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

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

The AP [3/30/2025 9:31 PM, Barbara Ortutay, 2454K] reports U.S. immigration officials are asking the public and federal agencies to comment on a proposal to collect social media handles from people applying for benefits such as green cards or citizenship, to comply with an executive order from President Donald Trump. The March 5 notice raised alarms from immigration and free speech advocates because it appears to expand the government’s reach in social media surveillance to people already vetted and in the U.S. legally, such as asylum seekers, green card and citizenship applicants -- and not just those applying to enter the country. That said, social media monitoring by immigration officials has been a practice for over a decade, since at least the second Obama administration and ramping up under Trump’s first term. The Department of Homeland Security issued a 60-day notice asking for public commentary on its plan to comply with Trump’s executive order titled “Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats.” The plan calls for “uniform vetting standards” and screening people for grounds of inadmissibility to the U.S., as well as identify verification and “national security screening.” It seeks to collect social media handles and the names of platforms, although not passwords. The policy seeks to require people to share their social media handles when applying for U.S. citizenship, green card, asylum and other immigration benefits. The proposal is open to feedback from the public until May 5. “The basic requirements that are in place right now is that people who are applying for immigrant and non-immigrant visas have to provide their social media handles,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, managing director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program at New York University. “Where I could see this impacting is someone who came into the country before visa-related social media handle collection started, so they wouldn’t have provided it before and now they’re being required to. Or maybe they did before, but their social media use has changed.” “This fairly widely expanded policy to collect them for everyone applying for any kind of immigration benefit, including people who have already been vetted quite extensively,” she added. Telemundo [3/30/2025 10:00 PM, Staff, 2K] reports that the March 5 announcement generated alarm among immigration and free speech advocates because it appears to expand the government’s scope of social media surveillance to people who have already been vetted and are legally in the United States, such as asylum seekers, green card applicants and citizenship applicants, and not just those applying to enter the country. The Department of Homeland Security issued a 60-day notice for a public consultation on its plan to comply with Trump’s executive order entitled "Protecting the United States from Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats." The plan calls for "uniform vetting standards" and screening individuals for grounds of inadmissibility to the United States, as well as identity verification and "national security vetting." It seeks to collect social media usernames and platform names, though not passwords. The policy seeks to require individuals to list their social media usernames when applying for U.S. citizenship, green cards, asylum and other immigration benefits. The proposal is open for public comment until May 5. The basic requirements that are in place right now are that people applying for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas must provide their social network identifiers," said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, director of the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program at New York University. "Where I could see this impacting is someone who entered the country before the collection of visa-related social network usernames began, so they wouldn’t have provided it before and now they’re required to do so. Or maybe they did before, but their social media usage has changed." "This pretty much expanded the policy to collecting them for everyone applying for any kind of immigration benefit, including people who have already been vetted pretty extensively," he added. What this indicates, along with other signals from the government, such as detaining people and revoking student visas for participating in campus protests that the government considers anti-Semitic and sympathetic to the Palestinian armed group Hamas, Levinson-Waldman added, is the increasing use of social networks to "make these very high-risk decisions about people."

FOX News [3/30/2025 12:45 PM, Emma Colton, 46189K] reprots President Donald Trump slammed U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg and other "radical left judges" for reportedly working to hamper his ability to serve as president through legal orders preventing the deportation of violent illegal immigrants residing in the U.S. "People are shocked by what is going on with the Court System. I was elected for many reasons, but a principal one was LAW AND ORDER, a big part of which is QUICKLY removing a vast Criminal Network of individuals, who came into our Country through the Crooked Joe Biden Open Borders Policy! These are dangerous and violent people, who kill, maim and, in many other ways, harm the people of our Country," Trump posted to Truth Social on Sunday morning. "The Voters want them OUT, and said so in Record Numbers. If it was up to District Judge Boasberg and other Radical Left Judges, nobody would be removed, the President wouldn’t be allowed to do his job, and people’s lives would be devastated all throughout our Country. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!," he added. Trump’s message comes after Boasberg, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., extended a restraining order on Friday against the use of the Alien Enemies Act, a 1798 wartime immigration law, by the Trump administration to deport violent gang members with alleged ties to gangs, such as Venezuelan criminal organization Tren de Aragua (TdA). Boasberg ruled the extension will run through April 12. A separate federal judge in Boston, U.S. District Judge Brian Murphy, blocked the deportation of migrants to countries where they have no existing relationship without a chance to go to court to contest that move. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 allows deportation of natives and citizens of an enemy nation without a hearing, and has been invoked three times before, during the War of 1812, World War I and World War II. On March 15, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to halt its deportations of illegal immigrants under the wartime powers act. The Trump administration filed an emergency request for the U.S. appeals court to intervene in the case, and called on the Supreme Court last week to lift the judge’s block to deporting illegal aliens under the wartime act. "This case presents fundamental questions about who decides how to conduct sensitive national-security-related operations in this country – the President, through Article II, or the judiciary," acting Solicitor General Sarah Harris told the Supreme Court. "The Constitution supplies a clear answer: the president. The republic cannot afford a different choice.”

Reuters [3/30/2025 2:36 PM, David Morgan, 41523K] reports a prominent conservative senator predicted on Sunday that Donald Trump’s tax-cuts and immigration agenda will not advance in the U.S. Senate unless the president and Republican leaders agree to slash federal spending to a level last seen before the COVID-19 pandemic. Republican Ron Johnson, a member of the Senate’s budget and tax-writing committees, said spending cuts need to exceed a $2 trillion target approved as part of the agenda by the House of Representatives. He called on Republican leaders to create a review process to find additional cuts in the federal budget. "Without a commitment to returning to some reasonable pre-pandemic spending level, and a process to actually achieve it, I don’t think that’s going anywhere," the Wisconsin Republican told the Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures" program. "That’s going to be the discussion," said Johnson, who wants to scale back total federal outlays from an estimated $7 trillion this year to a $4.4 trillion level seen in 2019. "We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address this. This is our moment," he said. Johnson’s comments could spell trouble for Senate majority leader John Thune, who hopes to pass a revised version of the House plan this week. Republicans have a 53-47 majority in the Senate and need at least 50 votes to pass the agenda plan with Vice President JD Vance wielding a tie-breaking vote. But congressional Republicans are widely split over spending cuts. Like Johnson, several Senate Republicans want far larger reductions than the House target to pay for the Trump agenda and address the $36.6 trillion U.S. debt. Others are urging modest cuts to protect social safety-net programs including Medicaid health coverage for low-income Americans.

The Hill [3/30/2025 12:00 PM, Mike Lillis, 52868K] reports a month ago, James Carville, the highly influential Democratic strategist, advised his party to "play dead" and allow President Trump and his Republican allies who control Congress to self-destruct under the weight of unpopular policies. House Democrats are rejecting the strategy outright. Heading into the high-stakes battle over Trump’s sweeping domestic agenda, Democratic leaders are instead launching a forceful, in-your-face battle over the GOP’s plans for tax cuts, tougher immigration laws and steep reductions in federal spending, vowing to take the fight directly to the public in hopes that voter backlash will sink the Republican wish list before it can reach the president’s desk. "We are going to fight every day, tooth and nail, to make sure that the American people get the benefits they have paid for, like Social Security, and that they deserve, like good public schools," said Rep. Katherine Clark (Mass.), the Democratic whip, who also singled out proposed cuts to veterans programs and health care benefits as particularly egregious. "We are ready to match the fire we are hearing at home from people — the outrage and the fear — here in Congress.” From the minority, Democrats have virtually no power to block Trump’s domestic agenda on Capitol Hill, where Republicans control both chambers of Congress and GOP leaders are planning to move the legislation on an obscure procedural track, known as reconciliation, that makes Democratic opposition irrelevant if Republicans stay united. But with Republicans clinging to slim majorities in both chambers, Democrats are ramping up a series of highly public campaigns designed to aggravate voter anxiety surrounding Trump’s domestic agenda — particularly cuts to Medicaid and other federal programs providing basic services to lower- and working-class people — and maximize the political risk for vulnerable Republicans who choose to support it. The campaign features a series of hardball tactics aimed not only to persuade a handful of centrist Republicans to oppose the package, but also to demonstrate to the Democrats’ restless base that they’re fighting the good fight against Trump’s efforts to dismantle the federal government and the services it provides. Health care is at the center of the battle.

