless jungle between Colombia and Panama in recent years, despite dangers including treacherous terrain and violent criminal gangs that kidnap and extort them. However, the number of arrivals fell sharply after Trump took office in January vowing to crack down on irregular migration, sparking a wave of reverse migration to South America.

DailySignal [6/24/2025 11:01 AM, Virginia Allen, 558K] reports in a win for President Donald Trump, the Supreme Court issued a brief order Monday allowing the Trump administration to restart deportation flights of illegal aliens to nations other than their own. The high court’s order lifts, for now, a lower court’s order allowing illegal immigrants to challenge their deportation order before their removal. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin praised the court’s decision, calling the order "a victory for the safety and security of the American people." "The Biden administration allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood our country, and now, the Trump administration can exercise its undisputed authority to remove these criminal illegal aliens and clean up this national security nightmare," McLaughlin said. The criminal illegal aliens the Trump administration is seeking to deport to third party counties are "so uniquely barbaric that their own countries won’t take them back," McLaughlin said, adding, "[f]ire up the deportation planes." The justices did not explain the reason for their decision, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, issued a lengthy dissent.

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Politico [6/24/2025 5:28 PM, Kyle Cheney and Josh Gerstein, 2100K] reports the Trump administration must try to bring back to the U.S. another man who was deported to El Salvador in violation of a court order, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday. It’s the fourth time since March that federal courts have ordered the administration to return immigrants who were deemed illegally or improperly deported. Officials must begin seeking the return of Jordin Melgar-Salmeron, who was sent to his native country on May 7, “as soon as possible,” a three-judge panel of the New York-based 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled. Justice Department officials acknowledged last month that Melgar-Salmeron’s deportation violated an earlier directive from the 2nd Circuit. A department lawyer blamed a “confluence of administrative errors,” including missed emails and an inaccurate roster of passengers on the May 7 deportation flight. But the Department of Homeland Security contradicted that assessment in a public statement, saying there was “no error” and accusing Melgar-Salmeron of belonging to the violent MS-13 gang. “This ruling is completely at odds with President Trump’s duty to faithfully execute federal law,” the spokeswoman, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement. “Jordin Alexander Melgar-Salmeron is a serial criminal illegal alien with a final order of removal.”

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NBC News [6/24/2025 6:15 PM, Ken Dilanian, 44540K] reports the FBI is returning counterterrorism agents who were ordered to focus on immigration cases back to their old jobs because of concern about potential threats from Iran, four people with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News. Don Holstead, the assistant director for counter terrorism, issued guidance over the weekend reassigning agents who work on counterterrorism, counterintelligence and cyber issues but had been sidetracked by immigration duties, two of the people said. All four people said the move was related to the possibility of Iran’s retaliating against the United States for its recent military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites. NBC News has reported that Iranian officials threatened U.S. officials that they would unleash so-called sleeper cells inside the United States if it were attacked. The FBI said it does not confirm or deny operational changes. "However, we continuously assess and realign our resources to respond to the most pressing threats to our national security and to ensure the safety of the American people," it said in a statement. For months, current and former FBI officials have warned about a new requirement that FBI employees across the country, including some who specialize in national security, spend significant amounts of time helping Department of Homeland Security officers track down undocumented immigrants, which is not traditionally an FBI role. FBI Director Kash Patel imposed the requirements pursuant to Trump administration executive orders. Many current and former bureau officials had expressed concern that given the FBI’s limited resources, crucial national security threats could get less attention because of the focus on immigration. There have also been a series of departures from key national security jobs in the Justice Department and the FBI. NBC News reported this week on a so-called brain drain from national security positions due to resignation in both agencies. "The firings and retirements have had some effect, but the greater impact is from the top-down redirection of FBI resources to immigration and to cartels," said an FBI employee who spoke on condition of anonymity. "The counterterrorism mission has been fundamentally redefined to treat drug cartels as designated Foreign Terrorist Organizations. That has consumed huge resources across the FBI field and at HQ and at DOJ.” Traditionally, cartels and criminals have been investigated by the criminal sections of the FBI and the Justice Department, while terrorism came under each organization’s national security sections, staffed by different people, FBI employees said.

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The Hill [6/24/2025 10:22 PM, Aris Folley, 18649K] reports House Republicans advanced legislation on Tuesday laying out funding plans for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for fiscal 2026, calling for boosts to immigration enforcement efforts. The GOP-led House Appropriations Committee approved the bill along party lines on Tuesday evening after members spent hours debating the legislation and proposed changes to the text. The bill allows for about $66 billion in total discretionary funding for fiscal year 2026, with the non-defense portion of those funds accounting for roughly $63 billion, or nearly two percent higher than current levels. It also calls for about a one percent decrease in defense funds for the annual bill, amounting to about $3.3 billion. Additionally, the bill allows for $26.5 billion in funding for what negotiators describe as "major disaster response and recovery activities" and $6.3 billion in discretionary appropriations offset by fee collections. The measure comes as Republicans are also looking to greenlight further funding for the administration’s mass deportation plans and immigration enforcement as part of a separate package aimed at advancing the president’s tax agenda that GOP leadership hopes to pass before August. Among the biggest increases in the plan advanced on Tuesday is a nearly $1 billion boost for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which would see $11 billion under the House GOP proposal. Republicans say the funding would allow for 50,000 detention beds, an increase for Transportation and Removal Operations to "effectuate the removal orders of the more than 1.3 million aliens who no longer have a legal basis to remain in this country.” The bill calls for $31.8 billion for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), or a $4.5 billion jump above current levels, and proposes $26.5 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF). It would also boost funds for the Transportation Security Administration, U.S. Coast Guard and Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers. However, it pushes to cut funding for a list of offices while calling for the elimination of the Shelter and Services Program, the Case Management Pilot Program, funding for soft-sided facilities, the Office of Immigration Detention Ombudsman, the Family Reunification Task Force and border management activities. It would also reduce funding for the Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Secretary, the Office of Public Affairs, the Office of Policy, the Office of the General Counsel and the Office of Legislative Affairs.

Washington Examiner [6/25/2025 2:22 AM, Staff, 1934K] reports that, as global tensions continue to rise, particularly due to military conflicts between Israel and Iran, and Russia and Ukraine, President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced new appointments to the Homeland Security Advisory Council on Tuesday. The Trump administration touted the additions as "new-look" and "America First" in a press release issued on Tuesday morning. Among the newest members of the council are Fox News and radio talk show host Mark Levin, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Gov. Henry McMaster (R-SC), former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, and the founder of "Bikers for Trump," Christopher Cox, among others. "Formed on March 19, 2002, the HSAC leverages the experience, expertise, and national and global connections of its membership to provide the Secretary of Homeland Security with real-time, real-world and independent advice on homeland security operations," read the release. "This new-look, America First HSAC will draw upon a deep well of public and private sector experience from homeland security experts committed to fulfilling President Trump’s agenda.” Typically, HSAC members included those involved in state and local governments. It also frequently enlisted the services of people with experience in the private sector, academia, and first responder communities. They will regularly advise Secretary Noem on Homeland Security matters and offer policy recommendations. Based on the information on its website, the HSAC doesn’t appear to have made any policy recommendations since Trump began his second term on Jan. 20, 2025. The last proposal, a report on online child exploitation and abuse, came over a year ago, on June 6, 2024. The release also announced the HSAC’s first meeting, which will be on July 2 at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [6/24/2025 4:48 PM, Morgan Phillips, 46878K] reports new legislation aims to codify the president’s authority to deploy National Guard units for immigration enforcement, as part of a broader effort to crack down on illegal immigration and stiffen penalties for those who assault immigration officers. The bill, authored by Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-N.C., would allow the president to federalize and deploy the National Guard when states refuse to cooperate, like Gov. Gavin Newsom in California. It also stipulates that those who assault immigration officers receive the death penalty or life in prison if an officer is killed. The proposal comes amid growing Republican frustration with so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies — and after an Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raid in Los Angeles led to widespread rioting. In addition to capital punishment for killing an immigration officer, the bill mandates a minimum of five years in prison and 10 years if the assault causes bodily injury. The proposed penalties mirror similar statutes that protect federal law enforcement officers but extend explicit coverage to immigration enforcement personnel.

The Hill [6/24/2025 11:59 AM, Alexander Bolton, 18649K] reports Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) has led Senate Democrats in sending a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemning what they say was "inappropriate and excessive use of force" against Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) at a recent press conference. "The actions taken by U.S. Secret Service and Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, physically manhandling Sen. Padilla after he calmly identified himself as a United States senator, then forcibly shoving him out of the room, are not only unacceptable but an affront to our democratic institutions," Schumer and other Democrats wrote to Noem. They expressed their outrage over footage of Padilla being shoved to the ground and placed in handcuffs after he interrupted Noem at a press conference, where he attempted to shout questions at Noem. The incident took place on June 12 in Los Angeles. Senate Democrats called the images of Padilla being shoved face-down to the floor "deeply disturbing" and "an act of political intimidation" that "underscores your administration’s alarming disregard for the constitutional separation of powers."

FOX News [6/24/2025 7:13 PM, Sophia Compton and Bill Melugin, 46878K] reports a Los Angeles County official is allegedly being investigated by the FBI after she posted a video to social media calling on gang members to defend their territory from United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Cynthia Gonzalez, the vice mayor of Cudahy in southeast Los Angeles County, allegedly shared a video on social media late last week in which she appeared to encourage 18th Street and Florencia 13 gang members to protect their turf from ICE agents. "Not for nothing, but I want to know where all the cholos are at in Los Angeles," Gonzalez said in the video. "18th Street, Florencia — Where’s the leadership at? Because you guys are all about territory … You guys tag everything up — claiming hood. And now that your hood’s being invaded by the biggest gang there is, there ain’t a peep out of you.” The Cudahy official then seemingly goes on to tell LA gang members they need to organize and help out with local resistance efforts against ICE. "Don’t be trying to claim no block, no nothing," Gonzalez said. "If you’re not showing up right now, trying to help out and organize, I don’t want to hear a peep out of you once they’re gone.” Toward the end of the video, the LA County official even appears to urge the leaders of the LA street gangs to "get your f***ing members in order.” Gonzalez reportedly deleted the video shortly after posting it. She was later visited by FBI agents at her home and is now allegedly under federal investigation, according to federal sources. Following the incident, Gonzalez also reportedly went back on social media to say that the FBI came to her home and that she needed a lawyer, sources say. FBI Los Angeles told Fox News they could not confirm or deny an investigation was underway, but said they condemn any call for gang violence. The 18th Street gang has around 30,000 to 50,000 members, with its main source of income being distribution of cocaine and marijuana. Members also commit assault, auto theft, carjacking and robbery, among other crimes. Florencia 13 is a street gang based out of southern Los Angeles. Its members have recently been accused of crimes including fentanyl trafficking, extortion and murder, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

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FOX News [6/24/2025 7:26 PM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE

New York Post [6/24/2025 6:59 PM, Jared Downing, 49956K] reports the FBI has opened an investigation into the vice mayor of a Los Angeles County city after she posted a video urging Latino street gangs to fight back against federal immigration agents, according to a report. Cynthia Gonzalez, vice mayor of Cudahy, found herself in federal investigators’ crosshairs after she posted a video on social media calling for members of the 18th Street and Florencia 13 gangs to "protect" their "turf," sources told FOX News reporter Bill Melugin. In her now-deleted video, Gonzalez taunted the predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American gangs, saying they couldn’t lay claim to territory in her town unless they stood up to Immigration and Customs Enforcement — "the biggest gang there is.” Gonzalez later posted that the FBI came to her house and that she needs a lawyer, according to Melugin, who claimed federal sources tipped him off to an "active investigation.” A spokesperson for the FBI’s LA field office neither confirmed nor denied the investigation to The Post, but emphasized that the Bureau condemns all gang violence.

Bloomberg Law News [6/24/2025 12:12 PM, David Voreacos, 88K] reports a federal judge issued another court order letting Harvard University keep hosting foreign students, this one in its fight to overturn President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring their entry to the US. US District Judge Allison Burroughs granted the university a preliminary injunction Monday that prevents the government from enacting a June 4 proclamation denying entry to international students planning to attend the school. The injunction extends an earlier temporary bar. "This case is about core constitutional rights that must be safeguarded: freedom of thought, freedom of expression, and freedom of speech, each of which is a pillar of a functioning democracy and an essential hedge against authoritarianism," she wrote. Burroughs’ ruling is the second win for Harvard in its high-stakes fight with the Trump administration over its large international student population. On June 20, the judge blocked a May 22 order by the US revoking Harvard’s certification to enroll foreign students. Both administration actions strike at the heart of that population — one by aiming at the school’s eligibility to enroll foreign students and the other by focusing on their entry at the border. "The court’s order will continue to allow Harvard to host international students and scholars while this case moves forward," the university said in a statement. "Harvard will continue to defend its rights — and the rights of its students and scholars." Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the injunction directly conflicts "with the president’s constitutionally vested powers under Article II and those granted by federal law," adding that "it is a privilege, not a right, for universities to enroll foreign students." The ruling follows Trump’s June 20 Truth Social post saying that his administration and Harvard were back in negotiations. It also comes the same day that Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem published an op-ed in The Washington Post reaffirming the administration’s commitment to revoking Harvard’s ability to enroll international students.

Washington Post [6/24/2025 8:51 PM, Emily Davies, Justine McDaniel, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and Susan Svrluga, 32099K] reports the Trump administration is ramping up negotiations with Harvard University in an effort to reach an end to its months-long battle with the elite school, two senior White House officials have said, as Harvard has been racking up legal wins in court. The administration expects a deal to land by the end of the month, one official said, and hopes the agreement would make a big enough splash to “basically be a blueprint for the rest of higher education.” The White House officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. Harvard declined to comment. The university has been a key target in the Trump administration’s mounting attacks on higher education, which have focused on diversity efforts and allegations of antisemitism on campuses across the country. Harvard has drawn praise in academia for its efforts to push back on the White House’s sweeping demands to limit student protests, submit to extensive government oversight, and revamp its admissions and hiring practices. The university has also amassed dozens of statements of support from organizations, universities and states in a lawsuit filed after the administration froze federal research funding. A person close to the university, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity, said Tuesday that Harvard will not compromise its values or its First Amendment rights. Harvard allies, free-speech advocates and others have feared that the Trump administration would use its attacks on Harvard to exert control over universities nationwide and dismantle academic freedom. Whatever the outcome, the case will create a significant precedent, said higher education attorney Sarah Hartley. "This is the playbook to be used with other universities by the government going forward," said Hartley, a partner at the Washington-based law firm BCLP. "It, in many ways, is being used as a test of democracy and what the government can force on private institutions.” Harvard has filed two lawsuits against the Trump administration in an effort to block its punitive actions, including freezing more than $3 billion in federal funding, which imperils scientific and medical research at the university. Court filings in that case, submitted either in support of Harvard or the government, offer a window into the opposing camps that have been drawn into the battle and spotlight how the fight between the Trump administration and Harvard is being felt across America. More than 40 parties in support of Harvard’s case filed amicus briefs — legal statements submitted in court by parties who are affected by, but not directly involved in, the case. They included groups of 12,000 Harvard alumni, 24 research universities, 12 hospitals and 18 former U.S. officials.

The Hill [6/24/2025 10:22 AM, Lexi Lonas Cochran, 18649K] reports a district judge raised free speech concerns in the latest legal block of the Trump administration’s attempts to ban Harvard University from enrolling international students. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs issued an injunction against a proclamation from President Trump that said Harvard could not enroll foreign students due to national security concerns from him administration. Although the order by the Department of Homeland Security to take away Harvard’s foreign student is still in litigation, Burroughs pointed to significant free speech concerns. "Here, the government’s misplaced efforts to control a reputable academic institution and squelch diverse viewpoints seemingly because they are, in some instances, opposed to this Administration’s own views, threaten these rights," she wrote Monday. "To make matters worse, the government attempts to accomplish this, at least in part, on the backs of international students, with little thought to the consequences to them or, ultimately, to our own citizens," she added, extending a previous block on the move.

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 11:33 AM, Annabella Rosciglione, 1934K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Monday the federal government will fund a state push from Florida to set up immigration detention centers, including a proposed site in the Everglades known as "Alligator Alcatraz." Noem said the push to create the detention centers will be funded "in large part" by the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s shelter and services program. This program, created by Congress in 1987, has supported places receiving migrants and asylum seekers who were released from federal custody at the U.S.-Mexico border. Florida officials proposed the partnership last week. Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said that an abandoned airfield in the Everglades would be repurposed as an immigration detention facility with 5,000 beds. He called it "Alligator Alcatraz," noting that dangerous conditions, including alligators and pythons in the Everglades, would deter people from trying to escape — with the conditions serving a similar purpose to the rough waters outside Alcatraz prison. "I’m proud to help support President Trump and Secretary Noem in their mission to fix our illegal immigration problem once and for all," he said in a statement. "Alligator Alcatraz and other Florida facilities will do just that." Florida’s move represents a larger push by Republican-led states to assist the Trump administration in its mass deportation efforts. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told the New York Times the goal is to have at least some of the tents at "Alligator Alcatraz" up and running by July. The Hill [6/24/2025 12:09 PM, Elizabeth Crisp, 18649K] reports that Noem said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will use money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Shelter and Services Program to build out the Miami-area project, which has been dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz," through the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM). Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) is backing the plan, and on Monday his administration moved to take over the proposed property after failing to reach an agreement with local officials over costs.

Reported similarly:
CNN [6/24/2025 5:19 AM, Karina Tsui and Isabel Rosales, 21433K]
Blaze [6/24/2025 3:41 PM, Joseph MacKinnon, 1805K]
(B) Good Day Orlando at 8am on FOX 35 [6/24/2025 8:26 AM, Staff]

The Washington Post [6/24/2025 8:03 PM, Lori Rozsa, 32099K] reports Florida started construction this week on a 1,000-bed detention facility for undocumented immigrants in the middle of the Everglades, despite objections from local officials and environmentalists who say it would harm protected wetlands that the state and federal government have spent billions to restore. The plan will turn an infrequently used airstrip next to Big Cypress National Preserve, a portion of the Everglades, into a “temporary” detention facility, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier (R). “Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda,” Uthmeier said in a campaign-style video touting the idea, which was posted on his social media accounts last week. “People get out, there’s not much waiting for them other than alligators and pythons. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide,” Uthmeier said in the video. FOX News [6/24/2025 11:12 AM, Peter D’Abrosca, 46878K] reports Uthmeier said the project can be rapidly completed in just 30 to 60 days of beginning construction, which was slated to begin Monday, according to the New York Times. That report says the facility will cost the state about $450 million per year to operate, but that it can be reimbursed at least in part by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). "Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens. We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida," Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement.

Politico [6/24/2025 7:54 PM, Gary Fineout and Bruce Ritchie, 16523K] reports Florida’s headline-grabbing push to create “Alligator Alcatraz” — an immigration detention center deep in the Everglades — happened swiftly, with little apparent notice to state legislators responsible for paying for it or to local officials who will have it on their doorstep. It also may prove to be one of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ most aggressive moves during his six-plus years in office. Citing the governor’s emergency powers, the state’s emergency management director told Miami-Dade County that it was taking control of an Everglades airstrip now owned by Miami-Dade County and located mainly in Collier County in order to begin building the multimillion dollar facility. DeSantis declared an emergency on immigration during Joe Biden’s presidency and has since extended it. After President Donald Trump took office, the Republican governor has pledged Florida will do whatever it can to assist Trump’s administration in its mass deportation efforts. “Time is of the essence,” Kevin Guthrie, the state’s emergency management director, wrote in a letter sent to Miami-Dade officials late Monday. “We must act swiftly to ensure readiness and continuity in our statewide operations to assist the federal government with immigration enforcement.” Not much was known publicly about the plans for the detention center until Attorney General James Uthmeier — DeSantis’ former chief of staff who was appointed to the job in February — talked up the idea of “Alligator Alcatraz” on social media last week. The chosen site is a long airstrip that was built as part of a massive project abandoned in 1970 amid environmental opposition. By Monday, the Department of Homeland Security said it had signed off on a plan to house up to 5,000 people in Florida who are either arrested by state law enforcement or brought to detention centers by federal immigration authorities. DHS said in a statement that it planned to tap into a Federal Emergency Management Agency shelter program to reimburse the state the estimated $450 million a year it will cost to run the remote detention centers. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are working at turbo speed on cost-effective and innovative ways to deliver on the American people’s mandate for mass deportations of criminal illegal aliens,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “We will expand facilities and bed space in just days, thanks to our partnership with Florida.”

Detroit Free Press [6/24/2025 4:35 PM, Todd Spangler, 4241K] reports U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, led a group of 15 members of Congress calling on President Donald Trump’s administration to stop using U.S. facilities at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to house migrants and to close them. The letter was dated June 23 and sent to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, also D-Detroit, was also among those signing the letter. Two weeks ago, the website Politico reported that the Trump administration had plans to significantly increase the use of the facilities at Guantánamo Bay to house undocumented migrants expected to be deported before transporting them elsewhere. Already, a federal lawsuit has been filed challenging the use of the Guantánamo facilities, which have long been known for holding suspected terrorists, complaining of conditions. “We write to express our outrage at the ongoing and recently proposed expansion of detention of immigrants at Guantánamo Bay," the letter said. "For over two decades, Guantánamo Bay has been synonymous with injustice, torture and Islamophobia. President Trump’s decision to hold thousands of immigrants — many of whom are asylum seekers and refugees — in a facility notorious for human rights abuses is morally abhorrent and unlawful."

NPR [6/24/2025 5:36 PM, Sacha Pfeiffer, 37958K] Audio: HERE reports what’s the current status of the Trump administration’s vow to send 30K migrants to Gitmo?

The Hill [6/24/2025 3:44 PM, Lexi Lonas Cochran, 18649K] reports Mahmoud Khalil’s supporters and advocates are breathing a sigh of relief after his release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, though they acknowledge the fight with the Trump administration over the immigration status of pro-Palestinian international college students is far from over. Khalil, a green-card holder and the former lead negotiator for the pro-Palestinian encampment at Columbia University, was arrested on March 8 and moved thousands of miles away to an ICE facility in Louisiana. For three months, the Trump administration kept him detained on the grounds that Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined he was a threat to the country’s foreign policy. The government also later added a complaint that Khalil left prior work off of his permanent residency application. In media interviews since his release, Khalil has made clear he will remain vocal of his support for Palestine despite the government looking to appeal the court’s decision and throw him back in detention for eventual deportation. Advocates and Khalil’s legal team have argued his detention was a violation of his First Amendment rights and has stifled free speech on campuses for other foreign students. But the White House counters that it has wide discretion on immigration matters, saying a U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right. "The Trump Administration acted well within its statutory and constitutional authority to detain Khalil, as it does with any alien who advocates for violence, glorifies and supports terrorists, harasses Jews, and damages property," said Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security. "An immigration judge has already vindicated this position. We expect a higher court to do the same." A final decision in Khalil’s proceedings could take months or years, a fight both he and his legal team say they are ready to take on.

AP [6/24/2025 10:53 AM, Ben Finley, 56000K] reports Kilmar Abrego Garcia, whose mistaken deportation to El Salvador became a flashpoint in President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, has been back in the United States for more than two weeks after being charged with human smuggling in Tennessee. But the 29-year-old Maryland construction worker’s future is far from certain. A federal judge has raised questions about the strength of the government’s smuggling allegations, including its claim Abrego Garcia is in the violent MS-13 street gang. The judge on Sunday denied federal prosecutors’ request to keep Abrego Garcia in jail while he awaits trial. The conditions of his release will be discussed at a court hearing on Wednesday. Federal prosecutors have said they will appeal the judge’s decision. Even if Abrego Garcia is released, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to detain him and try to deport him.

Federalist [6/24/2025 6:27 AM, Eddie Scarry, 1142K] reports this is how unserious our government leaders are about immigration: A judge in Tennessee is about to release self-professed illegal alien Kilmar Abrego Garcia from jail, even though she knows he’s in the country unlawfully — meaning, he’s a criminal — and knows that when she orders the release he’ll be immediately apprehended by immigration authorities. U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara Holmes on Sunday ruled that the Trump administration had failed to prove that Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national, was a likely flight risk or threat to the public in the run-up to his human trafficking trial. She acknowledged, however, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement would obviously take him into custody the second he’s released from jail, calling her own decision "little more than an academic exercise." Recall that Abrego Garcia been already deported to his home country, only for a Democrat-appointed judge to laughably order that the government re-import him to the U.S. That’s despite him having admitted he is not a legal resident, having been identified by authorities as a violent Latin gang affiliate — a suspicion affirmed by a judge — and having been accused multiple times by his wife of physical abuse. This is the person Barbara Holmes has deemed an unlikely threat to the public and therefore suitable for release from jail while he awaits prosecution for human trafficking. The ruling is another absurd delivery from the Democrats’ final method of thwarting the 2024 election — federal judges (formerly known as "the American judiciary").

Reuters [6/24/2025 4:06 PM, Andrew Chung, 24051K] reports President Donald Trump’s administration accused a federal judge on Tuesday of defying the U.S. Supreme Court’s authority, escalating a fight over a group of eight migrants who it had sought to rapidly deport to politically unstable South Sudan. In a filing to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department said U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy showed "unprecedented defiance" by ignoring Monday’s decision by the justices that let the administration resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show the harms they could face. Monday’s decision lifted the Boston-based judge’s April 18 injunction requiring that migrants set for deportation to so-called "third countries" get a "meaningful opportunity" to tell U.S. officials they are at risk of torture at their new destination. It was the latest legal victory for Trump at the Supreme Court in his aggressive pursuit of mass deportations. The Supreme Court’s three liberal justices dissented. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. After the Supreme Court’s decision, Murphy issued an order clarifying that its action did not apply to the judge’s separate May 21 decision that the administration violated his injunction in attempting to send the migrants to South Sudan. The U.S. State Department has urged Americans to avoid the African nation "due to crime, kidnapping and armed conflict.” Murphy’s May 21 order prompted the U.S. government to keep the migrants at a military base in Djibouti. Murphy also clarified at the time that non-citizens must be given at least 10 days to raise a claim that they fear for their safety. The Justice Department urged the Supreme Court on Tuesday to clarify that its order lifting Murphy’s injunction also applies to the May 21 decision concerning South Sudan. "The district court’s ruling of (Monday) night is a lawless act of defiance that, once again, disrupts sensitive diplomatic relations and slams the brakes on the executive’s lawful efforts to effectuate third-country removals," the Justice Department wrote in its filing.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [6/25/2025 3:16 AM, Adam Liptak and Mattathias Schwartz, 330K]
Federalist [6/24/2025 7:16 AM, Brianna Lyman, 1142K]

AP [6/24/2025 4:01 PM, Alanna Durkin Richer] reports a top Justice Department official suggested the Trump administration might have to ignore court orders as it prepared to deport Venezuelan migrants it accused of being gang members, a fired department lawyer alleged in a whistleblower complaint made public Tuesday. The whistleblower’s claims about Principal Assistant Deputy Attorney General Emil Bove come a day before Bove is set to face lawmakers Wednesday for his confirmation hearing to become a federal appeals court judge. In a letter seeking a congressional and Justice Department watchdog investigation, the former government lawyer, Erez Reuveni, alleges he was pushed out and publicly disparaged after resisting efforts to defy judges and make arguments in court that were false or had no legal basis. The most explosive allegation in the letter from Reuveni’s lawyers centers around a Justice Department meeting in March concerning President Donald Trump’s plans to invoke the Alien Enemies Act over what the president called an invasion by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Reuveni says Bove raised the possibility that a court might block the deportations before they could happen. Reuveni claims Bove said the department would need to consider telling the courts "[expletive] you," and "ignore any such order," according to the filing.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [6/24/2025 3:31 PM, Ken Dilanian and Dareh Gregorian, 44540K] r

The Hill [6/24/2025 4:24 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 18649K] reports New York City officially closed migrant operations at the Roosevelt Hotel on Monday, shuttering a two-year service site for individuals and families that recently arrived in the United States. City officials reportedly welcomed more than 173,000 immigrants seeking asylum to the hotel where they were registered with national immigration services, according to the Associated Press. In February, Mayor Eric Adams (D) announced the century-old building would soon close its doors and limited the duration immigrants could reside at the property three months later. Adams’s move follows the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on illegal immigration and attempts to remove unlawful residents. Earlier this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) revoked New York City’s $80 million grant to house migrants as the White House alleged they were possibly funding “illegal activity” after suggesting humans were being smuggled at temporary housing sites throughout the city. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now use funds from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program to build out “Alligator Alcatraz,” a Miami-area detention site for immigrants lacking permanent legal status and awaiting deportation. New York City currently houses upwards of 37,000 migrants across 170 sites, as reported by AP. The number decreased by 33,000 compared to last January, officials told the outlet. However, services provided at the hotel will be offered at different migrant shelter locations across the city, AP reported.

The Washington Post [6/24/2025 4:51 PM, Marie-Rose Sheinerman and Daniel Wu, 32099K] reports advocates filed a federal lawsuit to block a new Tennessee law that criminalizes harboring or providing shelter to undocumented immigrants days before the law takes effect. The Tennessee-based Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America filed the lawsuit Friday, joined by a Nashville landlord and a Mexican immigrant in the state. They allege that the law is unconstitutionally vague, oversteps federal authority to regulate immigration, and could place churches, landlords and immigrant communities in the state’s crosshairs. The law creates a new criminal offense in Tennessee for human smuggling, which it classifies as concealing, harboring or shielding people determined by Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be in the country illegally for financial gain. It is set to go into effect on July 1. The church also argued that the law infringes on the First Amendment freedoms of its members to express their faith by providing services to migrants. Tennessee state Sen. Brent Taylor (R) and state Rep. Chris Todd (R), who sponsored the bill, said it was aimed at stopping human trafficking, not prosecuting landlords or religious groups. Yahoo News [6/24/2025 6:56 PM, Tori Gessner, 59943K] reports a coalition of religious groups, a Tennessee landlord, and a Tennessee resident whose son-in-law is seeking asylum are suing over a new state law that makes providing shelter to an undocumented immigrant a crime. The Southeastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and the two individual plaintiffs, claim the law is unconstitutional and violates: the Fourteenth Amendment “because it is impermissibly vague”; the Supremacy Clause by letting Tennessee regulate immigration, which is a federal power; and the First Amendment by preventing churches from ministering to all people. “The state legislature passed this law, claiming it’s about public safety and it’s an effort to stop human smuggling. That is something that is really important, and it is happening in places, but this law does not actually address this problem at all,” Suchi Mathur, the senior litigation attorney at the American Immigration Council, said. The lawsuit claims the legislation is so vague that it’s unclear which immigrants it applies to, potentially making it illegal to provide shelter to those who entered the country illegally but now have legal status. However, Republican lawmakers argue the bill doesn’t go after churches, charitable organizations, or anyone else trying to provide help. Instead, it targets criminals who traffic people for financial gain. “Keep in mind, Mr. Speaker, most of these victims are children, they are human smuggled, and they are sold into sex slavery, and we ought to be doing everything we can to try to catch these kids before they are sold into sex slavery,” said Sen. Brent Taylor (R-Memphis). “If someone is harboring a child who is imminently going to be turned over to someone to be exploited as a prostitute, we ought to do everything we can to make sure those people are brought to justice.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

ABC News [6/24/2025 7:40 PM, Staff, 31733K] Video: HERE reports ICE agents claim the undocumented immigrant threatened them with a weed whacker.

Univision [6/24/2025 4:29 PM, Staff, 4992K] reports after the violent arrest of Narciso Barranco in Tustin by federal agents, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) justified the actions by claiming that the detainee was the first to attack the officers. “He attacked federal law enforcement with a weed whacker. Perhaps the media would like our officers to stand there waiting to get hurt instead of defending themselves?” the office said, via X. DHS Deputy Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that Barranco refused to comply with orders, resisted handcuffs, and refused to identify himself, as part of an attempt to detain him. They stated that the agents followed protocol and offered him medical assistance, which Barranco refused, so he is now in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Los Angeles, awaiting resolution of his situation. Following this action, the 48-year-old man was knocked to the ground and violently subdued by at least seven officers. Images went viral and sparked outrage not only among the detainee’s family but also throughout the Santa Ana community.

FOX News [6/25/2025 5:03 AM, Christina Shaw, 46878K] reports a video has now gone viral showing a landscaper in Santa Ana appearing to be panicking and swinging a weed whacker before being tackled by Border Patrol officers. The immigration enforcement officers in the video can be seen appearing to tackle and strike Narciso Barranco, a husband and father of three sons who are United States Marines, while he was doing his landscaping job outside an IHOP on Edinger and Ritchey in Santa Ana, CA. The video is sparking outrage as questions are being raised about the alleged use of force by agents and whether Barranco, who is undocumented, was allegedly trying to mow down officers attempting to detain him or simply trying to run away. Santa Ana Mayor Valerie Amezcua posted her reaction video on Instagram after seeing what she described as the "horrendous video." "Now, this gentleman is being arrested by ICE agents and all I have to tell you is that I am deeply upset the way they handled our community. The way they are handling our community. This arrest looked so unprofessional and just wrong in so many ways. They are not here to protect us and serve these agents right here are here to hurt us," Amezcua said. The Department of Homeland Security has accused the media of misportraying the incident, writing on X that the man was attempting to run away from law enforcement and allegedly began to swing the weed whacker directly at a border patrol agent’s face. "He ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER. Perhaps the mainstream media would like our officers to stand there and be mowed down instead of defending themselves? What a completely slanted portrayal of what actually happened," the post stated. In a statement to FOX 11, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin claims they took the appropriate steps. "The agents took appropriate action and following their training to use the minimum amount of force necessary to resolve the situation in a manner that prioritizes the safety of the public and our officers," the statement read. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

(B) NBC News Daily [6/24/2025 3:31 PM, Staff] reports that a family is demanding accountability after a man was violently detained by Border Patrol agents in California. A video taken by a bystander shows agents kneeling on the man and hitting him while he is on the ground. It happened on Saturday in Santa Ana. The Department of Homeland Security said he tried to assault agents with a weed whacker. DHS released a video showing the man running with a tool, however, it does not show an assault. A DHS spokesperson said this illegal alien ran and released a statement explaining that they used the minimum amount of force as the illegal alien refused to comply every step of the way.

Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 2:28 PM, William A. Galston, 646K] reports critics have rushed to judge President Trump’s decision to strike Iran’s main nuclear facilities, while supporters have been as quick to praise it, but an honest assessment of the situation raises as many questions as it answers. Assessing even the immediate effects of military actions is difficult—the notorious “fog of war” problem. In a speech Saturday, the president claimed the strike had “completely and totally obliterated” the nuclear facilities at Fordow, Isfahan, and Natanz. On Sunday, Pentagon officials said the sites had sustained “extremely severe damage,” leaving open the possibility that parts remained intact. In an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Vice President JD Vance managed to have it both ways, saying “we destroyed the Iranian nuclear program,” then retreating to the claim that the program had been set back “substantially.” A major uncertainty is the fate of the Fordow facility, much of which was built hundreds of feet under a mountain. We know that U.S. bombers dropped several 30,000-pound “bunker buster” bombs on this site, some of which hit at or close to a vulnerable point. Did the bombs reach Fordow’s underground caverns containing more than 1,000 centrifuges? Aerial inspection can’t give us the full answer. According to the New York Times, an initial assessment by the Israeli military found that the facility had sustained “serious damage” but wasn’t destroyed. We don’t know for sure. Nor do we know whether the Iranians had already removed enriched uranium from the site and dispersed it, as credible reports suggest. The attacks were intended to set back Iran’s nuclear program and convince the country’s leaders that their pursuit of nuclear weapons is futile. While it may have this effect, it could convince the regime that racing to build a bomb is its best hope of survival. The amount of enriched uranium that may have been transferred from Fordow to unknown facilities could be enough to build nuclear weapons if these facilities hold the equipment needed to transform it into weapons-grade material. We don’t know.

The Hill [6/24/2025 7:00 AM, Rudy Takala, 18649K] reports President Trump was born to win. It’s his brand and his personal reason for existing — a self-appointed destiny that has profoundly shaped America over the last decade in ways almost no one expected. For that reason, people notice when Trump veers away from the policies for which he is best known. That happened recently when he spoke to reporters at the White House, where he told them he was worried that farmers and companies in the hospitality industry (think Hilton and Marriott) might soon be forced to hire American workers instead of black market labor. "We’re going to have an order on that pretty soon, I think," Trump said. "We can’t do that to our farmers, and leisure too. Hotels. We’re going to have to use a lot of common sense on that." He followed up with a message on Truth Social, writing, in part, "Changes are coming!". Conservative reactions ran the gamut from bewildered to angry. "Employers who knowingly rely on illegal immigrant labor should be in prison," Matt Walsh wrote on X. "Instead we’re going to back off of immigration enforcement for their sake? Hell no. We can’t tolerate this." Politicians who lean left on immigration were quick to claim it as a victory. "MAJOR WIN: Trump just reversed course on immigration," California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) opined, telling his followers it "happened because you spoke up." On the other side of the political aisle, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) invoked the statement in the middle of a combative exchange over immigration, writing on X, "Notice the wording. He doesn’t support deporting illegal immigrants." Massie was throwing this back in the face of Trump supporters, who had made the same accusation against him days earlier. Uproar aside, it bears noting that Trump has made similar comments before. In light of poll numbers released earlier this month, it is puzzling why Trump considered moving to the left on immigration at all. A CBS News poll released on June 9 found that 54 percent of U.S. adults approved of the administration’s deportation efforts compared to 46 percent who disapproved. An InsiderAdvantage survey of likely voters released June 10 found voters approved of his move to quash rioters in Los Angeles — with 59 percent expressing approval compared to 39 percent who disapproved. Not all polls agree on these numbers, but it is safe to say that they numbers have contributed to Democrats’ downward spiraling fortunes. A Quinnipiac University survey released on June 11 found just 21 percent of registered voters approved of the performance of Democrats in Congress — next to a full 70 percent who disapproved. And that survey was conducted before federal agents tackled Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) — unceremoniously dragging him away from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The Hill [6/24/2025 8:30 AM, Kimberly Wehle, 18649K] reports the Trump administration’s draconian immigration enforcement actions are raising the specter of American autocracy, prompting many to ask — perhaps for the first time — how the U.S. could possibly have gotten here. Videos of masked ICE agents in street clothes accosting unsuspecting people in public places, or smashing car windows and dragging people into unmarked vehicles, are all over the internet and social media. The behavior of ICE agents is also revealing glaring blind spots in the law, which has long been premised on the assumption that government officials mostly act in good faith, prompting the widespread question: Can they legally do that? Rather astonishingly, the answer is — for the most part — yes, they can. ICE’s heavy-handed tactics are even being used against people once presumed to be immune from raw police brutality: elected officials. On June 18, New York City Comptroller and Democratic mayoral candidate Brad Lerner was arrested in a hallway outside federal immigration court, his demands to see a judicial warrant ignored. On June 12, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) was forcibly thrown to the floor, handcuffed and removed during a press conference by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem while clearly identifying himself and shouting, "I have questions for the secretary!" In May, masked agents arrested Ras Baraka, the mayor of Newark, New Jersey. In April, Milwaukee Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested by the FBI and later indicted on federal charges of obstruction and "concealing an individual to prevent his discovery and arrest" in connection with an ICE enforcement action involving her courtroom. While ICE agents are refusing to identify themselves, produce warrants or show their faces while snatching people off the street, President Trump declared on Truth Social that "from now on MASKS WILL NOT BE ALLOWED at protests," directing law enforcement to "ARREST THE PEOPLE IN FACE MASKS, NOW!". One set of rules for law enforcement, another one for regular people. Where, oh where are the First Amendment’s guarantees of free speech, which includes the freedom to remain anonymous? What about the Fourth Amendment’s requirement for warrants and its ban on unreasonable searches and seizures, including the seizure of one’s "person" by virtue of a detention or arrest?

CBS Miami [6/24/2025 8:06 PM, Camilo Montoya-Galvez, 51860K] Video: HERE reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is holding around 59,000 detainees in facilities across the country, likely setting a record high as the Trump administration aggressively expands nationwide immigration arrests, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. On Monday, June 23, ICE’s detention level was — on paper at least — at over 140% capacity, since Congress last allocated 41,500 detainee beds for the agency, the figures show. The federal statistics show nearly half — or 47% — of those currently detained by ICE lack a criminal record and fewer than 30% have been convicted of crimes, a sign of the widening scope of President Trump’s escalating crackdown on illegal immigration. On the campaign trail, Mr. Trump vowed to expel dangerous criminal migrants, though top officials in his administration have said no one in the U.S. illegally will be immune from deportation. ICE can detain immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally — as well as foreigners whose legal status is under review for potential revocation, including in cases involving criminal offenses — while the agency attempts to deport them. As the agency spearheading federal efforts to carry out Mr. Trump’s promised mass deportation campaign, ICE has garnered national headlines in recent weeks, as its operations have become more visible, expansive and, in the eyes of critics, aggressive. High-profile ICE operations at workplaces and other locations in the Los Angeles area earlier this month triggered large-scale protests, including some instances of violence, which Mr. Trump cited to activate National Guard troops and U.S. Marines to protect federal property and officers. Internal agency figures show ICE has averaged around 1,200 daily arrests so far in June, with arrests surpassing 2,000 on two days. That’s nearly double the 660 daily arrest average during the first 100 days of President Trump’s second administration, but it’s still far below the 3,000 arrests top White House adviser Stephen Miller has said ICE should conduct every day. The 59,000 detainee population tops the previous peak in 2019, when the first Trump administration held as many as 55,000 immigrants in ICE detention, according to agency data compiled by researchers at Syracuse University. Historical data gathered by the Marshall Project suggests the 59,000 figure is the highest in the history of U.S. immigration detention. Two former senior ICE officials said they had never seen the agency holding that many detainees. Recently, Florida state officials offered to build several immigration detention sites to support the Trump administration, including one in the Everglades dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Florida would receive federal funds to set up those facilities.

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 4:37 PM, Emily Hallas, 1934K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained a record number of illegal immigrants as the Trump administration expands its deportation effort. At the direction of President Donald Trump, ICE initially prioritized detention of those in the country illegally who were suspected of committing heinous crimes such as rape, murder, and sex trafficking. However, federal agents have expanded their gaze beyond such targets in recent weeks to arrest those without legal status working in industries heavily reliant on migrant labor. ICE’s expanded raids are reflected in the latest internal government data, obtained by CBS News, which shows that arrests have reached a historic high under Trump’s second term, with 59,000 detainees held in facilities across the country, breaking the record of 55,000 set under his first term. The statistics indicate that nearly half of those currently detained by ICE lack a criminal record. The data follows hard-liners in the Trump administration, including White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller, who has pushed ICE to more than triple the number of daily arrests. Local jails holding ICE detainees across the country have struggled to keep up with the arrests, as federal data shows ICE’s detention level is at over 140% capacity, per CBS. Nationwide, ICE detentions have surged by roughly 25% since Trump took office in January, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Washington Post [6/24/2025 7:05 AM, Jaclyn Peiser, Julian Mark, Aaron Gregg, and Taylor Telford, 32099K] reports Lupe Lopez’s Latino market in Newark, California, has been a shopping and social hub for decades — until recently. Now the aisles are often quiet, the parking lot near empty, she said. Neighboring businesses are no different, she added: Restaurants, party and clothing stores, and even the big-box retailers seem to be emptier since the Trump administration ramped up its mass deportation campaign, raiding businesses across industries and targeting day workers in retail parking lots. “The fear is felt in every aspect — no one is doing a party, no one is going anywhere,” the 68-year-old said of her customers. “The shelves are just untouched.” From California grocery stores to chicken chains in suburban D.C., businesses that serve large immigrant populations are reporting shifts in consumer behavior — fewer in-store visits, lower receipts and more delivery orders — that threaten to drag down local economies, according to interviews with business owners, as well as spending data. As part of the promised crackdown on illegal immigration that helped propel President Donald Trump to victory in 2024, the White House is pushing to expel at least 1 million undocumented immigrants in the first year. As such, federal immigration authorities have increasingly raided workplaces across the country — triggering protests in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta and other cities — and conducting about 2,000 arrests a day, Trump border czar Tom Homan told The Washington Post last week. Lopez says deportation fears are affecting who comes into her stores, noting that some of her undocumented customers are sending their U.S.-born children to pick up groceries. Even those here legally are afraid to be out during the day, she added, and many people carry their passport with them in case they are stopped. “If this doesn’t stop, I feel it’s going to break our economy.” Trump’s deportation campaign is playing out in urban centers across the nation’s interior: ICE has been conducting raids at hotels and restaurants, farms and packing houses, car washes and retailers’ parking lots. “There will be no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals or purposely try to undermine ICE’s efforts,” Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the DHS, said last week. “Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability.”

(B) NBC News Daily [6/24/2025 12:23 PM, Staff] reports that the wife of a Marine was recently separated from her family at a green card interview. The couple shares a two-year-old and three-month-old daughter. He said his wife came to the US from Mexico and he said she was detained because of a deportation order issued in 2018. The Department of Homeland Security said she is in the country illegally and President Trump and Secretary Noem are not going to ignore the rule of law.

AP [6/24/2025 5:20 PM, Staff, 56000K] reports a coalition of immigrant rights, faith and pro-democracy organizations presented a letter with 12,000 signatures Tuesday to the National Sheriffs’ Association Conference in Florida, urging them to protect public safety rather than work with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The letter urges sheriffs agencies to refrain from immigration-related issues, and stay away from what the organizers consider as the dangers of President Donald Trump’s “anti-immigrant rhetoric and harmful immigration agenda.”

Blaze [6/24/2025 7:35 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1805K] reports House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and two other Republicans signed a letter to an immigrant rights nonprofit asking for information linking them to the Los Angeles ICE riots. Protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Los Angeles spiraled into days of violence and vandalism and led to National Guard and U.S. Marine troops being sent out to provide security. In the wake of the rioting, some independent investigators began to link the rioting with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, a nonprofit organization closely aligned with Democrats. On Tuesday, House Republicans sent a letter to CHIRLA requesting information documenting where the money was spent in order to determine whether taxpayer funds had been used to fuel the violent riots, according to the New York Post. The letter said that CHIRLA had received nearly $1 million in taxpayer-funded grants during the Biden-Harris administration. "This raises concerns that CHIRLA may be using federal funds to support violent criminal activity that impedes the enforcement of federal immigration law," the letter reads. "As part of our constitutional oversight responsibilities, we request your voluntary cooperation with our oversight of this matter.” A spokesperson for CHIRLA had previously admitted that the group had organized a press event against ICE ahead of the protests, and had organized "legal observers" to immigration courts and detention centers, but denied any involvement in the protests."We have not participated, coordinated, or been part of the protests being registered in Los Angeles other than the press conference and rally cited above," the spokesperson said.

New York Post [6/24/2025 10:14 AM, Jennie Taer, 49956K] reports Immigration agents nabbed a violent illegal migrant who was hiding in the sanctuary state of Connecticut after he allegedly beat a Mexican police officer to death. Orlando Diaz-Cebada, who is a member of the Los Pochos gang, which traffics drugs for the Sinaloa Cartel, had been deported from the US twice after crossing the border illegally, the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday. "Thanks to our brave ICE law enforcement and federal partners, this criminal illegal alien fugitive wanted for murdering a law enforcement official in Mexico is off America’s streets. This heinous murderer attempted to evade justice by hiding out in Connecticut," said Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "These are the types of barbaric criminal illegal aliens our brave ICE law enforcement risks their lives every day to arrest. America is no longer a safe haven for violent criminals. If you are a criminal illegal alien considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it. If you come here and break our laws, we will hunt you down. Criminals are not welcome in the United States," she added.

New York Times [6/24/2025 5:20 PM, Luis Ferré-Sadurní, 153395K] reports two weeks after President Trump returned to power, the Republican leaders of Nassau County on Long Island vowed to help him with his immigration crackdown. They were among the first local government leaders in the United States to announce a partnership between their Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency to conduct immigration arrests during Mr. Trump’s second term. Across the nation, hundreds of other police agencies forged similar agreements, jump-starting a crucial part of Mr. Trump’s agenda: enlisting local law enforcement to boost deportations. On Tuesday, the New York Civil Liberties Union sued Nassau County and its Police Department, arguing that the partnership was unlawful. The lawsuit, the first of its kind in New York State, says that the agreement between the county and the federal government violates state law, undermines protections against unreasonable searches and seizures, and promotes racial profiling. If successful, the suit could threaten similar or future agreements in New York. Two other counties that lean conservative — Broome and Niagara — signed partnerships with ICE this year, joining Rensselaer County, which has had a pact with federal immigration authorities since 2018. “It’s a recipe for racial and ethnic profiling,” said Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union. “It’s a devastating attack on fundamental rights for the Police Department in Nassau County to be behaving like ICE.” Chris Boyle, a spokesman for Bruce Blakeman, the Republican county executive and Trump ally who unveiled the partnership in February, said on Tuesday that Mr. Blakeman “is confident that all measures taken to protect communities in Nassau County are legal and properly authorized.” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency of ICE, cast the lawsuit against the partnership — which is known as a 287(g) agreement — as “baseless.” “Allegations that 287(g) agreements with local law enforcement encourage ‘racial profiling’ are disgusting and categorically FALSE,” she said in a statement. “Our 287(g) partners work with us to enforce federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice, and they should be commended for doing so.” The suit comes as Long Island, where immigrants account for about one-fifth of the population, has experienced a visible increase in ICE activity in recent weeks. Immigration activists say they have compiled reports of ICE officers detaining people at supermarkets, delis, home improvement stores, parking lots and food pantries.

AP [6/25/2025 12:08 AM, Mike Catalini, 31733K] reports U.S. Rep. LaMonica McIver is set to be arraigned on federal charges Wednesday, accused of assaulting and interfering with immigration officers outside a New Jersey detention center during a congressional oversight visit at the facility. She has said she plans to fight the charges. McIver, a Democrat, was charged in a complaint by interim U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, a Republican appointed by President Donald Trump, following the May 9 visit to Newark’s Delaney Hall, a privately owned, 1,000-bed facility that Immigration and Customs Enforcement uses as a detention center. This month she was indicted on three counts of assaulting, resisting, impeding and interfering with federal officials. Habba said two counts carry a maximum sentence of up to eight years in prison. The third has a maximum of one year. McIver’s lawyer, former U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Paul Fishman, said in a statement that she would challenge the allegations "head-on" in court. The indictment is the latest development in a legal-political drama that has seen the Trump administration take Democratic officials from New Jersey’s largest city to court amid the president’s ongoing immigration crackdown and Democrats’ efforts to respond. The prosecution is a rare federal criminal case against a sitting member of Congress for allegations other than fraud or corruption. During the same visit to the detention center, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka was arrested on a trespassing charge that was later dropped. Baraka is suing Habba over what he called a malicious prosecution. A nearly two-minute video clip released by the Homeland Security Department shows McIver at the facility inside a chain-link fence just before Baraka’s arrest on other side of the barrier, where other people were protesting. McIver and uniformed officials go through the gate, and she joins others shouting that they should circle the mayor. The video shows McIver in a tightly packed group of people and officers. At one point her left elbow and then her right elbow push into an officer wearing a dark face covering and an olive green uniform emblazoned with the word "Police.” It is not clear from police bodycam video if the contact was intentional, incidental or the result of jostling in the chaotic scene. The complaint alleges that she "slammed" her forearm into an agent and then tried to restrain the agent by grabbing him.