Bloomberg [3/31/2025 1:21 AM, Skylar Woodhouse, 16228K] reports President Donald Trump said he plans to start his reciprocal tariff push with “all countries,” tamping down speculation that he could limit the initial scope of tariffs set to be unveiled April 2. “You’d start with all countries, so let’s see what happens,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. “I haven’t heard a rumor about 15 countries, 10 or 15.” Trump is set to launch so-called reciprocal tariffs on April 2, a centerpiece of his plan to rebalance global trade and boost US manufacturing while collecting tariff payments to fund his domestic policy priorities, including an extension of tax cuts from his first administration and additional tax promises made during the 2024 campaign. The White House hasn’t yet outlined what tariffs are coming, how they’ll be calculated, or what countries will need to do to secure coveted exemptions. Trump has also said his tariffs will account for other countries’ non-tariff barriers, though hasn’t detailed how those calculations will be made. The administration also hasn’t specified when these new tariffs will take effect. “We’re going to be much nicer than they were to us, but it’s substantial money for the country,” he said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent earlier this month said the Trump administration’s coming action would focus on what he called the “dirty 15,” a percentage of the world’s economies that have substantial tariff and other barriers and together account for “a huge amount of our trading volume.” Though Bessent didn’t name them, a Bloomberg Economics report shows 15 US trade partners, nine of which are in Asia, together account for more than 75% of all US imports and were also included in a recent administration document inviting public comment to identify any potential unfair trade practices. Axios [3/30/2025 11:05 PM, Rebecca Falconer, 13163K] reports President Trump said Sunday his reciprocal tariffs launch this week will affect "all countries." Trump is expected to announce wide-ranging levies on Wednesday, which he is calling "Liberation Day," but the administration has yet to reveal many key details of this plan or when levies will be implemented. Trump’s economic policy that’s designed to protect domestic companies has already ignited a trade war, with counter-tariffs announced by the European Union and China, and Canadian officials have promised a swift response if the planned auto tariffs take effect on Wednesday. "You’d start with all countries," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One of the sweeping plan, as they traveled back from Florida to D.C. "Essentially all of the countries that we’re talking about." Asked whether he’s weighing higher rates of tariffs, Trump said: "No, the tariffs will be far more generous than those countries were to us. ... They ripped us off." Trump suggested there had been historical imbalances in trade with countries in Asia. "You could take a look at trade with Asia and I wouldn’t say anybody has treated us fairly or nicely," Trump said. Stock markets fell in Asia on Monday morning following Trump’s comments, with Japan’s Nikkei 225 benchmark falling 4%, South Korea’s Kospi around 2.5% lower and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index down 1.7%. In Australia, the ASX closed 1.7% lower. Trump’s tariffs have contributed to concerns about potential stagflation, a combination of stagnant growth and elevated inflation. Asked about stagflation concerns, Trump told reporters: "I haven’t heard that term in years. No, I don’t know anything about it. This country is going to be more successful than it ever was. It’s going to boom." The goal is for more U.S.-made products and services. "We have our own lumber. We have our own energy; we don’t need energy from Canada," said Trump, in reference to Ontario’s warning it’ll levy electricity exports to Michigan, Minnesota and New York if the North American ally is hit with more tariffs. "We don’t need cars from Canada." Trump told NBC News earlier Sunday he "couldn’t care less" if auto makers raise prices due to his planned tariffs "because people are going to start buying American-made cars."

AP [3/30/2025 1:20 PM, Staff, 24727K] reports officials in Minnesota are seeking answers in the case of a University of Minnesota graduate student who’s being detained by U.S. immigration authorities for unknown reasons. University leadership said Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained the student Thursday at an off-campus residence. Officials said the school was not given advance notice about the detention and did not share information with federal authorities. The student’s name and nationality have not been released. As the case remained largely a mystery, state and local leaders called on federal authorities to explain their actions. "My office and I are doing all we can to get information about this concerning case," Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a post on the social media site X. "We’re in contact with the University and understand they had no prior warning or information that led to this detainment.” She said that international students are "a major part of the fabric of life in the school and our community.” The detained student is enrolled in business school at the university’s Twin Cities campus. University officials said the school is providing the student with legal aid and other support services. The university’s graduate labor union organized a protest Saturday outside the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in downtown Minneapolis. Organizers said they stood in solidarity with international students facing uncertain futures as the new Trump administration pursues an immigration crackdown that has targeted people with ties to American colleges and universities. "An increasing number of international students are being detained without due process across the country," leaders of the University of Minnesota Graduate Labor Union-United Electrical Local 1105 said in a statement. "These constitutional violations are part of a larger plan to continue stripping our rights away from us, starting with immigrants. It will not stop there.” Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said on X that he is in touch with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. "The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research," Walz wrote. "We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers.”

Newsweek [3/30/2025 7:25 AM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is demanding answers from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) after a student at the University of Minnesota was detained by federal immigration authorities. "The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research," Walz wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. "We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers," he added. Newsweek contacted the office of Walz and DHS for further comment outside of office hours. President Donald Trump has vowed to remove millions of undocumented immigrants from the country as he looks to fulfill his campaign vow of mass deportations. The Republican leader has granted Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) the authority to conduct arrests in or near sensitive locations such as schools and universities. The incident surrounding the University of Minnesota student detained by immigration authorities has raised concerns regarding enforcement operations near educational institutions. Walz, who was Kamala Harris’ running mate, lost the presidential election to the Trump-JD Vance ticket. Immigration played a key role in the 2024 election. ICE agents detained the graduate student from the University of Minnesota earlier this week, the university said in a statement on Friday, describing the incident as "deeply concerning.” The student was arrested on Thursday at an off-campus residence, according to a statement from the university’s president, Rebecca Cunningham. "The university had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred," the statement reads.

Minnesota Public Radio [3/30/2025 9:00 AM, Staff, 60K] reports union workers rallied in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday days after an international graduate student was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. United Electrical locals from across the country had already gathered for a conference this weekend when they heard the news. United Electrical represents several graduate student unions including those of Stanford, MIT and the University of Minnesota. Around 100 members marched to Marquette Plaza, adjacent to a federal immigration field office. "An attack on one of us, is an attack on all of us. As a union we remain committed to protecting our international graduate workers," said Abaki Beck, president of GLU-UE Local 1105, the union of graduate employees at the University of Minnesota. MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. Carl Rosen leads the union that represents many graduate school student workers across the country. He said international students play a critical role at their institutions and in the national economy, and he’s worried they’ll be discouraged from applying to U.S. schools. "What they’re going to do is cut all these folks off from coming and frankly who would want to come here?" said Rosen, president of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. "What does that say about America that people aren’t going to want to come here? It’s just shameful.” No information has come out publicly about the University of Minnesota student or why they were taken into custody on Thursday.

CNN [3/30/2025 6:27 PM, Susannah Cullinane, 52868K] reports a fire damaged the entryway at the Republican Party of New Mexico’s Albuquerque headquarters early Sunday, which the party called "a deliberate act of arson.” The words "ICE=KKK" were spray-painted on the building, the party said in a media release posted to X. No one was hurt in the fire, it said, and law enforcement is investigating. "This horrific attack, fueled by hatred and intolerance, is a direct assault on our values, freedoms, and our right to political expression," it said. "This is not an isolated incident. It is part of a disturbing pattern of politically motivated violence that has plagued our country — fueled in part by the silence and implicit encouragement from progressive leaders who refuse to condemn these acts.” The fire comes amid protests against moves by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Republican Trump administration to deport migrants. The FBI has also created a task force to "crack down on violent Tesla attacks" after vandalism and acts of violence aimed at the electric car manufacturer, whose CEO, Elon Musk, is leading President Donald Trump’s efforts to downsize the federal government workforce. Albuquerque Fire Rescue said it was dispatched to the San Francisco Road address just before 6 a.m. for a reported structure fire. "The fire was brought under control within 5 minutes of their arrival. The structure suffered damage to the front entryway and smoke damage throughout the building. No injuries to civilians or firefighters were reported," it said on Facebook. The chairwoman of the Republican Party of New Mexico, Amy Barela, said the group is working alongside investigators and will "not be silenced.” "We are deeply relieved that no one was harmed in what could have been a tragic and deadly attack. Those who resort to violence to undermine our state and nation must be held accountable, and our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated," Barela said. Reuters [3/30/2025 11:34 PM, Andrew Hay, 41523K] reports that the single-story structure suffered damage to its entryway and smoke damage throughout, Albuquerque Fire Rescue said on social media. The FBI said it was leading the investigation to find the "culprit(s) responsible," a spokeswoman for the agency said in a statement. The fire comes after US Immigration and Customs Enforcement said, it arrested 48 illegal immigrants, 20 of them with criminal convictions, during raids in Albuquerque, state capital Santa Fe and Roswell, New Mexico earlier this month. The graffiti appeared to equate the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan hate group to ICE, the agency President Donald Trump has tasked to deport millions of illegal immigrants. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "Our state leaders must reinforce through decisive action that these cowardly attacks will not be tolerated," Republican Party of New Mexico Chairwoman Amy Barela said in a statement. The Democratic Party of New Mexico said it condemned the "vandalism" of the Republican Party headquarters. "We firmly maintain that this sort of act has absolutely no place in our democracy," the state Democratic Party said on social media. "We hope whoever is responsible is found and held accountable.” The fire follows the conviction this month of a failed Republican candidate for the New Mexico House of Representatives who carried out drive-by shootings on the Albuquerque homes of Democratic officials during 2022 and 2023.