Telemundo Amarillo [6/24/2025 4:08 PM, Staff, 4K] reports a La Grange man in eastern North Carolina is now being held in an ICE detention center after being involved in a high-speed police chase in Craven County, according to authorities. Jesús Magaña Contreras now faces charges of being a dangerous driver, driving with a revoked driver’s license, driving 95 mph in a 70 mph zone, resisting arrest, and felony speeding. He then got out of his car and tried to run away before being arrested, authorities said. Due to his immigration status, agents said he was taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). There were no injuries and no other vehicles were damaged, according to authorities.

(B) Today [6/24/2025 8:56 AM, Staff] reports Bowling Green graduate Ernesto Manuel-Andres was detained by ICE earlier this month. The Department of Homeland Security has now appealed this bond. Manuel-Andres was arrested while immigration officials were searching for someone else. Manuel-Andres has special immigrant juvenile status and deferred action. At a hearing Monday, a judge set his bond at $1500, however, DHS has exercised its right to appeal, halting the bond process for now.

NPR [6/24/2025 3:17 PM, Leila Fadel, Obed Manuel, 37958K] Audio: HERE reports the arrest of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara in Georgia earlier this month highlights the risks journalists who are not citizens face under a Trump administration aggressively pursuing mass deportations. Guevara is currently in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody after he live streamed his own arrest by local law enforcement for alleged unlawful assembly and obstruction of officers on June 14 while covering a "No Kings" protest in DeKalb County. In a statement to NPR, the Department of Homeland Security said Guevara was not detained because he is a journalist. DHS said Guevara entered the country illegally in 2004 and urged him to "self deport." His attorney, Giovanni Diaz, disputes that and told NPR that Guevara entered the U.S. legally on a tourist visa and has valid work authorization. Guevara also has a pending application for adjustment of status, which could result in him obtaining permanent residency.

Chicago Tribune [6/24/2025 12:21 PM, Alice Yin, 3987K] reports after first asserting it did not turn over personal information about city workers to U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Law Department is now hedging on how exactly the administration responded to a federal subpoena for employment eligibility forms. Johnson Corporation Counsel Mary Richardson-Lowry told reporters last week the city’s response to an ICE subpoena for the forms of Streets and Sanitation employees that determine whether they can legally work in the U.S. contained no personal information about those workers. But on Monday, a Law Department spokesperson declined to go that far when the Tribune asked about what documents ICE did receive and what information they contain. "The City’s communications with the Department of Homeland Security regarding the subpoena issued to the Department of Streets and Sanitation are still ongoing," Kristen Cabanban said in a statement. "Moreover, these communications contain privileged and confidential information. As such, we cannot and will not comment on the specific nature or contents of those communications." The latest explanation from the Law Department comes after it denied the Tribune’s Freedom of Information Act request last week for records of the correspondence and documents the city has sent to ICE. Because the city rejected the Tribune’s request in its entirety — and didn’t simply redact any private data in its response — it remains unclear exactly what information the city provided to ICE.

NewsNation [6/24/2025 7:23 AM, Eli Ong, 5801K] reports a woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a car that drove through a crowd of anti-ICE protesters in Chicago. According to the Chicago Police Department, 30-year-old Dierdre Kemp was charged with one felony count each of aggressive reckless driving/bodily harm and aggravated fleeing/bodily injury, one misdemeanor count of driving on a suspended license and one citation each of operating an uninsured motor vehicle and involuntary committed obedience to police officers. Kemp turned herself in to police on June 19 and was placed under arrested and later charged.

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 11:42 AM, Emily Hallas, 1934K] reports Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, the Mexican national for whom a Wisconsin judge was arrested after allegedly helping him escape from immigration authorities, accepted a plea deal, conceding he illegally entered the United States and agreeing to be deported after he completes a prison sentence. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April by the FBI over allegations she helped Ruiz, an illegal immigrant, and his lawyer out of her courtroom through a back jury door after learning that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were in the courthouse to arrest Ruiz. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in May and faces two charges with a maximum penalty of six years in prison and a $350,000 fine. Ruiz was swiftly detained by ICE despite Dugan’s alleged efforts and signed a plea deal on June 20, admitting he returned to the United States illegally after initially being deported in January 2013. Ruiz stated he "knowingly and voluntarily agrees to be deported and removed from the United States following the completion of any term of imprisonment." He faces a maximum penalty of two years of prison, up to a $250,000 fine, and up to one year of supervised release, according to the agreement, which was made public on Monday.

Houston Chronicle [6/24/2025 7:00 AM, Matt deGrood and Sam González Kelly, 1982K] reports Houston police called federal immigration agents on a woman who dialed 911 to report domestic abuse by her ex-husband in April, newly released records show. The woman, an immigrant from El Salvador who has lived in Houston for seven years, had a removal order stemming from the denial of her asylum claim. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents declined to pick her up because they said there was no one to take custody of her children, according to a copy of the police report obtained by the Houston Chronicle through a public records request. The woman hasn’t yet been taken into federal custody, but victims’ advocates said the incident is a worst-case scenario for those worried about the worsening state of domestic violence in the region and the likelihood that women will avoid reporting problems to law enforcement. "Anecdotally, we know there’s a huge fear in the immigrant community about reporting any type of incident to law enforcement because of the fear of being deported," said Amy Smith, deputy director at the Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. An HPD spokesperson defended the officer’s actions, saying he was simply following protocol. "An officer responding to an assault call conducted a routine criminal history check on the reportee and discovered she had an active ICE warrant," the department spokesperson said. "As with any law enforcement warrant, the officer is required to notify the appropriate agency. The officer continued to assist the reportee professionally, providing her with victim support resources and maintaining a high level of service.”

NewsNation [6/24/2025 11:48 AM, David Barer, 5801K] reports that Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has signed Senate Bill 8 into law, mandating the majority of Texas sheriff’s offices participate in a program that gives them federal immigration enforcement authority. Under the 287(g) program – named for the section of government code that created it – law enforcement officers are trained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to identify and detain immigrants in the country illegally. The partnerships are meant to expand the reach of ICE and aid the federal government’s immigration efforts. Counties running jails or contracting with private vendors to operate jails will be required to seek 287(g) agreements. Nationally, the number of law enforcement agencies participating in the program has skyrocketed since President Donald Trump began his second term this year. On June 23, federal data showed over 700 agreements across the country and nearly 60 more pending. Florida previously passed its own law requiring certain agencies to participate in the 287(g) program, and it leads the country with 285 agreements. Texas has 100 agreements, the second most of any state, according to mid-June data from ICE. The bill takes effect Jan. 1, 2026.

Telemundo 48 El Paso [6/24/2025 4:26 PM, Staff, 9K] reports Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed SB8 into law, which establishes agreements between sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the enforcement of federal immigration law. According to SB8, it requires sheriffs in counties with jails to enter into agreements with ICE under Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, or similar programs, so they can enforce federal immigration law. The measure requires sheriffs to request and sign agreements with ICE. If they fail to sign an agreement, they must retry at least once a year. The agreements must specify the scope, duration, and limitations of the authority granted. Sheriffs must also allocate the necessary resources to implement the agreements. The measure also establishes a grant program administered by the comptroller to assist sheriffs with implementation costs. Funds can be used for salaries, equipment, training, inmate confinement, and other purposes. The measure takes effect on January 1, 2026. Sheriffs must comply with the law by December 1, 2026.

NBC News [6/24/2025 7:20 PM, Nicole Acevedo, 44540K] reports scared, alone and heartbroken: that’s how 19-year-old Caroline Dias Goncalves said she felt the two weeks she spent in a detention center in Colorado after immigration authorities arrested her following a traffic stop. “The past 15 days have been the hardest of my life," Dias Goncalves, who is a student at the University of Utah, said in her first statement since being released on bond over the weekend. Born in Brazil and raised in Utah since she was 7 years old, Dias Goncalves is one of nearly 2.5 million Dreamers living in the United States. Her detention gained attention after questions were raised over how Immigration and Customs Enforcement became aware of Dias Goncalves’ location and immigration status quickly after a sheriff’s deputy stopped her in Colorado, a state with laws restricting coordination between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. According to Dias Goncalves’ statement, one ICE officer who detained her "kept apologizing" and told her he wanted to let her go, "but his ‘hands were tied.’ There was nothing he could do, even though he knew it wasn’t right," she wrote. According to Dias Goncalves, while in detention, "we were given soggy, wet food — even the bread would come wet. We were kept on confusing schedules," she said in her statement. "I was scared and felt alone. I was placed in a system that treated me like I didn’t matter." But that changed when officers at the detention center realized she spoke English, according to Dias Goncalves. "Suddenly, I was treated better than others." In an email to NBC News Tuesday, Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, denied claims that people in detention are treated differently because of the language they speak. "ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously," McLaughlin said, adding that ICE facilities are "regularly audited and inspected by external agencies" to ensure they comply with "national detention standards.” Relatives of Dias Goncalves previously told The Salt Lake Tribune she arrived in the U.S. as a child with her family on a tourist visa, which they overstayed. Finding a way to remain in the country legally, Dias Goncalves applied for asylum. That case remains pending. In her response to NBC News, McLaughlin said that the visa Dias Goncalves had come in with had expired over a decade ago. McLaughlin added that President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem are “committed to restoring integrity to the visa program and ensuring it is not abused to allow aliens a permanent one-way ticket to remain in the U.S.”

Los Angeles Times [6/24/2025 8:16 PM, Rachel Uranga, 14672K] reports as Los Angeles became the epicenter of President Trump’s crackdown on undocumented immigrants, Department of Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem flew to the city and held a news conference, saying the government’s objective was to "bring in criminals that have been out on our street far too long.” But data from the days leading up to that June 12 appearance suggests a majority of those who were arrested were not convicted criminals. Most were working age men, nearly half Mexican. From June 1 to June 10, Immigration and Customs Enforcement data show that early in the crackdown 722 were arrested in the Los Angeles region. The figures were obtained by the Deportation Data Project, a repository of enforcement data at UC Berkeley Law. A Times analysis found that 69% of those arrested during that period had no criminal conviction and 58% had never been charged with a crime. The median age of someone arrested was 38 years old and that person was likely to be a man. Nearly 48% were Mexican, 16% were from Guatemala and 8% from El Salvador. "They’re not going after drug kingpins, they’re chasing hardworking people through swap meets and Home Depot parking lots," said Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass told The Times. "You can see the impact of these random raids everywhere in our city — families are scared to go eat at restaurants, kids are scared their parents aren’t going to return from the store — the fear is there because they’ve seen videos of people being shoved into unmarked vans by masked men refusing to identify themselves.” While the Trump administration has been pounding the point that they are targeting the "worst of the worst," several data sets released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent days show that percentage of people picked up without a criminal conviction is growing as sweeps become the norm in Los Angeles. Department of Homeland Security officials say the efforts are targeted. "DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability."

Los Angeles Times [6/24/2025 6:00 AM, Nathan Solis and Richard Winton, 14672K] reports increasingly aggressive immigration raids carried out by masked federal agents, sometimes using unmarked vehicles, are creating problems for local law enforcement agencies. Police have little or no insight into where the federal enforcement actions are taking place but often have to deal with the aftermath, including protests and questions from residents about what exactly happened. In some cases, local cops have been mistaken for federal agents, eroding years of work to have immigrant communities trust the police. In Bell, chaos erupted when masked men arrived at a car wash and began detaining its workers, sparking a confrontation with residents and immigration rights advocates before they were forced to hastily drive over curbs and street islands to escape. In Pasadena last week, a man stepped out of his unmarked vehicle at an intersection, unholstered his pistol and aimed it at a group of pedestrians before returning to his car, turning on its red and blue emergency lights and speeding off. Video of the incident went viral. That incident left the police chief of Pasadena resigned to figure out whether it was a crime or part of a federal raid. "There’s no way for us to verify," Police Chief Gene Harris said. The department reviewed surveillance footage and other video and saw the credentials on the man’s uniform, according to the chief. "We were able to determine that to the best of our estimation he was an ICE agent. ... We will not look into it any deeper than that," he said.

Los Angeles Times [6/24/2025 6:00 AM, Clara Harter, 14672K] reports National Guard troops that were mobilized to help respond to immigration protests in Los Angeles were then sent more than 100 miles away to protect federal agents enforcing immigration laws on marijuana farms in the Coachella Valley, according to court documents filed by the Trump administration Monday. Around 315 National Guard troops assisted the Drug Enforcement Agency in executing a federal search warrant Wednesday on suspected illegal marijuana farms in Thermal, a desert community around 25 miles southeast of Palm Springs, according to a DEA spokesperson. During the operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested between 70 and 75 workers on suspicion of lacking documentation, the spokesperson said. One U.S. citizen was arrested on suspicion of impeding law enforcement. The use of the National Guard in this operation has become a new sticking point in the ongoing legal battle between Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump over whether the president has the authority to command some 4,000 National Guard members to quell unrest in L.A.

Reported similarly:
Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 5:47 PM, Barnini Chakraborty, 1934K]

Los Angeles Times [6/25/2025 12:03 AM, Clara Harter and Jaweed Kaleem, 14672K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents entered UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Westwood on Tuesday afternoon to seek emergency care for a detainee, drawing a crowd of protesters concerned about the agents’ presence, university officials said. Two ICE officers brought a detainee into the emergency room for treatment, Steve Lurie, UCLA associate vice chancellor for campus and community safety, told The Times. The patient’s medical evaluation did not require them to be admitted to the hospital, and they were later discharged into ICE custody. No information was available about the patient’s health. “Despite reports on social media, there is no ICE operation happening at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center,” said UCLA Health in a statement. Hospital staff called UCLA police officers to the building to verify the federal agents’ identity. Officers checked the agents’ credentials and confirmed they were with ICE, Lurie said. A crowd of around 50 people gathered outside the hospital Tuesday afternoon in response to reports of ICE’s presence, underscoring the heightened level of community tension around ongoing immigration actions in the Los Angeles area.

CBS News [6/24/2025 9:31 PM, Adam Yamaguchi, Elizabeth Mendez, Elli Fitzgerald, 51860K] reports that, as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stepped up raids across Los Angeles in recent weeks, Julie Ear and her family made a difficult drive to Tijuana International Airport just south of the U.S.-Mexico border. Ear’s mother, Regina Higuera, had lived in the United States for 36 years. But on this particular morning in early June, she left her home, her children and grandchildren — all of whom are U.S. citizens — and headed back to her birthplace in Mexico. "When the ICE raids started picking up on other states, we knew that we were going to get hit eventually," Ear told CBS News. "Nobody’s safe.” Since President Trump began his second term, ICE has arrested more than 100,000 people as of early June, according to internal government data obtained by CBS News. The Trump administration has also encouraged undocumented migrants to self-deport. Last month, it announced it would offer free airline tickets and a $1,000 incentive to some migrants who chose to leave the U.S. and return to their home countries on their own accord. Ear said her mother chose to self-deport because "she wanted to make sure that she was in control of her life.” "She didn’t like the uncertainty of somebody coming into her house, or her job, or being pulled over, and just telling her, ‘Oh, now you’re in Mexico,’" Ear said of her mother. Higuera had crossed into the U.S. illegally when she was only 15 and went straight to work in Los Angeles’ garment factories, Ear said. She had intended to stay for just a period of time, earn enough money and then return to Mexico. But then she met her husband and started a family. "She’s been contributing to the economy, paying taxes every year," Ear said. "There’s no benefit for being undocumented, they don’t get benefits. She’s not going to get a pension. She doesn’t have a 401(k). She never got food stamps. She didn’t get welfare. People want to come here to work. And, you know, it’s not illegal to want to work.” [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [6/24/2025 3:49 PM, Aria Bendix, Erin McLaughlin and Emily Berk, 44540K] reports a week before they are due to start work at U.S. hospitals, hundreds of doctors from abroad are still waiting to obtain visas granting them temporary stays in the country. Many of them have been in limbo since late May, when the State Department suspended applications for J-1 visas, which allow people to come to the U.S. for exchange visitor programs. The visas are the most common way for international doctors to attend residencies in the U.S., which provide medical graduates with training in a given specialty. The State Department announced last week that embassies or consulates could resume visa interviews but that applicants would be required to make their social media accounts public. However, many doctors still haven’t been able to schedule visa appointments because their embassies haven’t reopened slots, according to Project IMG, a networking and support group for international medical students and graduates. Others have been told at visa appointments over the last several days that their applications require additional vetting. Still others have been denied visas because they are originally from countries listed on the Trump administration’s recent travel ban. The administration this month partially restricted visas for people from seven countries and fully suspended visas for an additional 12 countries.

Reuters [6/24/2025 12:50 PM, Miguel Gomes and Colleen Goko, 51390K] reports the top U.S. diplomat for Africa on Tuesday dismissed allegations of unfair U.S. trade practices and said that funding delays would not derail a key railway project connecting Angola, Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. African Union officials on Monday questioned how Africa could deepen trade ties with the United States under what they called "abusive" tariff proposals and tightening visa conditions largely targeting travellers from Africa. "There is no visitation ban," Ambassador Troy Fitrell said during a press conference at the U.S.-Africa Business Summit in Luanda. He said that U.S. consulates continue issuing visas regularly, although some now come with shorter validity periods due to concerns over overstays. Several African business and political leaders have raised concerns about a sharp drop in visa approvals, particularly for travellers from West Africa, since late 2023. Washington’s tariff plans have also added to cooling diplomatic ties with African countries, as some economies — including Lesotho and Madagascar — warned that even a baseline 10% levy could threaten critical exports such as apparel and minerals. But Fitrell said that the proposed U.S. import tariffs were not yet implemented, and negotiations were ongoing to create a more reciprocal trading environment, including through the renewal of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). The initiative grants qualifying African nations duty-free access to the U.S. market and is due to expire in September.