Reported similarly:
New York Times [3/30/2025 6:41 PM, Livia Albeck-Ripka, 145325K]
AP [3/30/2025 7:46 PM, Staff, 44742K]
CBS News [3/30/2025 3:41 PM, Kaia Hubbard, 51661K]
Newsweek [3/30/2025 5:26 PM, Billal Rahman, 3973K]

San Diego Union Tribune [3/30/2025 8:03 AM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1682K] reports for a year and a half, the migrant shelter run by Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Logan Heights was regularly at capacity, a bridge for recently arrived asylum seekers looking to settle in San Diego. But that number plummeted when President Donald Trump ended the CBP One appointment system, which had allowed undocumented immigrants to schedule asylum screenings at ports of entry. By March, only two people from Venezuela were left at the shelter, and they eventually left the county. Earlier this month, the shelter suspended operations. "I’m a little sad, honestly," Pastor Scott Santarosa told parishioners following last weekend’s Sunday Mass, thanking those who once donated blankets, food or volunteer services. "But we have to adapt to new situations.” Likewise, the county’s two major migrant sheltering agencies gave notice that they will be laying off employees by the end of next month. Catholic Charities in San Diego will let go of 73 employees at its two shelters, one in San Diego County and the other in Imperial County. Jewish Family Service will do the same with about 115 employees at its San Diego Rapid Response Network migrant shelter — once hailed as a national model for welcoming a large number of people. "This decision comes after a significant decrease in the number of asylum seekers crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, driven by recent changes in federal policy," Catholic Charities said in a statement. "With the reduced demand for asylum services, (Catholic Charities) has made the difficult decision to close the shelter. This outcome had been anticipated, as all employees were hired on a temporary basis, with an understanding that the program could be subject to closure.” Both Catholic Charities and Jewish Family Service secured an additional $20 million each from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Shelter and Services Program in August. Jewish Family Service recently said it still has not received any of the FEMA money, which is typically paid out as reimbursements for expenses.

Telemundo51 [3/30/2025 4:33 PM, Staff, 171K] reports Cuba called for a stop U.S. deportation from becoming a "weapon of blackmail and political pressure" against nations and reaffirmed the island country’s commitment "to regular, safe and orderly migration." During the 25th Political Council of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA), in Caracas, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said that the "politically motivated use of the mass, violent and racist deportations of migrants by the United States constitutes a flagrant, massive and systematic violation of human rights." The Cuban foreign minister said the use of the Guantanamo naval base that "usurps the United States to imprison migrants is a brutal and illegal act that threatens the security and peace of Cuba and the region." Rodriguez noted that the "kidnapping without jurisdiction or due process, without trial, defense or sanction of competent court and sending Venezuelan migrants and any citizenry to third countries by the United States is an atrocious act and constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment." The diplomat thus referred to the recent deportation of more than 200 migrants to El Salvador by the United States, which accuses them of allegedly belonging to the criminal organization Aragua Train, although the White House has not made public the identities of these persons, nor evidence of their alleged association with that or another group. The Cuban official pointed to the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, whom he called "corrupt, anodyne and blackmailer," as the "main responsible and promoter of the persecution and attempted mass deportation of Cubans residing or temporary" in the United States, including "many who entered that country regularly, who work and pay taxes." In this regard, Rodriguez reiterated that the "main motivation of Cuban migration is economic" and "because of the U.S. embargo." On behalf of the government of Miguel Díaz-Canel, he expressed "the willingness to maintain dialogue" with Donald Trump’s administration on "migrating and law enforcement issues, which includes cooperation in the prevention and persecution" of "trafficking in persons and illegal trafficking of migrants," as well as "terrorism and drug trafficking."

Washington Post [3/30/2025 7:45 AM, Staff, 31735K] reports Rumeysa Ozturk, the Tufts University student who was whisked away last week by masked federal agents in the Boston area to a detention center in Louisiana, will surely not be the last person to be treated this way. Secretary of State Marco Rubio says he has revoked about 300 visas from foreign students for participating in pro-Palestinian activities at school. “We gave you a visa to come and study and get a degree — not to become a social activist that tears up our university campuses,” Rubio said Thursday. Last year, Ozturk co-authored an op-ed in a student newspaper criticizing Tufts for rejecting resolutions passed by the student Senate that criticized what it described as “genocide” in Gaza. Three other students had bylines on the piece, and 32 others endorsed it. This might be in part why the Department of Homeland Security said Ozturk “engaged in activities in support of Hamas,” but no evidence was provided to back up the claim. Ozturk was grabbed Tuesday on her way to break the Ramadan fast. Surveillance footage shows what surely must have felt traumatizing, as plainclothes officers usher her briskly into a waiting car. There’s no indication she has any violent history, so why could DHS not simply have sent a letter notifying her that her visa had been canceled and that she had 30 days to leave the country? The objective seems to have been to sow fear. With this action, the Trump administration weakens America’s appeal to many of the best and brightest young people abroad who might want to visit or study in the United States. Maybe they want to live the American Dream. Or they want a taste of the U.S. secret sauce to bring home. Maybe they’ll use their experience to get rich, or bolster civil society in their native countries. By crushing such aspirations, Trump weakens America’s global leadership. A dispiriting irony in the Ozturk incident is that it occurs as her home country of Turkey drifts deeper into authoritarianism. Demonstrators took to the streets there after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan jailed his chief political rival, the mayor of Istanbul, on what appear to be bogus charges. The BBC said Thursday that Turkey had deported its correspondent who had been covering the protests because he was “a threat to public order.” The U.S. government has less moral authority to condemn such actions when it, too, harasses visitors. Her arrest is part of a fast-forming pattern. Reports of foreign visitors being hassled at U.S. ports of entry are increasing. Customs and Border Protection agents have been demanding to look at individuals’ cellphones before letting them into the country. All travelers are subject to search, to be sure, but this authority was not always used so frequently. Last year, fewer than 0.01 percent of arriving international travelers had their devices searched. This share now appears to be rising.

The Hill [3/30/2025 1:00 PM, Duncan Wood, 52868K] reports President Trump has exposed a reality that we have ignored for far too long: International trade is no longer just about economics — it is also about national security. The U.S. faces a critical challenge in ensuring that the goods flowing into the country are not just cheap and efficient, but also safe and strategically sound. Our global supply chains, long built for maximum cost-effectiveness, are now potential liabilities, susceptible to exploitation by adversaries and prone to disruption. Nowhere is this risk more pronounced than in our economic competition with China. For decades now, we have recognized that financial institutions must exercise Know Your Customer policies. This helps to minimize the risks from money laundering and keeps funds out of the hands of terrorist organizations and organized crime. In a similar vein, as geopolitical tensions with China rise, we must ask whether we really know where our products come from, and more importantly, who controls them. The U.S. depends heavily on imports for many essential goods — pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, medical devices and critical minerals, to name a few. This reliance is not inherently dangerous, but our inability to trace these goods to their origin leaves us vulnerable. During the years of peak globalization, American businesses prioritized efficiency, often sourcing materials and products from the lowest-cost supplier. The problem? Many of those suppliers operate in opaque networks, particularly in China, where state-owned enterprises and undisclosed subcontracting make it difficult to determine the true origin of products. A single semiconductor or medical device may pass through multiple unknown hands before arriving in the U.S., making it virtually impossible to verify its integrity. What’s more, China regularly sells products to third countries who then trans-ship the products on to the U.S., evading tariffs or sanctions. A recent case exposed a Chinese transshipment of oil through Thailand to evade more than a quarter million dollars in tariffs. As the Trump administration tries to reduce our exposure to Chinese goods, strengthen U.S. manufacturing and bring investment to America, this blind spot can no longer be tolerated. The consequences of a lack of transparency are serious.

CNN’s State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash [3/30/2025 12:56 PM, Staff, 592K] reports Senator James Lankford a member of the Intelligence and Homeland Security committees is asked about the protentional national security breach that happened in a group chat earlier last week. The Senate Armed Services Committee chair, Roger Wicker, he said the incident -- quote -- "raises questions as to the use of unclassified networks to discuss sensitive and classified information." He wants the Pentagon inspector general to investigate. Senator Lankford is asked if he also wants and independent investigation of how the breach happened. "It’s entirely appropriate for the inspector general to be able to look at it and to be able to ask two questions. One is, obviously, how did a reporter get into this thread in the conversation? And the second part of the conversation is, when individuals from the administration are not sitting at their desk in a classified setting on a classified computer, how do they communicate to each other? Currently, it’s through encrypted apps is how that communication happens. The next question is, is that the right way to be able to do it? Obviously, that’s the way it has been done for quite a while now while they’re out on the road. But I do want to remind everybody this is about the Houthis attacking the Americans. That’s -- the story behind the story here is that Houthis have attacked American ships 170-some-odd times. So, for the Trump administration to push back on them is an entirely appropriate thing to be able to do," Senator Lankford comments. The question is about the plans and whether or not it was appropriate to be discussing them on the app. Lankford says that he believes that Roge Wicker has called for the inspector general to take a look and examine the situation and Lanford feels that appropriate. "I think it’s entirely appropriate. Again, there’s two questions. One is, how did a reporter get in this conversation? And the second one is, how do members of the administration talk to each other when they’re on the road on things that are clearly timely? The launch of an American strike on the Houthis is a timely issue. They can’t all go to their desk, sit in a SCIF to be able to have that dialogue. Where and how do they have that dialogue? What’s the most secure way to do it?" Senator Lankford comments.

CNN’s State of the Union With Jake Tapper and Dana Bash [3/30/2025 12:56 PM, Staff, 592K] reports Rumeysa Ozturk She is a Turkish Ph.D. student at Tufts University. The video that has gone viral appears to show men in plainclothes grabbing and handcuffing her, taking her away in a van. Now, the Trump administration claims that she engaged in activities in support of Hamas. They’re apparently referring to an op-ed she wrote criticizing Tufts’ response to Gaza protests. Senator Lankford is on the Intelligence Committee. Lankford is asked: "Have you seen any evidence that she took action to support Hamas? And, just more broadly, are you comfortable with the government arresting and trying to deport someone who is here legally and who as of right now has not been charged with a crime? "No, we have not gone through the intelligence. At least I have not gone through the intelligence report specifically in that case. But I would tell you, there is a requirement that, if you’re a student or under a legal visa here in the United States and you’re supporting a terror organization, you can be removed from the United States. That is current federal law. That has been used in the past and should be used again. We should not have individuals that are here under a tourist visa, student visa, work visa that actually come in and abuse that system to be able to undermine the United States. So this is not a suppression of free speech, just saying Americans have the rights of free speech. But if you’re a foreigner coming into our country and you’re coming to undermine our country, whether it’s in support of terrorism or not, that should be something we do not allow." Senator Lankford states.

CBS’ Face The Nation [3/30/2025 11:51 AM, Staff, 4201K] reports Senator Mark Warner is asked: "Are you glad this administration is taking a more aggressive military posture against the Houthis? And do you believe, if it is successful, it will reopen commercial shipping through the Red Sea? " I think we should take more affirmative action. I think the administration is doing the right thing. I would rather them do it with more of our allies involved, but the fact that Donald Trump’s America first is turning quickly into America alone. But the basis of going after Houthis in a stronger, tougher way, I agree with them." Warner comments. The administration argues the Biden administration didn’t do enough. Warner said that the Biden Administration took repeated actions against the Houthis but thinks the could have done more.

NBC’s Meet the Press [3/30/2025 12:10 PM, Staff] reports Republican Senator Markwayne Mullin is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Senator Mullin is asked "Do you think it was appropriate for President Trump’s national security team to be discussing an imminent military strike on Signal, which is a commercial app?" Mullen comments, "Well, what this showed was an open conversation that was happening. And I think it was a very thoughtful conversation. But there was no war plans that The Atlantic put out. What they did is they had a very successful attack against the Houthis. It’s a terrorist organization that had been harassing our Navy for – since 2023. They had attacked our Navy 174 times and the Biden administration did nothing but sit on their hands. What the Trump administration did was take the fight directly to the Houthis. So, what this conversation should be is why didn’t the Biden administration do something the last two years instead of us being focused on this Signal chat? Which, there was no classified information given out. The conversation was a thoughtful conversation and the attack was extremely successful." He says that no classified information was leaked because there were no locations given, no reasons, no part of the world. Mullin goes on to say, "We have a lot of conflicts, a lot of issues going on around the world from Africa to anywhere in the Middle East, to even in Asia or possibly through Europe. This could have been going on any place in the world. There was no specific information except that a target was going to be hit."

ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos [3/30/2025 10:48 AM, Staff, 2392K] reports Republican Congressman Mike Turner, the former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, who has already called the data breach very concerning. "First off, this was a very successful operations and there were no consequences. The operation itself was not impacted, but oversight is working. The Senate Armed Services Committee, on a bipartisan basis, requested an inspector general investigation into this matter, the use of Signal, and to the issue of whether or not classified information was used, the source of the information in the Signal discussion. And that’s very important because it goes to really the heart of the source of the information and really the inconsistency across agencies as to the use of Signal and the appropriateness of the use of Signal." Representative Turner states.

ABC’s This Week With George Stephanopoulos [3/30/2025 10:48 AM, Staff, 2392K] reports there have been very strong denials from the administration that there was anything classified. So quite simply, was the information shared in the Signal app classified information or not? Sen. Mark Warner Ice Chair, Senate Intelligence Committee comments "Absolutely. It was of such a nature when you were doing the actual battle plans and the timing, what type of aircraft were being sent out. If you had been a traditional military officer or a CIA caseworker, and you were this sloppy and careless with this classified information, you would be fired. No doubt about it." They keep saying it was not classified. And what is the confusion there? Could Pete Hegseth have since made it unclassified? "There is no question, regardless of agency, that this was classified. And the point, what I wish Hegseth and those folks who are obfuscating, as giving them the benefit of the doubt, I think they’re lying about -- they should know this is classified." Warner states.

Washington Post [3/30/2025 8:00 AM, Tatum Hunter, 31735K] reports when Sheidriany Pomales was scrolling TikTok during a break from her job at a kindergarten, she came across a video that made her stomach sink. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers were hanging around the entrance to the subway on 125th Street and Lexington — right next to where Pomales, her mother and many of their friends live. She quickly exited the app and called her mom with a warning and a request that she pass the information along. Her mom used WhatsApp to reach out to undocumented friends and co-workers who made plans to take alternate routes to work or skip errands such as grocery shopping. Pomales made her own video about the alleged sighting on her go-to social platform, TikTok, using the algospeak code phrase “ice cream truck” instead of ICE or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency. “I get my news from TikTok, so if I learn something about ICE, I’m going to share it there,” said Pomales, 20, who immigrated legally to the United States in 2014. Amid a crackdown on illegal immigration by the Trump administration, immigrants and their advocates are using social media platforms to share real-time locations of ICE vehicles and officers. The social media effort is helping some people avoid run-ins with ICE, but it’s also led to a flurry of unverified reports as well as backlash from activists who favor President Donald Trump’s aggressive approach. In the first two weeks of March, conversations surrounding ICE amassed almost 300,000 mentions on platforms X, Reddit and YouTube — a more than fivefold increase compared with the same period in February, according to data from analytics firm Sprout Social. “These organic online networks and movements have now become as impactful as community organizations,” said Julia Jean-Francois, co-executive director of the Brooklyn-based social service organization Center for Family Life. A spokesman for ICE referred to the Justice Department when asked whether tracking ICE activity online is against the law. The Justice Department declined to comment.

FOX News [3/30/2025 9:52 PM, Stepheny Price, 52868K] reports a TikTok user posted a disturbing video on the popular social media website, calling on people to "shoot at ICE [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] agents on sight." "Shoot at ICE agents on sight. That’s right. If ICE agents are trying to take you or a loved one, shoot them on sight," TikTok user belal_donq said in his video. The user claimed agents had been showing up in masks, unmarked vehicles, and without their badges, claiming that the agents "could be anybody." "The way they’re pulling up with masks on, with unmarked vehicles, no badge, no nothing. It could be anybody. It can be gang members. You have every right to shoot at them," he continued. "This would be the best self-defense case. You’re just in fear for your life. You don’t know who’s behind that unmarked vehicle or who’s behind that mask." He then says the way agents have been allegedly showing up "is ridiculous." "What is our country coming to? Why would you want to be an ICE agent anyway? Do you like separating kids from their parents? Do you like deporting students that are studying? I can understand deporting a gang member or criminals. But innocent people. It’s ridiculous." "They’re pulling up like the Mafia. You might as well shoot them on sight and have your day in court." Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared a thread of the video and vowed that actions would be taken against the person who posted the video. "If you threaten or attempt to harm a law enforcement officer we will find you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law," Noem wrote in a post on X. User belal_donq appeared to take down the video Sunday evening after Fox News Digital reached out to him on TikTok. National Border Patrol Council Vice President Hector Garza told Fox News Digital that this type of message is not only dangerous, but that it also "incites real-world violence." "This kind of rhetoric is not only dangerous, it incites real-world violence and undermines the rule of law. Our agents risk their lives every day to protect this country, and they deserve to do their jobs without fear of being targeted simply for wearing the uniform," Garza said. "The National Border Patrol Council unequivocally condemns any form of violence or threats directed at federal law enforcement officers, including our colleagues at ICE," he continued. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 5:01 PM, Peter Wade, 52868K] reports the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has obtained a list from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that reveals just how terrifyingly easy it is for the government to designate a Venezuelan immigrant as an "Alien Enemy," including allowing ICE officers to declare tattoos and items of clothing as containing gang signs. American Immigration Council Senior Fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick shared on X (formerly Twitter) a copy of the "Alien Enemies Act Validation Guide" on Sunday. The guide outlines a point system ICE can use to deport immigrants it designates as members of the Tren de Aragua (TDA) gang and send them to the infamously cruel and inhumane Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador. Earlier this month, the administration flew nearly 300 Venezuelans to CECOT because it alleged they were members of TDA despite a court order instructing the government not to deport the immigrants. The administration has appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing judges do not have legal authority to halt its deportations. The ACLU and Democracy Forward have filed suit against the administration over the deportations, saying they violate the limits of the 1798 Alien Enemies Act and "improperly attempt… to bypass the procedures and protections in immigration law.” According to the checklist, an ICE official must determine that the immigrant is a Venezuelan citizen older than 14. After that, the guide lays out a point system the agency created with different allegations and point allotments. Any conviction for violating "federal or state law criminalizing or imposing civil penalties for activity related to TDA" constitutes 10 points. Self-identifying "as a member or associate of TDA verbally or in writing to law enforcement… even if that self-identification to a law enforcement officer is unwitting, e.g., through lawful interception of communications" is also 10 points. Communicating with known TDA members is six points. A section titled "Symbolism" allots four points for having "tattoos denoting membership/loyalty to TDA" or wearing clothing "to indicate allegiance to TDA." Social media posts "displaying symbols of TDA or depicting activity with other known members of TDA" get two points. In the "Association" section, merely being in "group photos with two or more known members of TDA" or living with known members of TDA is worth two points. Eight points or more is enough to classify immigrants "validated as members of TDA." For example, someone could be given six points for texting with a "known member of TDA" and another three points for sending money to a "known member" of TDA, Reichlin-Melnick pointed out. That totals to nine points, enough for deportation as an alleged TDA member.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 2:31 PM, Beck Wehner, 52868K] reports a father and son from Woburn were sentenced to prison last week in connection with a conspiracy to smuggle migrants from Brazil into the United States. Jesse James Moraes, 67, and Hugo Giovanni Moraes, 45, are the owners of two Woburn restaurants, Taste of Brazil/Tudo Na Brasa and The Dog House Bar and Grill. Charging documents stated that the men’s conspiracy involved recruiting undocumented Brazilian migrants to come to the U.S. through Mexico without authorization. The co-conspirators allegedly recruited them in exchange for fees between $12,000 and $22,000 per person. The men reportedly encouraged the migrants to make fraudulent claims of asylum and familial relationship in the U.S., and gave them fraudulent information about points of contact they could give to authorities if they were caught. When the migrants arrived in the United States, the co-conspirators aided them in securing long-term housing, including apartments that Hugo’s relatives owned. Some of the migrants were arranged to work at the Woburn restaurants that the men owned. Jesse and Hugo Moraes reportedly told the migrants that they employed to obtain false identification documents, referring them to co-defendant Marcos Chacon Gil to do so. The men allowed some of the migrants to pay off some of their smuggling fee by direct payment, withheld wages, or collection by relatives or associates in or outside the U.S. Charging documents further stated that Jesse Moraes transferred funds in and out of the U.S. to promote the migrant smuggling conspiracy and to conduct transactions with the smuggling proceeds with the intent to conceal the operation. Both men were charged with conspiring to encourage and induce an alien to come to, enter, and reside in the United States, knowing or in reckless disregard of the fact that such coming to, entry, or residence is or will be in violation of law, for commercial advantage or private financial gain. Jesse Moraes was also charged with money laundering conspiracy.