Houston Chronicle [6/24/2025 7:00 AM, Alexia Partouche, 1982K] reports immigrants without legal status who have been victims of crimes may be eligible for U visas, a form of immigration relief designed to protect immigrants who come forward about criminal activity and cooperate with law enforcement. The U visas process isn’t guaranteed and can take years. Here’s what you need to know about them. A U nonimmigrant status, or U visa, is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered abuse and can be helpful in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. U visas are not permanent. Once granted, a U visa is valid for four years, with the possibility of extension under certain circumstances, according to Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The Hill [6/24/2025 6:00 AM, Miranda Nazzaro, 18649K] reports the Trump administration is increasingly turning to social media as a national security tool to vet immigrants, stoking concerns the move could have a chilling effect on political speech in the U.S. The State Department announced last week it is restarting interviews and processing foreign student visas, and applicants will now be required to make their social media accounts public for vetting or face potential denial. The agency said it is looking for those "who pose a threat to U.S. national security," but critics say the criteria is broad and blurs the line between national surveillance and public expression, especially on private social media accounts. "This is new, it’s unprecedented," said Greg Nojeim, the senior counsel and director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "It’s never before been the case that a person who had set their social media account to private would have to set it to public in order to be admitted to the United States," he said. The U.S. government has expanded its monitoring of social media over the past decade, but the Trump administration’s latest focus on student visas marks a new escalation of this practice. Social media checks have "become more pervasive and ideologically driven over time," the think tank Brennan Center for Justice wrote in a report this year. Under guidance announced last week, consular officers will conduct a "comprehensive and thorough vetting," including of the online presence of all student and exchange visitor applicants, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill last week. Similar processes are also unfolding at other agencies like the Department of Homeland Security, where the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services are surveying immigrants’ social media for antisemitic activity. When pressed over the backlash, a State Department spokesperson said a "U.S. visa is a privilege, not a right.”

NBC News [6/25/2025 5:01 AM, Andrew Greif and Olympia Sonnier, 44540K] reports when Khaman Maluach’s freshman season at Duke University ended in April, the biggest question about the 7-foot-2 big man’s ability to play in the NBA had nothing to do with his shooting, size or skill. It had everything to do with his passport. His enormous wingspan and potential made Maluach, who was born in South Sudan and raised in Uganda, the youngest player at last summer’s Paris Olympics, playing for the South Sudanese national team while sharing the court with U.S. stars such as Kevin Durant and Bam Adebayo. Months later, after an all-conference season at Duke, there appeared little keeping him with nimble feet and shot-blocking prowess from the NBA. Yet on April 5, hours before the Blue Devils lost in the national semifinals of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament and nearly three months before the NBA draft, that future appeared in flux. All visas held by South Sudanese passport holders were being revoked, the State Department announced. Questions immediately arose about whether Maluach would be eligible to be selected. But thanks to a little-known division of the NBA few have heard of, he’s set to walk across the Barclays Center stage in Brooklyn, New York, on Wednesday night. “People always ask me: ‘What do you do at the NBA? What do international basketball operations do?’” Troy Justice, the NBA’s senior vice president and head of international basketball, said in an interview. “And we say we make dreams come true. We give people an opportunity that wouldn’t have it otherwise.” By 14, Maluach had earned a spot in a Senegal-based academy operated by the NBA, whose feeder program eventually placed him on rosters in the NBA’s Basketball Africa League, playing for teams based in South Sudan, Senegal and Uganda. As he improved, the NBA continued to open more doors, from participating in Basketball Without Borders camps, where he won most valuable player, to in front of NBA scouts at the league’s annual minor-league showcase and later at a showcase during its All-Star weekend last year. At each stop, the NBA’s international operations team worked to smooth his travel from one country to the next, just as it does with all of its international players. That work continued this spring after the State Department’s action against South Sudan, as Maluach stayed in the United States to train ahead of the draft. “We’ve been on this journey ... with Khaman since age 14, and we’re going to continue on this journey with him through the rest of his career, and we’ll continue on this journey with him post his career,” Justice said. “These are lifelong commitments that we make to all of our international players.”

Houston Chronicle [6/24/2025 6:42 PM, Samantha Ketterer, 1982K] reports Houston-area higher education institutions are navigating murky compliance issues after a federal judge blocked the Texas Dream Act and the state directed schools to identify and increase the tuition of students who are "not lawfully present.” Texas Commissioner of Higher Education Wynn Rosser told college and university presidents that they "must" reclassify the students as non-residents, according to a June 18 letter first reported by the Texas Tribune. Students who live in Texas but lack legal U.S. residency were eligible for in-state tuition under the Texas Dream Act, a 24-year-old law which was suddenly placed under an injunction following a legal challenge by the Trump administration this month. Higher education officials have typically relied on estimates to determine the number of college students without legal residency, because institutions do not require students to disclose their immigration status in the admissions process. One estimate places the figure around 57,000 students in Texas, and it’s unclear whether schools have a uniform mechanism to pinpoint those individuals. Rosser did not issue more specific guidance related to the process, and a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board spokesperson said the agency will not be providing it to institutions. Efrén Olivares, legal director of the National Immigration Law Center, said that he anticipates challenges following Rosser’s directive, as the term "lawful presence" doesn’t have a standard definition. Some people might have pending applications for citizenship or temporary residence, for example. "To ask colleges and universities to make that determination themselves is extremely complicated, and it’s going to cause all sorts of problems and chaos," he said. "I assure you you’re going to have contradicting applications of this.” Most Houston-area colleges did not directly respond to questions about how they will identify affected students, though some advocates have questioned whether information on financial aid forms might help schools deduce immigration status. The Dream Act also required eligible students to sign an affidavit promising that they would seek lawful permanent residency.

NewsMax [6/24/2025 7:23 PM, Jim Mishler, 4622K] reports army veteran and Purple Heart recipient Sae Joon Park has self-deported from the U.S. after living in the country for 48 years, according to Hawaii News Now. Park obtained green card residency status after immigrating to the U.S. from South Korea at the age of 7. But in an unusual string of events, Newsweek reported that Park was told by immigration authorities that he had three weeks to leave the country. His response in a statement to Newsweek was that "President [Donald] Trump sucks.” He said, "I will try to come back after Trump leaves.” Immigration enforcement has been a cornerstone of Trump’s second term. He campaigned on secure borders and removing people who were in the United States illegally. Many of the Trump administration’s enforcement orders and methods have been challenged in the courts. Some of the lawsuits have been successful. But even the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday gave the administration wide latitude on deportations to other countries. Park’s story has a lot of twists and turns. His military service included being stationed in Panama, where he was wounded and received the Purple Heart in the 1989 conflict sometimes referred to as the "Noriega war.” Newsweek reported that he turned to drugs to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder. That led him to cocaine use after moving to Hawaii. He told Hawaii News Now, "Drugs had a big control throughout my life, and that’s what eventually got me into trouble with the law and everything.” He has served time in prison for related crimes. When he was released, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents revoked his green card. He contested that and was granted deferred action. He needed to meet the enforcement requirements to stay in America. But in June, his deferred status was terminated, and given the option of voluntarily leaving the U.S., according to Newsweek, or face potential detention and forced deportation. He went to South Korea.

NewsNation [6/24/2025 5:54 AM, Staff, 5801K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s terrorism warning due to the direct involvement of the U.S. in the Iran-Israel conflict could affect border security. Noem on Sunday evening issued a National Terrorism Advisory System Bulletin saying there is a heightened threat environment across the United States, due to the ongoing conflict with Iran and Israel. Violent extremists could mobilize in the country and DHS is warning of terrorist attacks that could include anti-Semitic and cyber security hacks, as well as U.S.-based individuals who could be plotting additional attacks in the United States. "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland," the bulletin says. The bulletin said there are currently no specific credible threats against the U.S.

(B) Good Morning America [6/24/2025 7:56 AM, Staff] reports that the US remains on high alert following the weekend strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran warned President Trump before the strikes that they would activate sleeper terror cells in the United States if the US dropped bombs on their nuclear sites. Border Patrol statistics reportedly show an increasing number of Iranians attempting to enter the US illegally via the southern border. During the years Biden was in office, at least 1500 Iranians crossed over the southern border. About half were released into the US with little to no vetting. According to congressional Republicans, between 2021 and 2024, immigration officers caught 382 people on the terror watchlist trying to enter the country illegally at the US-Mexico border. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Rodney Scott reportedly issued a memo saying the threat of sleeper cells activating on Iran’s behalf has never been higher. On Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security issued a national terrorism advisory warning Americans to be on alert, including from violent extremists independently mobilizing to violence in response to this conflict.

FOX News [6/24/2025 1:24 PM, Taylor Penley, 46878K] reports that Biden-era open border policies have ignited concerns that Iranian "sleeper cells" could be lying in wait inside the U.S., eager to retaliate after tensions with the U.S. adversary reached a boiling point over the weekend, and the prospect has officials on high alert. Border czar Tom Homan called it the "biggest national security vulnerability" the U.S. has ever seen. "It’s a significant threat," he said Tuesday on FOX Business’ "Mornings with Maria." "The average under the Biden administration every single day was 1,800 known gotaways… these are people we knew came to the United States and entered illegally. We don’t know who they are, where they came from, why they’re here, but they got away." Homan stressed that the sleeper cell prospect has been one of his top concerns for years. Now, the Trump administration is focused on "clean[ing] up" the mess left by the previous administration, an effort that started with securing the border. "We knew we had a big job to do, and we’re working on it," he said. Former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf echoed Homan in citing the countless number of unidentified foreign nationals who poured across the U.S. border under former President Biden’s tenure. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 10:23 AM, Haisten Willis, 1934K] reports President Donald Trump has taken aim at his predecessor once again, this time blaming him for Iranian "super cells" allowed into the United States. "[President Joe] Biden let a lot of stupid stuff in," Trump told reporters en route to the Netherlands. "And among everything else, he let a lot of super cells in. Many from Iran. But hopefully we’ll take care of it." While Trump appeared to use the term "super cells," the threat is also known as "sleeper cells," meaning groups of terrorists who remain inactive for a time before carrying out an attack. Trump alleges that many potential cell groups entered amid a wave of illegal immigrants who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. The threat of sleeper cells has never been higher, according to a Customs and Border Protection memo obtained by NewsNation, though it listed no specific threats.

(B) Eyewitness News at Noon [6/24/2025 12:31 PM, Staff] reports that a brand new facility was opened in West Virginia where top Customs and Border Protection training will take place. The site in Harpers Ferry, Jefferson County, is expected to enhance training for agents who serve across the region. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was on site to open that facility. She posted that agents will have cutting edge resources and gold standard training.

NewsNation [6/24/2025 6:02 PM, Sandra Sanchez, 5801K] reports U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers recently seized over $1.5 million worth of cocaine that was being brought from Mexico into Laredo, Texas. The drugs were confiscated Sunday at the Colombia Solidarity Bridge, when a CBP officer referred a 2006 Utility trailer for secondary inspection, officers said Tuesday. A canine and non-intrusive inspection system examination allegedly revealed 50 packages containing nearly 114.37 pounds of cocaine within the trailer, officer said. "Thanks to the vigilance and dedication of our CBP officers, a significant amount of cocaine was intercepted before it reached our communities," Laredo Port Director Alberto Flores said. "Their commitment to securing the border and disrupting the flow of dangerous narcotics continues to play a vital role in protecting the public and upholding the integrity of our nation’s port of entry."

USA Today [6/24/2025 3:36 PM, Fernando Cervantes Jr, 75552K] reports a United States citizen is facing federal felony charges after police say he allegedly tried to smuggle more than seven kilos of fentanyl into the country inside a Crock-Pot full of meat. Jose Armando Longoria, 27, is facing charges of possession of 400 grams or more of fentanyl with intent to distribute after being caught with kilos of fentanyl while trying to enter the U.S., court documents obtained by USA TODAY say. Court records say that border officers at the Dennis DeConcini Port of Entry in Nogales, Arizona, on June 18 stopped Longoria while he tried to enter the country on foot. Officers asked Longoria why he was entering the country only carrying a Crock-Pot, to which the man said he was "bringing meat." Court records say that once the officer lifted the pot and noticed it was heavier than expected, Longoria was sent to a secondary inspection area. Once there, court records say that a drug-sniffing dog detected drugs inside the pot and officers then disassembled the pot and found 11 bags of blue pills that later tested positive for fentanyl. According to court records, Longoria said that a person had paid him $100 to cross the container to the U.S. Longoria’s next court appearance is set for July 7 in Tucson, Arizona.

AP [6/24/2025 1:56 PM, Staff, 56000K] reports that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is staffed and ready to screen over 18.5 million travelers at the nation’s airport security checkpoints during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. This year’s projection includes Tuesday, July 1, through Monday, July 7, with the highest passenger volume – approximately 2.9 million – expected on Sunday, July 6. TSA screened nearly 3.1 million travelers on Sunday, June 22, the busiest single day in the agency’s history. “TSA continues to work closely with our industry partners and ensure our airport security checkpoints are fully staffed and prepared to handle the heavy rush of traffic,” said TSA Acting Administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill. “We are deploying technologies and procedures to improve security and enhance the passenger experience, including for families. We ask travelers to pack their patience, especially during peak travel days, as we work to provide maximum hospitality to our customers.” For families with vacation plans, TSA has practices in place to expedite screening and make traveling with children less stressful. Additionally, passengers should bring their REAL IDs or other acceptable forms of IDs to the checkpoint. Since implementing REAL ID on May 7, nearly 94% of passengers are presenting a REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID, such as a passport. Travelers can find a full list of acceptable IDs on TSA’s website.

NewsMax [6/24/2025 10:45 AM, Sandy Fitzgerald, 4622K] reports House Oversight and Reform Chairman James Comer called for further investigation into what he called an "unequal system" of favoritism of the Transportation Security Administration’s Quiet Skies program under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem shut down the program, and in a letter to her, Comer, a Kentucky Republican, asked for more details and said the matter deserves Congressional scrutiny, The Washington Times reported Tuesday. "The maintenance of secret exclusion lists comprising foreign dignitaries, athletes, and select journalists created an unequal system that undermined both security effectiveness and constitutional principles of equal treatment," Comer wrote in his letter. "Such practices represent a fundamental departure from proper administrative procedures and merit thorough congressional examination." Noem, in shutting down Quiet Skies, revealed allegations of retaliation and favoritism that the Biden administration had employed, and said the program never prevented a terrorist attack but cost $200 million a year.

CBS Chicago [6/24/2025 6:17 PM, Todd Feurer, 51860K] Video: HERE reports O’Hare International Airport on Sunday broke the record for the most travelers screened on a single day, with nearly 114,000 people passing through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints. The new record comes amid a surge in air travel this year, with the TSA expecting high travel volumes to continue throughout the summer and into the holiday season. The previous record of approximately 111,000 travelers screened was set just three days earlier on Thursday. Seven of O’Hare’s 10 busiest days have happened in the past five weeks, according to the TSA. TSA officials said Sunday also was the busiest day nationwide for air travel in the agency’s history, with nearly 3.1 million people screened at airport checkpoints. Airports are expected to be especially busy over the July 4th holiday weekend, with the TSA estimating approximately 1.85 million travelers at the nation’s airports between July 1 and July 7 – including 2.9 million people expected to fly on Sunday, July 6.

USA Today [6/24/2025 10:59 AM, Dinah Voyles Pulver, 75552K] reports the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the nation’s atmospheric research programs could set U.S. forecasting back a generation or more, a cadre of retired federal hurricane, weather and ocean scientists warns. The budget proposed by the White House for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is almost half what it was a year ago, and eliminates all funding for the agency’s Office of Atmospheric Research, the division that coordinates and conducts weather and climate research across the nation. "It will stop all progress" in U.S. forecasting, said James Franklin, who retired in 2017 as chief of the National Hurricane Center’s forecast specialists. Abolishing that research will be "a generational loss" of any progress that would have been made over the next 10 years or more, Franklin said. "We’re going to stagnate and we’re not going to continue to improve as we go forward." The atmospheric research office, also referred to as NOAA Research, underpins much of the agency’s work and scientific advances, whether it’s more accurate forecasting or tracking tsunamis or plumes of chemicals or wildfire smoke, said Franklin and others working to persuade Congress to save the programs. They say defunding the research program would carry great costs − forecast improvements have saved as much as $5 billion per storm − and put lives at risk when forecasts fall short.

San Diego Union Tribune [6/24/2025 12:09 PM, Richard Tribou, 1611K] reports the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season got its first named storm of the year, even though the National Hurricane Center says it will be short-lived. The NHC began advisories on Tropical Storm Andrea after 10 a.m. located about 1,205 miles west of the Azores moving east-northeast at 17 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend out 45 miles. "Little change in strength is expected today. Weakening is expected to begin tonight, with Andrea dissipating by Wednesday night," forecasters said. The next advisory won’t be until 5 p.m. ET. The system had looked like it would die out without formation as it moved east in the central subtropical Atlantic 900 miles east-northeast of Bermuda, but then the NHC said in a special 8:30 a.m. tropical outlook that the small gale-force low-pressure system was becoming more organized. In most years, the Atlantic hurricane season has generated at least one storm by this time, more than three weeks into hurricane season. It’s the latest since 2014 that tropical activity hasn’t bred a tracked system. That year, the first tropical depression didn’t form until June 30. Between 2015 to 2024, though, the first tracked system had already formed by June 1, the first official day of hurricane season. Despite the late start, the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is predicted to be above-normal by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 10:30 AM, Salena Zito, 1934K] reports late last Saturday night, an unexpected torrent of rain devastated this community here and in Wheeling in West Virginia’s Ohio County. It overwhelmed creeks, swept away homes and cars, submerged dozens of them, took the lives of eight people, including a three-year-old, and left a community grieving. Gov. Patrick Morrisey (R-WV) said that upward of four inches of rain fell in parts of Wheeling and Ohio County within about half an hour last Saturday evening, and one person remains missing. Morrisey told the Washington Examiner in an interview that he was grateful for the first responders, local volunteer fire companies, and community members who have stepped up to help their community. "The state has also been on the ground from the very beginning, having very good coordination with the local officials. That’s made a huge difference. Obviously, there’s a real unfortunate loss of life, eight that are officially dead from the floods, but another individual presumed missing, and we’re very concerned about that, given that it’s been several days," he said. Recovery efforts were everywhere over the weekend as first responders, community members, and volunteers from neighboring Pennsylvania and Ohio tried to return the region to some sense of normality after the devastating flooding. Morrisey said he’s working closely with authorities from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and has requested a Major Disaster Declaration and an Emergency Declaration from President Donald Trump for Ohio and Marion counties following severe flooding this week. "We did that when it happened, and we made sure to get the word out about the emergency survey, the documents that people needed to fill out in order to verify the damage. That was really an important process to get this started," he said, adding, "We are very hopeful that the folks that were really harmed in Ohio and Marion counties from this flood get the help they need.”

Axios [6/24/2025 6:22 AM, Karri Peifer, 13599K] reports roughly 180 Richmond homes and businesses will soon be in a high-risk flood zone, according to new FEMA flood maps for the city. The additions will likely be required to buy flood insurance for their property when the maps go into effect in two weeks. FEMA updates its Flood Insurance Rate Maps every five years to account for shifts in flood risk due to environmental changes, construction and development impacts, or other factors, per the city. The goal is to ensure property owners in the areas most likely to experience flooding are protected with flood insurance. The new maps for Richmond have been in the works since 2023, which is when property owners added to a Special Flood Hazard Area were alerted they would likely need to buy flood insurance soon. "Approximately 180 structures" in the city were added to the Special Flood Hazard Area in the new FEMA maps, Rhonda Johnson of Richmond’s Department of Public Utilities tells Axios. It’s unclear how many are homes versus businesses, but South Richmond is the most affected part of the city, she added. Some of the largest sections now in hazard zones include neighborhoods near Chippenham Hospital, Powhite Park and Southhampton in Southside, per an Axios review of the maps. North of the river, neighborhoods near the University of Richmond, Hollywood Cemetery and the Carillon were added to FEMA’s high-risk flood zones.

Detroit Free Press [6/24/2025 8:56 AM, Jalen Williams, 4241K] reports a 10-year-old child drowned Monday, June 23, while tubing in Lake Huron with family members, according to a news release from the Iosco County Sheriff’s Office. The child, who was not wearing a lifejacket, according to the sheriff’s office, was pulled from the water about 1 hour, 40 minutes after falling in and was pronounced dead at MyMichigan Tawas. First responders were dispatched at about 1 p.m. June 23 to a site near Benson Road in Alabaster Township,the release said, in response to a call that a "female child was in need of rescue in Lake Huron.” After 40 minutes of searching, the United States Coast Guard located the victim underwater. They were immediately transferred to MyMichigan Tawas by Iosco EMS.

San Francisco Chronicle.com [6/24/2025 12:55 PM, Aidin Vaziri, Jessica Flores, and Anna Bauman, 4120K] reports the eight people killed in a sudden storm while boating on Lake Tahoe over the weekend were a close-knit group of friends and family members who had gathered for a birthday celebration, according to a spokesperson representing some of the victims. The boating trip was a part of the 71st birthday celebration for Paula Bozinovich, one of the people who perished in the lake, when their 27-foot powerboat capsized during a sudden, violent storm on Saturday. Authorities on Tuesday released the names of those killed when the boat sank near D.L. Bliss State Park, overwhelmed by 8-foot waves and wind gusts topping 35 mph. Among those killed was Joshua Antony Pickles, of San Francisco, who served as the global head of strategic sourcing and procurement at DoorDash. The boating accident is among the deadliest in Lake Tahoe’s recent history and has left the tight-knit boating and lakeside communities reeling. “The El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office extends its deepest heartfelt condolences to the families of those who were lost and all those who have been affected by this tragic event,” the department said in a statement. Two passengers survived and were hospitalized with hypothermia and other injuries, officials said. Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, the widow of Josh Pickles, said in a statement that the group had been enjoying a “joyful time” on the lake before the storm turned deadly. “No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost,” she added, expressing gratitude for the U.S. Coast Guard, El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office and other first responders for their “profound” support during the search and recovery efforts.

AP [6/24/2025 4:49 PM, Olga R. Rodriguez and Christopher Weber] reports four members of a family from Northern California who were celebrating a birthday were among eight people killed when a boat capsized on Lake Tahoe in California over the weekend during a sudden and fierce thunderstorm. Josh Pickles, 37, of San Francisco, his parents, 73-year-old Terry Pickles and 71-year-old Paula Bozinovich of Redwood City, and his uncle, 72-year-old Peter Bayes, of Lincoln, died Saturday, according to a family statement. Two people were rescued immediately after the boat flipped over. Their identities and conditions were not known Tuesday. Ten people were on board the 27-foot gold Chris-Craft vessel when it capsized Saturday afternoon near D.L. Bliss State Park on the lake’s southwest edge as the storm whipped up high waves, U.S. Coast Guard officials said. Also killed were Timothy O’Leary, 71, of Auburn, California; Theresa Giullari, 66, and James Guck, 69, of Honeyoye, New York; and Stephen Lindsay, 63, of Springwater, New York, the coroner’s office said Tuesday.

New York Times [6/24/2025 10:59 PM, Laurel Rosenhall, Amy Graff and Alex Hoeft, 138952K] reports the weekend seemed perfect for a summer excursion on the azure waters of Lake Tahoe. Josh Pickles, a DoorDash executive, took several family members and friends on his boat to celebrate his mother’s 71st birthday. His wife, Jordan Sugar-Carlsgaard, stayed home to care for their infant daughter. But sunshine suddenly gave way to a ferocious storm on Saturday afternoon that caught even longtime Tahoe residents by surprise. Thunder and lightning roared from the sky, dumping rain and snow. Waves as tall as eight feet ripped across the lake, according to some accounts. The day ended in a nightmare. Mr. Pickles’s 27-foot-long boat capsized, tossing passengers into the frigid water toward the south end of the lake. He and his parents died, along with five of their guests. And Ms. Sugar-Carlsgaard, 38, suddenly found herself a widow with a seven-month-old baby. “We are devastated by this tragedy,” she said in a statement. “No words can express the pain and anguish we feel knowing their lives were lost during what was meant to be a joyful time on the lake.” Mr. Pickles was an experienced sailor but the gold Chris-Craft boat was still new to him, said Sam Singer, a family representative. He had operated it twice last year, and Saturday’s outing was the first time he had taken it out this season. Like many who work in the tech industry, the couple split time between their homes in the Tahoe region and in the San Francisco Bay Area, where Ms. Sugar-Carlsgaard is an executive assistant at Airbnb, according Mr. Singer.

AP [6/24/2025 4:20 PM, Mark Thiessen] reports a cargo ship that had been delivering new vehicles to Mexico sank in the North Pacific Ocean, weeks after crew members abandoned ship when they couldn’t extinguish an onboard fire that left the carrier dead in the water. The Morning Midas sank Monday in international water off Alaska’s Aleutian Islands chain, the ship’s management company, London-based Zodiac Maritime, said in a statement. "There is no visible pollution," said Petty Officer Cameron Snell, an Alaska-based U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson. "Right now we also have vessels on scene to respond to any pollution." Fire damage compounded by bad weather and water seepage caused the carrier to sink in waters about 16,404 feet (5,000 meters) deep and about 415 miles (770 kilometers) from land, the statement said. The Coast Guard said it received a distress alert June 3 about a fire aboard the Morning Midas, which then was roughly 300 miles (490 kilometers) southwest of Adak Island. There were 22 crew members onboard the Morning Midas. All evacuated to a lifeboat and were rescued by a nearby merchant marine vessel. There were no injuries.

Axios [6/24/2025 2:13 PM, Sam Sabin, 13599K] reports approximately half of the companies that paid a ransom to hackers last year ended up paying less than the criminals originally asked for, according to new Sophos data. That’s good news for companies worried about devastating losses from data-encrypting ransomware attacks. Even if hackers are getting paid less, they’re still getting paid. Half of the 3,400 IT and cybersecurity leaders surveyed — all of whom faced ransomware attacks in the last year — said their companies paid hackers a ransom. Law enforcement and security experts warn that paying hackers could further embolden them. It’s also not a guarantee that hackers will follow through with their promises to decrypt systems or delete stolen data. 53% of ransomware victims said their companies ultimately ended up paying less than the initial asking price.

Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 12:23 PM, Angus Loten and James Rundle, 646K] reports a group of hackers suspected to be behind recent data breaches at Marks & Spencer, Victoria’s Secret and other retailers appears to be setting its sights on insurance companies. Aflac, one of the largest U.S. insurers, is investigating a cyberattack on its systems that might have exposed claims information, health details, Social Security numbers and other personal data. An Alfac representative on Monday told The Wall Street Journal that the attack was “perpetrated by a highly sophisticated and well-known group that has the insurance industry under siege.” No malware or ransomware was deployed and the firm’s operations haven’t been interrupted, the representative said. Erie Indemnity and Philadelphia Insurance this month reported similar attacks. All three companies were hit within the same five-day period. “At this time, the full scope and potential ultimate impact on the company are not known,” Aflac said Friday in a securities filing. In an update last week, Erie said it had regained control of its system and was “working around the clock to restore access for customers, agents and employees.” Erie on Monday said to date “there is no evidence of ransomware and no indication of ongoing threat actor activity.” Philadelphia Insurance has “transitioned from containment of the threat to recovery of our business operations,” according to the firm’s latest update. On Monday, online links to the firm were routed to the same temporary webpage with contact information for core services.

CyberScoop [6/24/2025 11:30 AM, Matt Kapko] reports supposed experts and mainstream media have spent the past few days hyperventilating over reports of a colossal data breach that exposed more than 16 billion credentials — a level of theft that should have defenders clutching their pearls. There’s just one inconvenient detail: the original report is curiously short on anything resembling actual evidence to support its sensational claim. Attacks that affect billions of accounts often generate headlines and get the industry talking about ways to prevent the attack from repeating itself. Yet, the story Cybernews published Friday, which has been picked up and repeated across all manner of media in the past few days, has engendered eyerolls from cybersecurity experts for its extraordinary, dubious conclusions. The firehose of content frames the exposed credentials as recent, singular and ultimately the largest data breach in history. Multiple incident response specialists, researchers and cybersecurity experts who spoke with CyberScoop either outright disputed those claims or questioned the data and analysis the assertion was based upon. “These massive dumps have been announced for years, and they are always a recycled pile of credentials with a few new ones sprinkled in,” said Chester Wisniewski, director and global field CISO at Sophos. The entire ordeal is yet another example that the business interests of cybersecurity feed on fear — both perceived and real. Stories like this often spread like wildfire because they speak to real issues and a perception that has set in across the industry.

NewsMax [6/24/2025 8:51 PM, Staff, 4622K] reports Meta Platforms WhatsApp messaging service has been banned on all U.S. House of Representatives devices, according to a memo sent to House staff on Monday. The notice to all House staff said the "Office of Cybersecurity has deemed WhatsApp a high-risk to users due to the lack of transparency in how it protects user data, absence of stored data encryption, and potential security risks involved with its use." The memo, from the chief administrative officer, recommended other messaging apps, including Microsoft Corp.’s Teams platform, Amazon.com’s Wickr, Signal, Apple’s iMessage, and Facetime. Meta did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CNN [6/24/2025 9:07 AM, Sean Lyngaas, 21433K] reports hospitals, water dams and power plants across the US are on alert for any potential Iranian cyberattacks in retaliation for US airstrikes on Iran nuclear sites over the weekend. The United States dropped massive bombs on three nuclear sites inside Iran on Saturday, decisively entering into conflict with the country. In the three days since the US strikes, the US power grid’s cyberthreat-sharing center has monitored the dark web for Iranian activity, and hospital executives have checked in on the threat level with the FBI, sources familiar with those conversations told CNN. It’s a state of vigilance dictated by common sense: For Iran, retaliation against the US is far easier in cyberspace than physically. Tehran-linked hackers have previously attacked American hospitals and water facilities. "Iran’s kinetic retaliation is already in motion and the digital dimension to that may not be far behind," Adam Meyers, a senior vice president at cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike, told CNN on Monday, shortly after Iran fired missiles towards a US military base in Qatar in retaliation for the US strikes. "This cyber element is what lets them extend their reach and there’s an air of deniability to it." There haven’t been any new confirmed breaches of US organizations from Iranian hackers, Meyers said. But hackers linked with Iran have reportedly been scanning the internet for vulnerable software and have been talking openly about retaliating against US organizations, he said. Before the announcement of the ceasefire, Department of Homeland Security intelligence analysts had warned about a long-running threat from Iran. Tehran could "target" American government officials if Iranian leaders believe "the stability or survivability" of their regime is at risk, according to a Department of Homeland Security bulletin from Sunday obtained by CNN. But less planning may be needed for any Iranian response in cyberspace. And hacking operations can also be far below the threshold of war. Tehran has been opportunistic in the past about finding vulnerable US critical infrastructure to exploit, according to US officials.

AP [6/25/2025 12:10 AM, David Klepper, 1982K] reports hackers backing Tehran have targeted U.S. banks, defense contractors and oil industry companies following American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — but so far have not caused widespread disruptions to critical infrastructure or the economy. But that could change if the ceasefire between Iran and Israel collapses or if independent hacking groups supporting Iran make good on promises to wage their own digital conflict against the U.S., analysts and cyber experts say. The U.S. strikes could even prompt Iran, Russia, China and North Korea to double down on investments in cyberwarfare, according to Arnie Bellini, a tech entrepreneur and investor. Bellini noted that hacking operations are much cheaper than bullets, planes or nuclear arms — what defense analysts call kinetic warfare. America may be militarily dominant, he said, but its reliance on digital technology poses a vulnerability. "We just showed the world: You don’t want to mess with us kinetically," said Bellini, CEO of Bellini Capital. "But we are wide open digitally. We are like Swiss cheese.” Two pro-Palestinian hacking groups claimed they targeted more than a dozen aviation firms, banks and oil companies following the U.S. strikes over the weekend. The hackers detailed their work in a post on the Telegram messaging service and urged other hackers to follow their lead, according to researchers at the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks the groups’ activity. The attacks were denial-of-service attacks, in which a hacker tries to disrupt a website or online network. "We increase attacks from today," one of the hacker groups, known as Mysterious Team, posted Monday. Federal authorities say they are on guard for additional attempts by hackers to penetrate U.S. networks. The Department of Homeland Security issued a public bulletin Sunday warning of increased Iranian cyber threats. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency issued a statement Tuesday urging organizations that operate critical infrastructure like water systems, pipelines or power plants to stay vigilant. While it lacks the technical abilities of China or Russia, Iran has long been known as a "chaos agent" when it comes to using cyberattacks to steal secrets, score political points or frighten opponents.

Washington Post [6/24/2025 6:00 AM, Joseph Menn, 32099K] reports U.S. officials and private experts are warning that Iran may retaliate against the United States for bombing its nuclear facilities with any of a wide range of cyberattacks that could cause lasting damage or significant psychological impact. There were no reports of suspected Iranian cyberattacks against U.S. assets Monday, and the FBI declined to say whether it had seen activity below the surface. Most experts expect Iran to pursue cyber actions calibrated to not elicit a forceful American response. In the 15 years since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran with the early cyberweapon known as Stuxnet, a computer worm that infiltrated computers in Iran’s nuclear enrichment program and damaged critical centrifuges, Iran has devoted itself to building its own capabilities to a point well beyond those of other countries its size. It has unleashed its most destructive software on such varied targets as the rival state-owned oil giant Saudi Aramco, where it knocked out 30,000 computers in 2012 and halved its oil production, and the Sands casino business two years later, when it was controlled by American Sheldon Adelson, a zealous advocate for Israel.