FOX News [3/30/2025 10:29 PM, Greg Wehner, Bill Melugin, 52868K] reports a Honduran illegal alien accused of murdering a Georgia mother of five in a random attack earlier this month, faces additional charges including rape and necrophilia. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said David Hector Rivas-Sagastume, 21, has been the subject of a deportation order since July 2023. Earlier this month, he was charged with capital murder in the death of Camilia Williams, a 52-year-old mother of five and a grandmother. Her body was dumped in a wooded area in Cobb County, Georgia, authorities said. Prosecutors filed additional charges against Rivas-Sagastume on Friday, including malice murder, aggravated assault, rape, aggravated sexual battery and necrophilia. Williams’ family told local media outlets that she said a man had been following her in the days leading up to the night she was killed. Authorities have not determined the suspect’s connection to Williams. An arrest warrant states that Rivas-Sagastume assaulted Williams of Marietta, placing her in a chokehold, causing her to lose consciousness sometime between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. on March 12, Fox Atlanta reported. Once unconscious, Rivas-Sagastume allegedly told police he put both knees and his full body weight on her neck, leading to her death. The Department of Homeland Security told Fox News that Rivas-Sagastume entered the United States illegally on March 17, 2021, and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. "He was issued a notice to appear and paroled into the country by the previous administration," the statement said. "A judge ordered him removed on July 11, 2023. On March 18, 2025, he was arrested by the Cobb County Police Department for capital murder and other crimes." "ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Cobb County Jail. President Donald Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens—including accused murderers—to be loose on America’s streets."

Newsweek [3/30/2025 5:38 PM, Billal Rahman, 52220K] reports a Texas grandmother who has lived in the United States for more than two decades faces a life-threatening situation if she is deported, her daughter has told Newsweek. Margarita Avila, a landscaper, is currently in the custody of federal immigration authorities. She fled cartel violence from Belize in 2001 and may be forced to return to the same dangerous conditions she once escaped. She was arrested on March 12 and charged with assault for allegedly attacking a postal worker with a weed-eater. Her family claims she acted in self-defense and was wrongfully charged. The felony charge has impacted her immigration proceedings, leading to her detention by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Newsweek contacted ICE for further comment outside of office hours. Her daughter, Lisbet Azucena Ávila, told Newsweek about the devastating consequences her mother could face if deported. "She’s running away from a cartel that was threatening her life back in 2001 when she first came. And then when she left [for Belize] in 2012, she had to come right back six months later because the threat was still there," she said in an interview. Lisbet Avila fears that deportation would put her mother in immediate danger, adding that her mother is legally in the country and is currently seeking asylum. "If she were to get deported, she would be going back to that situation. So we don’t want to think about that because if my mom were to go back, that would be the last time that we see our mom.”

Houston Chronicle [3/30/2025 7:00 AM, Matt deGrood, 1769K] reports Harris County deputies and Houston police officers now have the same marching orders: When they encounter any of 700,000 people recently added by ICE to a national warrant database, they’re supposed to call the immigration enforcement agency and wait. The policy — implemented in recent weeks after more than 700,000 ICE administrative warrants were added to a database accessible by patrol officers — raises questions for both local and national agencies and outside observers of how long must an officer wait for ICE to show up, how will it affect a patrol officer’s ability to respond to other crimes and how is it constitutional for police to detain someone with no criminal charges. The new task, which in Houston includes filing an internal report after calling ICE and waiting, comes amid years of worsening response times for the Houston Police Department, which are now at their slowest since the 1990s. And some patrol districts have seen a regular barrage of calls for service. "The addition of 700,000 ICE administrative warrants to the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) could potentially slow police response times," said Howard Henderson, a professor at Texas Southern University who studies public safety and law enforcement. "Since these warrants are for civil immigration violations, local officers must call ICE and wait for agents to handle them, which could delay their ability to respond to other incidents.” While officials at the agencies say they’re treating the warrants the same way they do hold requests from other departments, public safety and legal experts say the policy broaches new ground and puts local police on the front line of immigration enforcement — a place where local leaders have long said they were reticent to go. "I think a lot of the local sheriffs and police chiefs share the same concern," said Jay Coons, an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University who retired as a captain at the Harris County Sheriff’s Office in 2018. "The issue of enforcing immigration law by a local officer is a concern because if local law enforcement is given powers and authority of an immigration officer, we have long been worried we’d instantly create a victim class.”

FOX News [3/31/2025 3:04 AM, Landon Mion, 46189K] reports a suspected illegal immigrant convicted in a deadly Colorado crash last year involving a semi-truck he was driving was detained on Sunday by federal immigration authorities. Ignacio Cruz-Mendoza, 47, a Mexican national, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the lobby of the Jefferson County Detention Center shortly before 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, immediately after his release from jail, according to Denver7. Cruz-Mendoza was the driver of a semi-truck involved in a June 2024 crash on Highway 285, which left one man dead. He pleaded guilty to one count of careless driving resulting in death and three counts of careless driving resulting in injury. He was sentenced to about one year in jail. According to authorities, Cruz-Mendoza was in the U.S. illegally at the time of the crash. He also had removal orders from the country and had been sent to Mexico several times. The agency said that since 2002, Cruz-Mendoza has been removed from the U.S. 12 times and voluntarily returned to Mexico four times. "If we weren’t here, this person would have been released back to the community of Denver," Robert Guadian of the ICE Denver Field Office told Denver7. After he was detained on Sunday, Cruz-Mendoza was transported to the ICE Denver Contract Detention Facility, where he will stay, pending removal from the U.S.

FOX News [3/30/2025 1:43 PM, Pilar Arias and Bonny Chu, 46189K] reports an international graduate student at the University of Minnesota was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last Thursday, according to a statement from university leadership who called the situation "deeply concerning.” The student was enrolled at the school’s Twin Cities campus in Minneapolis under the Carlson School of Management. The university said the student was arrested at an off-campus residence, but did not name the student nor say why the student was detained. Thursday’s arrest is one of ICE’s latest cases in cracking down on foreign students and faculty members across various American institutions. Fox News Digital reached out to ICE and the Department of Homeland Security for more information, but they did not immediately respond. While "the University had no prior knowledge of this incident and did not share any information with federal authorities before it occurred," the institution said it is working to provide the student with legal aid and other support services. Carlson School of Management Dean Jamie Prenkert said the university remains committed to its international community during "a time of uncertainty regarding changing federal immigration policies.” "Detentions like these deeply affect our community," Prenkert said in a statement. "From the very beginning of the University’s business school, our doors have been open to international students. Faculty, staff, and scholars hailing from different countries have strengthened our research and classrooms—shaping us into the Carlson School we are today.” Union members representing graduate employees at the University of Minnesota protest in downtown Minneapolis on March 29, 2025, after the university said an international graduate student was detained by ICE last Thursday. Gov. Tim Walz commented on the incident in a post on X on Friday. "I just spoke with Homeland Security to get more information and I will share when I learn more," Walz said. "The University of Minnesota is an international destination for education and research. We have any number of students studying here with visas, and we need answers.”