DailySignal.com [6/24/2025 3:50 PM, Jacob Adams, 558K] reports a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Tuesday on international drug cartels emphasized that the organizations are effectively engaged in sophisticated terrorism. The hearing, "The Thin Blue Line Protecting America from the Cartels," featured three witnesses from law enforcement: Matthew Allen, special agent in charge of the Los Angeles Field Division of the Drug Enforcement Administration in California; Jason Stevens, special agent in charge of the El Paso Homeland Security Investigations in Texas; and Jose Perez, assistant director of the criminal investigative division of the FBI. The DEA field division leader then articulated a recent anecdote about the power and presence of the cartels in the U.S. Allen went on to underscore the fact that the cartels are affecting the most vulnerable people in American society.

Reuters [6/24/2025 3:41 PM, Julia Symmes Cobb, 51390K] reports the U.S. Treasury Department said on Tuesday it has sanctioned Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, an alleged leader of Venezuelan prison gang Tren de Aragua, who is already on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list. Mosquera has been indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice with drug trafficking and terrorism-related criminal activity, the statement from the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said, while the State Department is offering up to $3 million for information leading to his arrest or conviction. U.S. President Donald Trump has claimed Tren de Aragua is coordinating its U.S. activities with the Venezuelan government of President Nicolas Maduro, and used the supposed connection to justify deportations of alleged members to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador. At least one top U.S. official has acknowledged Maduro’s government may not specifically direct the gang.

ABC News [6/24/2025 2:26 PM, Doc Louallen, 31733K] reports that Jay Trombley said he had long wondered about facing an active shooter, questioning whether he would run to the confrontation or run away from it. On Sunday morning at CrossPointe Community Church in Wayne, Michigan, he got his answer. "It was muscle memory to go take care of the threat, to protect the family," Trombley told ABC News’ Detroit affiliate WXYZ. On Sunday morning, the gunman, identified as 31-year-old Brian Browning, exited his Nissan truck wearing a tactical vest, armed with a long gun and a handgun, when he approached the church building and began firing. Several staff members from the church approached the gunman. At least two staff members shot the gunman, causing fatal wounds, police said after the attack. "We are grateful for the heroic actions of the church’s staff members who undoubtedly saved many lives and prevented a large-scale mass shooting," Wayne Police Chief Ryan Strong said during a press conference Sunday. Trombley, a member of the church’s security team with no military or police experience, helped prevent what Wayne police Chief police Chief Ryan Strong said could have been "a large-scale mass shooting." Inside the church, worshippers first heard what sounded like a jackhammer -- what turned out to be 10 shots fired by the suspect. The Wayne Police Department, assisted by local, state and federal partners, continues to investigate the incident.

Houston Chronicle [6/24/2025 6:11 PM, John Wayne Ferguson, 1982K] reports a man who the FBI called the second-in-command of Tren de Aragua has a $3 million reward for information leading to his capture, officials announced in Houston on Tuesday. The agency announced the addition of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano to the agency’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. Mosquera Serrano, 37, is the first alleged member of Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan prison gang, to be included on the famed list. Mosquera Serrano in January was indicted on charges of international cocaine distribution and providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization. His whereabouts are unknown. The list was devised in the 1950s, and has at times included some of the most notorious criminals in U.S. history, including Osama Bin Laden, Whitey Bulger James Earl Ray and Ted Bundy. "Today’s announcement makes it clear: no border will shield him from justice," said Doug Williams, the special agent in charge of the FBI Houston Office. "With the public’s help we will eradicate TdA and end their transnational campaign of terror and crime.” #BREAKING FBI Houston SAC Douglas Williams just announced the addition of Giovanni Vicente Mosquera Serrano, an alleged senior leader of Tren de Aragua (TdA), to the FBI’s Top Ten Wanted Fugitives list. During a short news conference at the FBI’s Houston office, Williams declined to provide specific details about the crimes that Mosquera Serrano was charged with, his role within Tren de Aragua or the gang’s connections to Houston.

ABC News [6/24/2025 4:17 PM, Alexander Mallin and Leah Sarnoff, 31733K] reports the man charged earlier this month with conspiring to assist the suspected California fertility clinic bomber has died in federal custody, according to a statement from the Bureau of Prisons. Daniel Park was found unresponsive on Tuesday at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Los Angeles, the federal law enforcement agency said. Park, a 32-year-old Washington state native, was charged with conspiracy to manufacture an unregistered device and terrorism in the car bombing at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California. The explosion occurred on May 17 at about 11 a.m. local time, rocking nearby buildings and leading to a fire and the collapse of a building, according to authorities. The debris field covered over 250 yards. Four people were transported to the hospital for injuries sustained in the blast but were released the following day, officials said at the time. The clinic, the American Reproductive Center of Palm Springs, said no members of its staff were harmed, and its lab -- including all eggs, embryos and reproductive materials -- were undamaged in the attack. The primary suspect in the case, 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus, was found dead next to the detonated vehicle, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s LA field office said last month. Park was arrested at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York earlier this month after being detained in Poland on May 30, officials said at the time. Park allegedly fled to Europe four days after the bombing, officials said. Park allegedly shipped approximately 180 pounds of ammonium nitrate, an explosive precursor commonly used to construct homemade bombs, from Seattle to Bartkus in California as part of a plot related to the pair’s nihilist beliefs, according to officials. Park also allegedly paid for an additional 90 pounds of the substance in the days leading up to the Palm Springs attack, officials said. Federal investigators allege the materials were used in the car bombing. Park also allegedly spent two weeks visiting the main suspect’s home in late January and early February of this year, the officials said. The two are believed to have been conducting experiments together in the main suspect’s garage. Park and Bartkus followed a "pro-mortalism, anti-natalism, and anti-pro-life ideology," officials said in a press conference after his arrest, adding the pair believed people should not be born without their consent and "nonexistence is best."

Reported similarly:
Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 7:26 PM, Joseph Pisani, 646K]
Washington Post [6/24/2025 5:49 PM, Gaya Gupta, 32099K]
Los Angeles Times [6/24/2025 4:25 PM, Richard Winton, 14672K]
NBC News [6/24/2025 4:49 PM, Mirna Alsharif, Madeline Morrison and Andrew Blankstein, 44540K]

Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 4:58 PM, Elaine Mallon, 1934K] reports federal authorities have arrested a 33-year-old California man accused of attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State group as national security officials warn of increased threats from possible terrorist sleeper cells operating in the United States. Ammaad Akhtar was taken into custody Monday and charged in federal court with attempting to aid a designated foreign terrorist organization. Akhtar began communicating online in February with a person he believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State group but who was actually an undercover law enforcement officer, according to court documents. Over several months, Akhtar allegedly expressed strong support for the Islamic State group and violent jihad, including aspirations to travel overseas to join it. He also discussed plans to send firearms and cash to support the organization’s activities. Federal prosecutors say he followed through, transferring money multiple times. In addition to the financial contributions, Akhtar reportedly discussed plans to carry out violent acts within the U.S. If convicted, Akhtar faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Akhtar’s arrest comes amid growing concerns voiced by federal officials regarding the presence of foreign terrorist operatives in the U.S.

Reported similarly:
San Francisco Chronicle [6/24/2025 4:02 PM, David Hernandez, 4120K]

Bloomberg [6/24/2025 3:56 PM, Kate Sullivan, Stephanie Lai, and Natalia Drozdiak, 19320K] reports the White House has begun hiring more staff at the National Security Council, people familiar with the matter said, reversing course weeks after President Donald Trump significantly cut the size of the council and as the US confronts a host of foreign-policy crises. The restaffing is being done at the direction of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has served as acting national security adviser in the months since Mike Waltz was ousted in May. Much of the council was dismissed after Waltz’s exit, as Trump sought to minimize the NSC’s role in foreign-policy decision making. Some people who were dismissed earlier this year have been approached about coming back, according to people familiar with the conversations. The new hires are part of a restructuring effort by Rubio and not a direct response to current events, said one staffer, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The move signals that the administration is looking for more help to deal with foreign-policy challenges, including the tense relationship with China, Israel’s continuing conflict in Gaza, the fallout from US and Israeli attacks on Iran and the war in Ukraine.

New York Times [6/24/2025 6:05 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Adam Goldman, 138952K] reports soon after the United States bombed Iran’s critical nuclear facilities, the Trump administration warned that Iran could seek revenge by inspiring violent extremists or launching cyberattacks against U.S. networks. But many of the federal programs or resources that would defend the nation against such attacks have been scaled back significantly in recent months, after Mr. Trump slashed the federal bureaucracy and reoriented much of the national security apparatus to help with his immigration crackdown. Mr. Trump has cut funding and specialists from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, or CISA, which helps protect the nation’s power grids, elections and water utilities. In a sign of the heightened risk of a cyberattack, the F.B.I. directed officials in recent days to assist the cybersecurity agency in protecting critical infrastructure, according to an email obtained by The New York Times. But that directive came after F.B.I. officials tasked with working on cybersecurity or counterintelligence were asked to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement on routine deportations. The administration has also purged decades of experience at the highest ranks of the F.B.I., heightening concerns that the bureau might be unprepared to deal with myriad crises that the agency faces on a daily basis, let alone the possibility of Iran taking revenge on American soil. “We are less safe now than we were on Jan. 20 because of the indiscriminate cuts by DOGE, that shift in priority to focus exclusively on immigration and not on counterterrorism or other national security threats, and the loss of institutional knowledge about those national security threats,” said Mary Ellen Callahan, the former assistant secretary of homeland security for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office, which Mr. Trump has proposed disbanding. “We are less safe now and the risks are higher now.” Mr. Trump’s aides maintain that his policies have restored national security to the United States by tightening its borders and pursuing sweeping deportations of immigrants in the country without legal status.

AP [6/24/2025 12:33 PM, Staff, 56000K] Video: HERE reports past NATO summits have focused almost entirely on the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year - but Kyiv’s bid to join the alliance has been stalled since the election of U.S. President Donald Trump. The U.S. has made no new public pledges of support to Ukraine since Trump took office six months ago.

Politico [6/24/2025 2:16 PM, Jake Traylor, 2100K] reports President Donald Trump plans to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday alongside the NATO summit, according to a White House official granted anonymity to discuss the meeting. The meeting comes as focus on Russia’s war with Ukraine has taken a backseat to the Israel-Iran conflict. Leading up to the summit, it was not clear whether Zelenskyy would attend amid fears that a visit wouldn’t be worth his time without a guarantee of significant facetime with Trump. Earlier this month, Zelenskyy flew to Canada for the meeting of G7 world leaders in hopes of a meeting with the U.S. president, but Trump left the summit early. Trump said on Tuesday morning aboard Air Force One on his way to The Hague, Netherlands, that he would “probably” meet with Zelenskyy, though he did not confirm at the time. The two last met face-to-face in April at St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City during Pope Francis’ funeral. That was their first in-person meeting since their fiery February exchange in the Oval Office.

Bloomberg [6/24/2025 6:24 PM, Selcan Hacaoglu, 19320K] reports Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague late Tuesday in a bid to turn the page on strained relations between the two nations. “President Erdogan stated during the meeting that the two countries have significant potential in various fields, particularly in energy and investment, and that advancing cooperation in the defense industry would facilitate achieving the goal of a $100 billion trade volume,” according to an account of the session provided by Erdogan’s office. In their first face-to-face encounter of Trump’s second term, they discussed bilateral relations as well as well as regional and global issues, the office added. Erdogan “expressed his satisfaction with the ceasefire achieved between Israel and Iran through President Trump’s efforts, hoping it would be permanent,” the account continued. He also “emphasized the importance of close dialog in ending the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza as soon as possible” as well as efforts to peacefully end the war between Russia and Ukraine. Erdogan, whose country has the second largest army in the NATO after the US, also discussed steps with Trump that could be taken to strengthen the alliance’s deterrence.

NPR [6/24/2025 5:37 PM, Megan Lim, 37958K] Audio: HERE reports NPR’s Ari Shapiro talks with Virginia Sen. Mark Warner is the leading Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee, about the assessment of Iran’s nuclear program following the U.S. attack.

The Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 8:49 PM, Dustin Volz, Jared Malsin, and Lara Seligman, 646K] reports a preliminary intelligence report found that the U.S. military’s strikes last weekend on three Iranian nuclear facilities only set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months, countering claims made by President Trump and the White House, according to people familiar with the intelligence. The initial findings, written by the Defense Intelligence Agency, relied on military damage assessments following the U.S. bombings, the people said, adding that the assessment could change as more intelligence is collected. A senior administration official confirmed the report’s existence but said it hadn’t risen to the level of being shared with the Defense Department’s top leaders. Several members of Congress, including full committees, have seen or have access to the report, lawmakers said. U.S. intelligence agencies frequently produce classified reports that are later revised, sometimes substantially, as more information is collected. Such reports don’t necessarily reflect the views of other spy agencies, and disagreement among the agencies isn’t uncommon. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said in a post on X that the “alleged ‘assessment’ is flat out wrong,” and described the report as classified at the top-secret level. She blamed an “anonymous, low-level loser in the intelligence community” for leaking the report to the media. CNN earlier reported on the assessment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees all intelligence agencies in the U.S. government, declined to comment. The Defense Intelligence Agency didn’t respond to a request for comment. The report contradicts statements from Trump, who has repeatedly said the targets of the raids were destroyed. “Those targets were obliterated,” he said Tuesday morning. Some independent nuclear security experts have said they believe that Iran sustained significant to severe damage to its nuclear program. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also challenged the intelligence report. “Based on everything we have seen, and I’ve seen it all, our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons,” he said Tuesday, adding: “Anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the president and the successful mission.” Trump posted Hegseth’s comments on social media. The Washington Examiner [6/24/2025 5:52 PM, Brady Knox, 1934K] reports that prior to the attack, analysts were unsure if the GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator bunker-buster could penetrate deep enough to destroy the Fordow facility, which is buried deep in a mountain. The preliminary estimate speculated that it could not. The entrances to two facilities were sealed off, and the electrical systems for Fordow were badly damaged, but the main underground facilities did not collapse. Additionally, the report held that much of Iran’s stockpiled enriched uranium was moved before the strikes to other secret locations. If Iran were able to save most of its stockpiled enriched uranium, it could still make a dash for a crude nuclear weapon relatively quickly, one of the leading fears of Israeli and American policymakers. The assessment reported that further strikes are needed to deal decisive damage to Iran’s nuclear program, but Trump has largely ruled further attacks out after striking a ceasefire agreement between Iran and Israel on Monday. Speaking with CNN, Middlebury Institute of International Studies professor and weapons expert Jeffrey Lewis agreed with the assessment. "The ceasefire came without either Israel or the United States being able to destroy several key underground nuclear facilities, including near Natanz, Isfahan, and Parchin," he said. "These facilities could serve as the basis for the rapid reconstitution of Iran’s nuclear program.”

Reported similarly:
Bloomberg [6/24/2025 7:30 PM, Anthony Capaccio, Alex Wickham, and Natalia Drozdiak, 19320K]

Politico [6/25/2025 2:31 AM, Felicia Schwartz, 51390K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday that Iran is “much further away from a nuclear weapon” amid new intelligence assessments that a U.S. strike did not destroy three of the country’s nuclear sites. Rubio, in an exclusive interview with POLITICO’s Dasha Burns on the sidelines of the NATO summit, offered a more measured assessment than President Donald Trump, who has insisted that Iran’s sites at Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan have been “completely destroyed.” “The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action,” Rubio said. “That’s the most important thing to understand — significant, very significant, substantial damage was done to a variety of different components, and we’re just learning more about it.” A preliminary intelligence report by the Defense Intelligence Agency found that the strikes on Tehran’s nuclear program set it back by only a few months, CNN reported. Other news outlets confirmed the reporting. The U.S. intelligence community will continue to produce assessments in the coming days and weeks, and different spy agencies within the government often do not agree with each other as they produce their analysis. Rubio dismissed the media reports as “false” and said they did not capture the full picture. “I hate commenting on these stories, because often the first story is wrong and the person putting it out there has an agenda,” he said. “That story is a false story, and it’s one that really shouldn’t be rereported because it doesn’t accurately reflect what’s happening.” Trump, meanwhile, has used social media to muse about regime change in Iran. Yet Rubio said that is not Washington’s goal. “The world is filled with regimes I don’t like and the president doesn’t like, and a lot of us wish didn’t exist. The United States’ job is not to go around and set up governments for every country,” he said. “Our national security issue with Iran is with a clerical regime that wants nuclear weapons so they can threaten us, threaten Israel today, threaten us tomorrow. And the president’s made clear that’s not going to happen.” Trump sees regime change as likely if Iran’s leaders continue in the same direction, Rubio said.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [6/25/2025 3:41 AM, Kanjyik Ghosh, 51390K]

Reuters [6/25/2025 5:23 AM, Jeff Mason, Bart H. Meijer, and Gram Slattery, 51390K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the damage to Iranian nuclear sites from missile strikes over the weekend was severe, though he also acknowledged that the available intelligence on the matter was inconclusive. His comments followed reports by Reuters and other media outlets on Tuesday revealing that the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency had assessed that the strikes had set back Iran’s nuclear program by just a few months, despite administration officials saying the program had been obliterated. "The intelligence was very inconclusive," Trump told reporters before joining a NATO summit in The Hague. "The intelligence says we don’t know. It could’ve been very severe. That’s what the intelligence suggests." Later, during the same round of comments, Trump argued that Iran’s nuclear deal had been set back "basically decades, because I don’t think they’ll ever do it again". Trump was sitting alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who both also cast doubt on the reliability of the DIA assessment. Rubio said the U.S. was opening an investigation into the leak of the DIA report. He also suggested the report’s contents had been misrepresented in the media.