New York Times [3/30/2025 2:47 PM, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz, 145325K] reports almost immediately after taking office, President Trump began shutting down refugee resettlement programs, slashing billions of dollars in funding and making it all but impossible for people from scores of countries to seek haven in the United States. With one exception. The Trump administration has thrown open the doors to white Afrikaners from South Africa, establishing a program called “Mission South Africa” to help them come to the United States as refugees, according to documents obtained by The New York Times. Under Phase One of the program, the United States has deployed multiple teams to convert commercial office space in Pretoria, the capital of South Africa, into ad hoc refugee centers, according to the documents. The teams are studying more than 8,200 requests expressing interest in resettling to the United States and have already identified 100 Afrikaners who could be approved for refugee status. The government officials have been directed to focus particularly on screening white Afrikaner farmers. The administration has also provided security escorts to officials conducting the interviews of potential refugees. By mid-April, U.S. officials on the ground in South Africa will “propose long-term solutions, to ensure the successful implementation of the president’s vision for the dignified resettlement of eligible Afrikaner applicants,” according to one memo sent from the embassy in Pretoria to the State Department in Washington this month. The administration’s focus on white Afrikaners comes as it effectively bans the entry of other refugees — including about 20,000 people from countries like Afghanistan, Congo and Syria who were ready to travel to the United States before Mr. Trump took office. In court filings about those other refugees, the administration has argued that core functions of the refugee program had been “terminated” after the president’s ban, so it did not have the resources to take in any more people.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 3:17 PM, Rick Liebel, 52868K] reports an aggravated felon and registered sex offender from Bhutan was apprehended in Erie. According to a public affairs officer with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the individual has a history of domestic violence and assaulting a child under the age of 13.

FOX News [3/31/2025 4:00 AM, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, 46189K] reports that, in a ritzy enclave of South Florida, Chinese migrants are coming ashore via boat, leading to an investigation into human smuggling networks. Coral Gables is a picturesque city located in Miami-Dade County, Florida, known for its Mediterranean Revival architecture, tree-lined streets and lush landscapes. One Coral Gables neighborhood, Gables Estates, is ranked as the most expensive housing market in the country, according to data by Zillow. But in recent months, the dazzling city has seen an uptick of Chinese migrant interceptions. The city’s uptick is representative of the Sunshine State’s influx of Chinese nationals since 2020, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data. In 2020, Florida Border Protection officers interacted with 406 Chinese migrants and by 2024, that number jumped to 723 – a 78% increase. Fox News Digital spoke with Eric Brown, a retired Green Beret and the founder and CEO of Imperio Consulting, about the increase of migrants in the South Florida town. "Coral Gables is adjacent to international waterways, and with Cuba just 90 miles from the coastline of Florida, it just makes sense," Brown said. In January – just days before President Donald Trump was sworn into office – a group of more than 30 migrants, most of them Chinese citizens, was found inside a U-Haul van. Coral Gables Police Chief Edward James Hudak Jr. said the department issued a BOLO – a be on the lookout alert – for the van and a Toyota car after a resident reported the suspicious vehicles. The vehicles were stopped by officers, and the woman who was allegedly abducted was taken from the Toyota. Between the U-Haul and Toyota, police found more than 20 Chinese migrants, one male from Cuba and a female from Ecuador. "We do believe these individuals were brought here by the water," the chief said. "They were probably dropped off, we’re assuming somewhere around the southern end of Coral Gables, and approached on foot to the van where they were loaded into.” Brown said he believes that migrants are entering illegally through the U.S. because the northern border has a "bit more security.” "It’s also a lot easier to fly into a South American country and smuggle across than it is through Canada," he said. "And human smugglers are using an established pathway through South America and Central America to bring migrants through safely.”

Miami Herald [3/30/2025 2:51 PM, Mitchell Willetts, 3973K] reports a boater stranded for a day after crashing along a remote stretch of the Colorado River was rescued thanks to a helicopter that happened to spot her wrecked vessel while flying by, officials say. A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter was returning to its base in Yuma, Arizona, on March 27, when the crew noticed something in the water below — the hull of a capsized boat, the agency said in a March 29 news release. The boat was 22 miles south from the Hoover Dam, in a "remote area" without cell service and outside of radio range, according to CBP. In a photo shared by officials, the boat appears to have crashed in an inlet tucked behind a hill, and would be difficult to see from ground level or on the main river. The chopper landed on a riverbank and spoke with a woman who said she had been stranded at the inlet since the day before, officials said. It’s not clear how the crash happened, but the woman told rescuers that she hit her head and lost consciousness. "The aircrew provided fresh water and food to the woman, as she had not eaten or drank clean water since before the accident," CBP officials said.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 9:20 PM, Kenzie Hagood, 52868K] reports that, after six months, FEMA released the final edition of its recovery update for Hurricane Helene in Tennessee on Friday. The update contains information regarding recovery efforts in the following counties: Greene, Hamblen, Hawkins, Johnson, Unicoi, Washington, TN. Cocke FEMA has approved over $30.9 million in federal assistance for 7,319 individuals and households in Tennessee. This includes more than $17 million allocated for housing assistance, which encompasses: 367 households that received a total of $718,104 in rental assistance. Over $14 million designated for other needs. FEMA customer service teams are calling applicants with disabilities to provide personal assistance as part of the agency’s commitment to ensuring disaster recovery resources are available to everyone affected by Hurricane Helene. The National Flood Insurance Program has paid out $14.5 million and completed 96.4% of submitted claims. Flood survivors who received funds from FEMA’s Individuals and Households Program are required to purchase and maintain flood insurance. This is for protection against future financial devastation after a flood. Learn more at Meeting FEMA’s Federal Flood Insurance Requirement | FEMA.gov. If you received two months of FEMA rental assistance after Hurricane Helene and need more time to plan your recovery, you may be eligible for Continued Temporary Housing Assistance.

New York Times [3/30/2025 7:39 PM, Nazaneen Ghaffar, 145325K] reports at least one person died as severe weather erupted across a vast stretch of the United States on Sunday amid warnings of widespread damaging winds, tornadoes and hail as large as baseballs. A tree fell on a travel trailer that was camped along the Illinois River between Tahlequah and Kansas, Okla., during heavy winds early on Sunday morning, trapping a couple inside, said Sheriff Jason Chennault of Cherokee County. The man was pronounced dead at the scene, and the woman suffered minor injuries, Sheriff Chennault said. The highest risk on Sunday covered a large area from northeastern Texas and northern Louisiana through Mississippi, northwestern Alabama, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and southern Michigan, potentially affecting a population of more than 40 million people. The Storm Prediction Center placed these areas under an enhanced risk level of three out of five on the severe weather scale. Tornado watches popped up across Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee on Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. A few strong tornadoes could be expected, the National Weather Prediction Center said. On Sunday night, trees and power lines were down in Ingham County, Mich., which is northwest of Ann Arbor and has a population of about 284,000. Rob Dale, a deputy at Ingham County Emergency Management, said some houses were damaged but there were no reports of serious injuries. About 10 percent of the county is without power, and a damage assessment was underway, he said. The volatile setup was being driven by a cold front linked to a storm system that is moving through the Great Lakes and will collide with warm, moisture-rich air in the South, creating prime conditions for powerful thunderstorms. “To the warm side of that front in the South, we’ll have enough moisture and instability to get thunderstorms, and some of them could be severe,” said Marc Chenard, a meteorologist at the Weather Prediction Center.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 12:08 PM, Max Tsaparis, 52868K] reports Hurricane Helene was a life-changing storm, causing devastation across the Southeast last September, and communities are still recovering six months later. The Category 4 hit the Florida Peninsula, bringing a record storm surge to Tampa Bay and winds up to 140 mph. At landfall, it tore down trees, caused major flash flooding from Georgia to the Carolinas and into Tennessee. New data reveals that, in total, at least 249 people died, the bulk of those in North Carolina, making this the deadliest storm to hit the United States since Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago. Six months since Helene, the scars run deep well beyond the physical damage, still scattering the landscape. "I lost my house. I’ve lost my brother, and it’s just overwhelming," said Gary Floyd, a hurricane survivor from eastern Tennessee. Cloyd’s brother Steve is one of six people still missing after being swept away from his home in eastern Tennessee last September. Torrents of water rushed through the mountainside, submerging homes and businesses in a matter of minutes after a biblical 30 inches of rainfall. New data shows the storm caused nearly $79 billion in damages, making it the 7th costliest hurricane in U.S. history. With the majority of storm survivors’ Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) applications denied, part of the burden is rebuilding, left to those who chose to stay after the disaster.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 8:16 PM, Corey Elam, 52868K] reports disaster recovery centers in Kentucky are set to operate on a two-hour delay on Monday as a severe weather system cuts across the state from east to west. FEMA said in a news release that disaster recovery centers are opening at 9 a.m. on Monday, March 31. "Severe weather events happen more frequently in spring; that’s why it’s critical to have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts—whether you’re at home, school, work, or out in the community," FEMA officials said. "Stay alert, follow guidance from your local officials, and keep up with the latest forecasts by following your local National Weather Service office.” Once FEMA’s disaster recovery centers are open, Kentuckians in need of flood recovery help can visit any open location to meet with representatives of FEMA, the state, and the U.S. Small Business Administration, agency leaders said. No appointment is needed to meet with them. A full list of centers that are already open in the Commonwealth can be found here. Those in need of disaster recovery aid who can’t make it to one of the open centers can apply online at the Disaster Assistance website or by downloading the FEMA app. When applying, FEMA officials said to provide the following: A current phone number where you can be contacted. Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying. Your Social Security Number. A general list of damage and losses. Banking information if you choose direct deposit. If insured, provide the policy number or the agent and/or the company name. For more information about Kentucky flooding recovery, visit the FEMA website.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 12:45 PM, Ashley Varese and Jim Abbott, 52868K] reports Flagler County Fire Rescue battled a 40-acre wildfire Saturday in the area of Kelly Street in Flagler Estates, according to a post on the department’s Facebook page. Fire Rescue’s A51, T51, R51, A16, FireFlight, members of the FCFR Wildfire team and Battalions 50 and 108 battled the fire with assistance from Putnam County and St Johns County fire rescue, as well as Florida Forest Service. At 8:44 p.m., Fire Rescue posted that the fire was 70% contained. By 8:27 Sunday morning, the fire was 100% contained, according to a post, which also stated that crews would "continue to work the area to ensure it does not break out." FCFR also warned that smoke would remain in the area "for the foreseeable future.” In Flagler County, precipitation levels are below normal levels, according to the latest climate update issued by Bob Pickering, county emergency management specialist. Through February, the latest information available, abnormally dry conditions are expected countywide, according to the county’s update. Above normal temperatures and above normal wildfire potential is anticipated through March and April, the update states.

CBS Los Angeles [3/31/2025 1:40 AM, Dean Fioresi, 51661K] reports a rapidly growing wildfire has prompted evacuation orders for residents of Inyo and Mono Counties, according to Cal Fire officials. The blaze, which is being called the Silver Fire, was reported at around 2:10 p.m. on Sunday near Highway 6 and Silver Canyon Road, just north of Bishop. As of 8 p.m., the fire had grown to engulf 1,000 acres of vegetation in the area and was 0% contained. Evacuation orders were issued for several communities, including the White Mountain Estates Neighborhood, Laws in Inyo County and Chalfant in Mono County. "A 30-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 6 has been closed for public safety," Cal Fire said. Strong winds currently blowing in the area have caused the flames to spread quickly and "have created hazardous conditions," Cal Fire officials said. The National Weather Service issued a High Wind Warning for the area from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday. They forecasted winds as strong as 35 miles per hour in the area, with strongest gusts possibly reaching 65 miles per hour. Firefighters from Cal Fire’s San Bernardino Unit were assisting the City of Bishop Fire Department and Inyo County Sheriff’s Office with the incident. Reuters [3/31/2025 3:43 AM, Surbhi Misra, 41523K] reports that the cause of the fire remains under investigation, according to Cal Fire. More than 200 firefighters were battling the blaze, but gusts reaching 35 miles per hour at Bishop Airport grounded some firefighting aircraft and complicated containment efforts, Cal Fire said in a Facebook update late Sunday. The National Weather Service has forecasted southwest winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 65 mph on Monday for the region. Earlier this year, California’s biggest city Los Angeles suffered the worst fires in its history, killing 28 people and damaging or destroying more than 16,000 structures.

CBS News [3/30/2025 7:32 PM, Sharyn Alfonsi, 51661K] reports it’s been almost three months since a series of wildfires fueled by strong winds destroyed more than 11,000 homes and 37,000 acres in Los Angeles, reducing much of the Pacific Palisades and Altadena neighborhoods to ash. City, state and federal leaders promised to expedite the rebuilding process and in February completed an important first step. The Environmental Protection Agency cleared more than 9,000 properties in 28 days. The EPA says it is the fastest hazardous debris removal in its history. Tonight, we’ll show you exactly how they did that and why some residents – including those with homes still intact – say they still don’t feel safe to return. They’re worried about what the wildfires left behind. Brick chimneys and burnt trees are the sole markers of what were once picture-perfect Southern California neighborhoods. House after house on this pacific palisades block was destroyed by wildfire except for this one. On the corner of Iliff street, we met Lynn McIntyre. Her 1940s stucco home is, inexplicably, intact. Sharyn Alfonsi: Everything around you is gone. Lynn McIntyre: Every single house. I look at it and I said, why? Why was my house spared? I call myself one of the "left behinds." Because I don’t have the same set of issues that all of my neighbors have. They’re cut and dried. Their properties have burned to the ground. My home did not. Sharyn Alfonsi: Some people would look at you and go, "oh, she’s one of the lucky ones." But now you’re dealing with what? Lynn McIntyre: I don’t feel as lucky as people think. The firefighter said that this fire was like a blow torch. They’ve never had anything so hot before. And it cooked everything inside my home at I don’t know how many hundreds of degrees for I don’t know how many hours. How do you salvage anything from that? There are 10,000 houses still standing in the burn zones. The strong winds that fueled the wildfires pushed smoke and soot into those homes and left tons of toxic ash and debris at their doorsteps. These are the remnants of all the synthetic stuff that makes up modern life – appliances, clothing and carpets – after it all burned at high heat. It’s a unique component of urban fires that is complicating clean up efforts.

Hoodline [3/30/2025 10:18 AM, Ethan Anderson] reports yesterday, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Pierce responded to a kitesurfer in distress off Fort Pierce Inlet. According to the U.S. Coast Guard News, the kitesurfer was struggling against strong winds and could not return to shore. A call from a good Samaritan around 1 p.m. prompted Sector Miami watchstanders to issue an urgent marine information broadcast. As the Coast Guard boat crew arrived, they were assisted by crews from the Fort Pierce Police Department, St. Lucie Police, and St. Lucie Fire Rescue, as reported by CBS12. The kitesurfer was safely returned to shore with no injuries. Chief Warrant Officer Jason Norris told U.S. Coast Guard News, "Thanks to the good Samaritan’s prompt call for help, we were able to get on scene quickly and conduct a successful rescue before anything bad happened."

Baird Maritime [3/31/2025 1:16 AM, Staff, 50K] reports the US Coast Guard interdicted and detained eight Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing and seized approximately 150 pounds (68 kg) of fish in federal waters off southern Texas on Friday, March 28. Coast Guard Station South Padre Island boat crews, in coordination with Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center watchstanders and Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi aircrews, detected and interdicted a total of eight Mexican fishermen engaged in illegal fishing north of the maritime boundary line (MBL) in the Gulf of America. After interdicting the two lanchas, the coast guard crews took the fishermen into custody, brought them ashore, and transferred them to US Customs and Border Protection personnel for processing. Coast guard personnel also seized approximately 150 pounds of red snapper, along with fishing gear and equipment found on board the vessels. Both of the lanchas were seized.

Yahoo! News [3/30/2025 7:40 PM, Jenna Deml, 52868K] reports a young girl was rescued after being pulled out to sea from the Seaside beach Saturday evening. Around 6:30 p.m. fire and rescue crews responded to the beach in front of Turnaround on reports a young girl had been pulled into the ocean. Emergency responders had jet skis in the water, a swimmer and multiple others participating in the search. A little while later, the Coast Guard also aided by launching a helicopter and a boat. Almost 20 minutes after the initial response, officials said crews found the girl after she had been "pulled out beyond the breakers and pushed back into the surf.” "It was quite a fast, efficient activation of partners & a really good outcome for such a serious rescue effort," a spokesperson for the City of Seaside said. The spokesperson added the girl was taken to a hospital by ambulance "conscious and alert.”

Reported similarly:
The Oregonian [3/30/2025 9:34 PM, Zaeem Shaikh, 156K]

Los Angeles Times [3/30/2025 12:24 PM, Corinne Purtill, 1330K] reports the body of Los Angeles Fire Department firefighter Connor J. Lees has been found nearly four months after the 29-year-old went missing during a recreational dive, the LAFD has announced. Long Beach police recovered Lees’ remains Friday off the coast of Long Beach, the fire department said in a statement Saturday. “The LAFD stands united in grief alongside Firefighter Lees’ family, friends, and colleagues,” the department said. “We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved him.” Lees, a six-year veteran of the department assigned to Fire Station 94 in Baldwin Hills, went missing Dec. 4 while diving near Pier J in Long Beach. The off-duty firefighter was part of a group of four men in their 20s who had set out that evening to free dive, which involves swimming underwater without breathing apparatus or scuba tanks. Lees was one of three divers who plunged into the water while the fourth man drove the boat, the Long Beach fire department said at the time. When only two of the men resurfaced, the group called 911. Rescue divers from the Long Beach and L.A. city and county fire departments and personnel from the U.S. Coast Guard, Long Beach Police and Los Angeles Port Police embarked on a search immediately. Two days later, emergency personnel announced that the search and rescue effort had become a recovery mission, based on water conditions and the low likelihood that the diver had survived.

Reported similarly:
CBS 9 Los Angeles [3/30/2025 7:27 PM, Dean Fioresi]

The Guam Daily Post [3/31/2025 1:45 AM, Walter Ulloa] reports in a 10-day surge of operations offering a glimpse into ongoing maritime security efforts, the U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam conducted a series of strategic boardings and inspections aimed at securing the region’s vital shipping lanes while supporting local commerce. From March 13 to 23, Coast Guard teams partnered with the Drug Enforcement Administration and Guam Customs and Quarantine Agency to inspect vessels ranging from oil tankers to cruise ships in waters surrounding Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, according to a news release from U.S. Coast Guard Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam. Cmdr. Ryan Crose, deputy commander at Forces Micronesia/Sector Guam, said in the release, "This ten-day snapshot is a window into the continuation and increase of our routine operations to protect U.S. borders by preventing illegal goods entering or activities transpiring in the Marianas. They also support prosperity by keeping trade flowing smoothly. Safe ports mean cruise ships bring visitors, tankers deliver fuel, and cargo vessels supply goods - all vital to our region’s economy."