Wall Street Journal [6/24/2025 6:11 PM, Sudarsan Raghavan, Omar Abdel-Baqui, and Laurence Norman, 646K] reports Israel and the U.S. have delivered powerful blows to the pillars of Iran’s theocracy, degrading nuclear and missile capabilities, the highest military echelons and institutions of governance. Yet the regime, while weakened, is still intact, capable of recuperating and emerging more dangerous and unpredictable. A fragile cease-fire hasn’t alleviated tensions that soared during more than a week of war. Israeli and U.S. warplanes pummeled Iran’s nuclear supply chain and Israel killed 11 veteran nuclear scientists. They destroyed Iranian missile launchers, air defenses, state media and prison buildings. But Iran still has a pathway—albeit a risky one—to a nuclear weapon. “The regime is wounded, but still lethal,” said Behnam Ben Taleblu, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, which promotes relations with Israel in Washington. “Any victory lap now, despite the real successes, the real military successes, would still be premature.” A preliminary U.S. intelligence report found that the U.S. military’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities only set back Tehran’s nuclear ambitions by a few months, according to people familiar with the intelligence. The initial findings, written by the Defense Intelligence Agency, relied on military damage assessments following the bombings, the people said. The assessment could change as more intelligence is collected, the people said. A senior administration official confirmed the report’s existence but said it hadn’t risen to the level of being shared with top Defense Department leaders. Such reports don’t necessarily reflect the views of other spy agencies, and disagreement among agencies is not uncommon. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a post on X that the “alleged ‘assessment’ is flat out wrong,” and described the report as classified at the top-secret level. Damage assessments are still being done at the Fordow facility the U.S. struck with “bunker buster” bombs to reach deep under a mountainside. U.N. atomic energy agency chief Rafael Grossi said Monday he suspects it was seriously damaged.

New York Times [6/24/2025 8:45 PM, Tyler Pager and David E. Sanger, 138952K] reports as President Trump landed in the Netherlands on Tuesday for the annual meeting of NATO allies, he was desperate to hold together the fragile cease-fire between Israel and Iran, cursing and cajoling to make sure that history would remember him for bombing Iran’s nuclear sites over the weekend and brokering a peace deal days later. But just hours after he landed, the leak of a new U.S. intelligence report cast doubt on his repeated claim that the American strikes had “obliterated” Iran’s nuclear programs. Mr. Trump started using the word “obliterated” before he received his first battle damage report, and since then, he has closely monitored which members of his administration have used the same language. The report’s finding, while preliminary, was particularly damaging because it emerged from inside the Pentagon, which had carried out the strikes, and it concluded that the military action had only set Iran’s nuclear program back by a number of months. Mr. Trump had been eager to celebrate his success at NATO and revel in the fact that he had conducted an attack that none of his predecessors had dared to launch. His view was backed up by Mark Rutte, the secretary general of the alliance, who wrote Mr. Trump a private message thanking him for his “decisive action” in Iran. “That was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do,” Mr. Rutte wrote. “It makes us all safer.” The note, addressed to “Donald,” appeared to be a private correspondence, but Mr. Trump posted a photo of it on his social media account. Mr. Rutte went on to tell Mr. Trump that he was “flying into another big success in The Hague this evening,” citing the alliance’s agreement that each nation would spend 5 percent of its gross domestic product on defense or defense-related spending, though they have a decade to reach the mark. That is a major victory for Mr. Trump, who has pressed for the past decade for Europe to pay for more of its own defense.

CNN [6/24/2025 9:08 PM, Morgan Rimmer, 21433K] reports Republican senators are waiting for more information about the state of Iran’s nuclear program and what could come next after US strikes on facilities over the weekend. The need for more information comes against the backdrop of CNN reporting that the US military strikes on three of Iran’s nuclear facilities last weekend did not destroy the core components of the nuclear program and likely only set it back by months, according to an early US intelligence assessment. The early findings are at odds with President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that the strikes “completely and totally obliterated” Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities. The Trump administration postponed classified briefings for the House and Senate on Tuesday — with the House briefing on Friday and the Senators on Thursday — leaving Democratic lawmakers saying they have a lot of questions and many in the GOP backing President Donald Trump.

Reuters [6/24/2025 7:31 PM, Jonathan Landay, 51390K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump told Congress this week that the Iranian sites bombed by the U.S. housed a "nuclear weapons development program," even though U.S. spy agencies have said no such program existed. Trump’s claim raised questions whether U.S. intelligence backed up his decision to order the strikes on Iran on Sunday. The Republican president made the assertion in a letter dated Monday to House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson, a key ally, and it was posted on the White House’s website. "United States forces conducted a precision strike against three nuclear facilities in Iran used by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran for its nuclear weapons development program," Trump wrote. The most recent U.S. assessment, presented to Congress in March by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, said Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had not ordered the restarting of a nuclear-weapons effort shuttered in 2003. A source with access to U.S. intelligence reports told Reuters last week that the March assessment had not changed. Iran insists that its nuclear program is for peaceful uses. President George Bush justified the invasion of Iraq in 2003 by saying intelligence showed the country had weapons of mass destruction. This was later discredited and prompted a political backlash. Trump first cast doubt on intelligence about Iran’s nuclear program last week, when he repudiated the assessment that Gabbard delivered to Congress. "I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one," Trump told reporters, referring to a nuclear weapon. Gabbard herself on Friday disputed media accounts of her March testimony, saying on X that U.S. intelligence showed Iran could make a nuclear weapon "in weeks to months" if it chose.

FOX News [6/24/2025 9:59 PM, Ashley Carnahan, 46878K] reports Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff called for an investigation into a leaked preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment that claimed President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran did not destroy three targeted nuclear sites. CNN, citing people familiar with the assessment, reported that the early consensus within the Defense Intelligence Agency is that the strikes on Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan didn’t destroy key components of Iran’s nuclear program nor destroy its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. The outlet also reported that the strike likely only set back Iran’s nuclear program by several months, not years, as touted by the Trump administration. "Well, it goes without saying that leaking that type of information — whatever the information, whatever side it comes out on — is outrageous. It’s treasonous," Witkoff said Tuesday on "The Ingraham Angle.” "So, it ought to be investigated, and whoever did it — whoever’s responsible for it — should be held accountable. It could hurt lives in the future. Leaking is a completely unacceptable thing.” The United States struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan nuclear sites Saturday evening as part of Operation Midnight Hammer, dropping 12 GBU-57 Massive Ordnance Penetrators on Fordow and two on Natanz. More than two dozen Tomahawk missiles were also launched at Isfahan from a U.S. submarine. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said Sunday that initial assessments indicate that all three sites "sustained extremely severe damage and destruction." He noted that the final battle damage will take some time to evaluate. "Based on everything we have seen — and I’ve seen it all — our bombing campaign obliterated Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons. Our massive bombs hit exactly the right spot at each target — and worked perfectly," said Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a statement in response to CNN’s reporting. "The impact of those bombs is buried under a mountain of rubble in Iran; so anyone who says the bombs were not devastating is just trying to undermine the President and the successful mission.”

Axios [6/24/2025 8:26 AM, Barak Ravid and Zachary Basu, 13599K] reports the Trump-brokered ceasefire between Iran and Israel has, for now, brought an abrupt and extraordinary end to one of the Middle East’s most explosive confrontations in decades. The 12-day war sent shockwaves through a region already reeling from nearly two years of historic volatility and violence, beginning with Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel. President Trump’s military intervention to destroy Iranian nuclear sites brought the U.S. to the precipice of a major conflict that four of his predecessors had sought to avoid. But it also set the stage for a ceasefire that — if it holds — could usher in a fundamentally new era for the Middle East, its security and its dominant powers. Israel accused Iran of breaking the ceasefire overnight Tuesday, and launched jet fighters for a retaliatory attack with plans to bomb Tehran. A visibly frustrated Trump — speaking to reporters as he departed the White House en route to the NATO summit in Europe — said he was unhappy with both Iran and Israel, before he pressured Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call off most of the planned airstrike. Bombing Tehran could have led to an Iranian response and the collapse of the ceasefire, but an Israeli official told Axios that "it was decided to significantly scale back the strike, cancel the attack on a large number of targets and strike only one radar system outside of Tehran."

Axios [6/24/2025 9:15 AM, Barak Ravid, 13599K] reports under pressure from President Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu significantly scaled back planned retaliation against Iran’s violation of a ceasefire agreement, Israeli and U.S. officials said Tuesday. The crisis happened only hours after the shaky, U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Iran had come into effect. Bombing Tehran — as Israel planned to do on Tuesday — could have led to a massive Iranian response and the collapse of the ceasefire. The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that Iran launched three missiles toward Israel after the ceasefire went into effect — one at 7:06am and two at 10:25am local time — but that the missiles were "intercepted or landed in open areas without causing injuries or damage." Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz said he ordered the Israel Defense Forces to engage in retaliation for Iran’s violation of the ceasefire. Trump left for the NATO summit in Europe as the Israeli fighter jets were making their way to Iran. While walking to board Marine One, a visibly frustrated Trump told reporters that he was unhappy with both Iran and Israel for violating the ceasefire Trump spoke to Netanyahu before Air Force One departed from Maryland and asked the prime minister not to attack Iran. A senior Israeli official said Netanyahu told Trump that he could not cancel the strike completely and that some response was needed to Iran’s ceasefire violation. "In the end, it was decided to significantly scale back the strike, cancel the attack on a large number of targets and strike only one radar system outside of Tehran," the Israeli official said.

NewsNation [6/24/2025 1:01 PM, Kevin Bohn, Joe Khalil and Jeff Arnold, 18649K] reports NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte sent a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump on Tuesday regarding U.S. air strikes on Iranian nuclear targets over the weekend, saying the move "makes us all safer.” Trump posted the message to his Truth Social account, and NATO has confirmed to NewsNation that the message was sent by Rutte. It was sent early Tuesday before Trump left the White House for the NATO summit at The Hague, the official said. "Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, that was truly extraordinary, and something no one else dared to do," Rutte wrote. "It makes us all safer.” Trump departed for The Hague after colorfully criticizing both Israel and Iran on Tuesday morning for what he said were violations of their ceasefire agreement. Rutte added, "Donald, you have really driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world. You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done. Europe is going to pay in a BIG way as they should, and it will be your win.” In his message, Rutte wrote that Trump was "flying into another big success in The Hague … It was not easy, but we’ve got them all signed onto 5 percent.” NATO leaders are expected to endorse a goal of spending 5% of alliance members’ gross domestic product on security to fulfil plans for defending against outside attack. Spain said it has reached a deal with NATO to be excluded from the 5% target, while Trump said the figure shouldn’t apply to the United States, only its allies.

New York Post [6/24/2025 11:22 AM, Caitlin Doornbos and Steven Nelson, 49956K] reports that President Trump was formally nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize on Tuesday for his efforts in securing the Israel-Iran cease-fire. In a letter to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) recommended Trump for the prestigious prize "in recognition of his extraordinary and historic role in brokering an end to the armed conflict between Israel and Iran and preventing the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism from obtaining the most lethal weapon on the planet." "President Trump’s influence was instrumental in forging a swift agreement that many believed to be impossible," added Carter, who has represented the Peach State’s Savannah-based 1st District since 2015. "His leadership at this moment exemplifies the very ideals that the Nobel Peace Prize seeks to recognize: the pursuit of peace, the prevention of war, and the advancement of international harmony. "In a region plagued by historical animosity and political volatility, such a breakthrough demands both courage and clarity. President Trump demonstrated both, offering the world a rare glimpse of hope." Trump, 79, on Monday evening announced a cease-fire between Iran and Israel — and proposed naming the conflict the "12 Day War" — just two days after ordering an unprecedented US attack on three Iranian nuclear sites in support of Israeli strikes.

Reuters [6/25/2025 4:31 AM, Gram Slattery, Alexander Cornwell and Parisa Hafezi, 51390K] reports the ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump between Iran and Israel appeared to be holding on Wednesday a day after both countries signalled that their air war had ended, at least for now. Each side claimed victory on Tuesday after 12 days of war, which the U.S. joined with airstrikes in support of Israel to take out Iran’s uranium-enrichment facilities. Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said late on Tuesday that talks between the United States and Iran were "promising" and that Washington was hopeful for a long-term peace deal. "We are already talking to each other, not just directly but also through interlocutors," Witkoff said in an interview on Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle" show. "We are hopeful that we can have a long-term peace agreement that resurrects Iran.” Israel’s bombing campaign, launched with a surprise attack on June 13, wiped out the top echelon of Iran’s military leadership, killed its leading nuclear scientists and targeted nuclear sites and missiles. Iran responded with missiles that pierced Israel’s defences in large numbers for the first time. Iranian authorities said 610 people were killed and nearly 5,000 injured in Iran, where the extent of the damage could not be independently confirmed because of tight restrictions on media. Twenty-eight people were killed in Israel. The United States joined two days before the end of the war, by dropping huge bunker-busting bombs on nuclear sites, including the most sensitive buried under a mountain. Trump said it had "obliterated" Iran’s nuclear programme, making it impossible for Iran to make an atomic bomb, effectively sweeping the main issue of contention at talks off the table. Iran has always denied seeking nuclear weapons. But there was uncertainty over the extent to which Iran’s nuclear programme had in fact been damaged. An initial report by the U.S. government’s Defense Intelligence Agency suggested the damage may have been less severe than Trump suggested, according to three people familiar with the matter. One of the sources said Iran’s enriched uranium stocks had not been eliminated, and its nuclear programme may have been set back only a month or two. The White House said the intelligence assessment was "flat out wrong". Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Politico: "The bottom line is, they are much further away from a nuclear weapon today than they were before the president took this bold action.”

New York Post [6/24/2025 9:22 AM, Diana Glebova, 49956K] reports President Trump said Tuesday he does not seek regime change in Iran, as doing so could lead to "chaos." "No. If there was, there was, but no, I don’t want it. I’d like to see everything calm down as quickly as possible," the president told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to the NATO summit in the Netherlands. "Regime change takes chaos and ideally we don’t want to see so much chaos. So we’ll see how it goes." Trump urged both Iran and Israel to adopt a ceasefire and end hostilities on Monday after ordering a US military strike on Tehran’s nuclear sites on Saturday.

NewsMax [6/24/2025 7:29 PM, Solange Reyner, 4622K] reports Iran has over the past 10 days arrested over 500 people, including some suspected of working for Israeli intelligence, according to human rights group Hengaw. The Norway-based Kurdish human rights organization said at least 530 people had been charged with either "espionage for Israel," "propaganda against the state," or "spreading public anxiety.” Hengaw in a release said it "strongly condemns the ongoing wave of arrests and executions carried out under the guise of national security.” "The organization emphasizes that the Islamic Republic of Iran is systematically using politically motivated charges to silence dissent and dismantle fundamental freedoms.” The group called on international human rights bodies to pressure Iran to "halt these violations" and urged the country "to ensure independent monitoring of the legal status, treatment, and safety of all detainees.”

The Hill [6/24/2025 3:55 PM, Elizabeth Crisp, 18649K] reports the U.S. government is offering $5 million for information about the whereabouts of an Afghan American businessman last seen in Afghanistan in 2022. Mahmood Shah Habibi, who worked for a telecommunications company in Kabul at the time of his disappearance, is thought to have been taken into custody by the Taliban. "We have determined he has been disappeared, and he has not been heard from," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters during a press briefing on Tuesday. "He was taken, and he has not been heard from since.” According to the State Department, Habibi and his driver were taken from their vehicle near Habibi’s home in Kabul City on Aug. 10, 2022, but the Taliban has not provided any updates about his location or condition. His family has spent the past two years publicly pleading for information about his disappearance. "We initially kept it quiet and worked with the State Department in the hope that the Taliban would realize that my brother’s arrest was a mistake," Habibi’s older brother wrote in an op-ed The Hill published last year. "But here we are, and another year has passed and my brother is still not home.” The U.S. military pulled troops out of Afghanistan in 2021 in a deal with the Taliban that ultimately led to the Islamic militant group gaining full control of the country.

New York Times [6/25/2025 2:17 AM, David Pierson and Keith Bradsher, 153395K] reports China has strengthened controls on two chemicals that can be used to make fentanyl, its latest step in addressing an issue that has become tangled in its broader trade dispute with the United States. The Trump administration has accused Beijing of not doing enough to stem the flow of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid, into the United States, where it kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Earlier this year, the administration cited the issue as it imposed tariffs totaling 20 percent on Chinese goods. This week, six Chinese government agencies said they had added two chemicals, 4-piperidone and 1-Boc-4-piperidone, to a list of so-called precursor chemicals, or base ingredients, for fentanyl that would be more strictly controlled, according to a joint statement. The move “demonstrates China’s sincerity in wanting to work with the United States on this issue,” said Yun Sun, the director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington research institute. The new restrictions, which take effect on July 20, were announced days after China’s minister of public security, Wang Xiaohong, met with David Perdue, the recently appointed U.S. ambassador to China, in Beijing last week to discuss efforts to fight drug trafficking. The United States has accused Chinese producers of supplying drug cartels with the ingredients to make fentanyl, which the cartels smuggle into the United States. China has maintained, however, that it is not responsible for America’s fentanyl crisis, which it says is rooted in the abuse of prescription painkillers and ineffective regulation in that country.

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