El Paso Matters [3/30/2025 11:58 AM, Robert Moore, 52868K] reports Patrick Crusius believed he was acting at the direction of President Donald Trump when he murdered 23 people and wounded 22 others at an El Paso Walmart in 2019, his defense lawyer told El Paso Matters. "He thought he had to stop the invasion because that’s what his president was telling him, which is just not rational," defense attorney Joe Spencer said in his first extended interview about the mass shooting that Crusius said was meant to stop "the Hispanic invasion of Texas.” "He thought, if he doesn’t do it, then nobody’s going to do it. He’s got to start," Spencer said. The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment from El Paso Matters. On Aug. 5, 2019, two days after the El Paso shooting, Trump condemned the attack and the motives behind it: "The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate. In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy. These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America.” Trump visited El Paso on Aug. 7, ignoring pleas from much of El Paso’s elected leadership that he stay away because they felt his rhetoric may have played a role in the shooting. Although numerous Trump critics said his constant anti-immigration rhetoric played a role in the El Paso shooting – an accusation Trump supporters have denied – Crusius and his defense team have not previously addressed whether Trump’s words played a role in motivating the gunman. Crusius, now 26, is expected to plead guilty April 21 to charges of capital murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. District Attorney James Montoya announced on Tuesday that state prosecutors would no longer seek the death penalty, meaning Crusius will be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole. He also has been sentenced to 90 consecutive life terms after pleading guilty to federal weapons and hate crime charges.

San Diego Union Tribune [3/30/2025 8:03 AM, Alex Riggins, 1682K] reports when the family of a slain U.S. federal agent sued the Sinaloa cartel and three infamous drug traffickers this month, it was believed to be the first Anti-Terrorism Act lawsuit ever filed in the San Diego region, as well as the first such lawsuit in the nation targeting a Mexican drug-trafficking organization. An attorney for the family of Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent killed in 1985 in Mexico, said the unprecedented lawsuit had been in the works for more than a year, but the process was accelerated by two recent events — the designation of the Sinaloa cartel as a foreign terrorist organization and the arrival in the U.S. of former drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, the alleged mastermind behind Camarena’s death. "We expected Kiki to come back from Guadalajara and settle in San Diego and continue with his family and raise his kids — Caro Quintero took that away from us," sister Myrna Camarena said Friday. "He took away Kiki from us and his three children.” While Caro Quintero is now facing federal criminal charges in Brooklyn related to drug trafficking and Camarena’s death, his family’s anti-terrorism civil suit in San Diego federal court will highlight a unique area of the law in which U.S. citizens seek justice through civil penalties against terrorist groups. In most such cases, the designated terrorist groups don’t defend themselves, which often results in default judgments for plaintiffs that can be worth tens of millions of dollars — if the plaintiffs can collect on the damages awarded them. Myrna Camarena, who worked for the DEA in an administrative role at the urging of her brother, said money is not the motivation for her family after they waited 40 years for Caro Quintero to be brought to the U.S. "That has nothing to do with it," she said. "This is justice being brought because Kiki paid his life.”

NBC News [3/30/2025 9:23 AM, Staff, 44742K] Video: HERE reports in an exclusive interview with Meet the Press, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg, disputes the idea he had never met national security adviser Mike Waltz before being added to a Signal chat with top government officials.

Newsweek [3/30/2025 11:53 AM, Giulia Carbonaro, 52220K] reports Oklahoma Senator James Lankford is the latest senior Republican to endorse an independent probe into how President Donald Trump’s national security officials ended up discussing military plans with a journalist on the messaging app Signal. "It’s entirely appropriate for the [Department of Defense] Inspector General to be able to look at it," Lankford told CNN on Sunday morning. While he fell short of saying he would call for an investigation himself, he said that he agrees with a similar request made by Senator Roger Wicker of Mississippi, repeating that "it’s entirely appropriate.” The White House has publicly downplayed the accidental leak of military plans on Signal which involved Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Vice President JD Vance, among others, saying that no classified material was discussed. But even within GOP ranks, many are not buying Trump’s dismissal of the incident, which officials said put American troops at risk. Though many have criticized the "sloppy" behavior of the officials involved in so-called "Signalgate," as described by Representative Tim Sheehy, a Montana Republican, no one from the GOP has so far joined Democrats in calling for Hegseth’s resignation. Prompted by CNN’s State of the Union host Dana Bash, Lankford said that the Pentagon’s inspector general should be able to investigate the Signal incident and ask two questions. "One is, obviously, how did a reporter get into this thread in the conversation," he told Bash. "And the second part of the conversation is, when individuals in the administration are not sitting at their desk in a classified setting on a classified computer, how did they communicate to each other? Currently it’s through encrypted apps(...)The next question is, is that the right way to be able to do it?".

ABC News [3/30/2025 10:20 AM, Staff, 52868K] reports Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said on Sunday that if information had been leaked from top Trump national security officials’ Signal chat discussing plans to strike the Houthis in Yemen, American lives could have been lost. "I was, yesterday, down in Hampton Roads. I did two big town halls, Virginia Beach and Chesapeake. There are people in the town hall who are either friends or relatives of folks who are on the [aircraft carrier USS Harry S.] Truman. Those folks were saying if their friends or loved ones were flying those jets and that information had been released and the Houthis were able to change their defensive posture, we could have lost American lives," Warner, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in an interview with co-anchor Martha Raddatz on ABC News’ "This Week.” On Monday, The Atlantic’s editor-in-chief revealed that national security adviser Mike Waltz had inadvertently included him in the chat with top Trump officials discussing plans for the Yemen attack. The Trump administration has pushed back against claims that the information included in the chat was classified information. Warner said, "There is no question, regardless of agency, that this was classified ... and those folks who are obfuscating and giving them the benefit of the doubt, I think they’re lying about they should know this is classified.”

FOX News [3/30/2025 12:00 PM, Anders Hagstrom, 46189K] reports the Trump administration’s Signal group chat leak was a "sloppy" move that put Democrats on offense for the first time since President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said Sunday. Warner made the statement during an appearance on "Fox News Sunday," telling host Shannon Bream that it is an insult to the American people for Trump officials to claim the information discussed in the group chat wasn’t classified. "This was so inappropriate. This was so sloppy. You know, Signal [is] fine, but don’t put classified information. If this had been any military officer or intelligence officer and they’d done that, they’d be fired," Warner said. Warner fell short of stating that the information in the group chat made it "criminal," as his colleague Sen. Richard Blumenthal has claimed. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., says Democrats are on offense after the Trump administration’s Signal chat leak. The encrypted messaging app Signal is now under the spotlight after it was revealed that top national security leaders had been in a group chat discussing plans to strike terrorists in Yemen. The chat also mistakenly included the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg. The chat was made public by a first-hand account of the group chat published by Goldberg in an article last week. The Trump administration has maintained that no classified information was shared in the chat, doubling down on Wednesday that the Atlantic’s story was a "hoax" after Goldberg published specific texts from the chat.

The Hill [3/30/2025 4:01 PM, Tara Suter, 12829K] reports Jeffrey Goldberg, The Atlantic’s editor in chief, brushed off the risk of a legal threat from the Trump administration after he reported on a Signal group chat featuring top Trump administration officials. "Jeffrey, I don’t have to tell you this, the administration has taken legal action against news organizations," NBC News’s Kristen Welker said Sunday on "Meet the Press," following clips of Trump administration officials slamming Goldberg. "Are you concerned that this administration will come after you?". "No. I don’t get bullied. I’m not worried about that," Goldberg replied. "They’re obviously being very, very silly there. There’s a playbook that, and you know this as a journalist, I’m not the only journalist to be the target of these kind of attacks.” In his Sunday interview, Goldberg also pushed back on an earlier claim from national security adviser Mike Waltz, who was a part of the chat that Goldberg was mistakenly added to. Waltz had said Tuesday that Goldberg’s phone number was "sucked in" to his phone via "somebody else’s contact.” "This isn’t ‘The Matrix,’ phone numbers don’t just get sucked into other phones," Goldberg said Sunday. "I don’t know what he’s talking about there.” "You know, very frequently in journalism, the most obvious explanation is the explanation," Goldberg added. "My phone number was in his phone, because my phone number is in his phone.” The Washington Examiner [3/30/2025 11:09 AM, Haisten Willis, 2296K] reports President Donald Trump and his team spent most of last week pushing back fiercely against the story, attacking Goldberg’s credibility, saying the mission in question was a success, that Signal is an approved communication device on government phones, that information shared was not classified, and suggesting the media is making too much of the incident. USA Today [3/30/2025 3:53 PM, Riley Beggin, 75858K] reports that the administration has claimed that no classified information was shared on the messaging app, which national security experts say is not safe for sharing classified intelligence. Goldberg then released screenshots of the messages, which included detailed information about drone targets, strike times and weaponry. "If that’s not the most sensitive information, the most secret information in the world I simply don’t know what the meaning of classified or secret or top secret is," he told NBC.

New York Times [3/30/2025 4:49 PM, Hannah Beech and Edward Wong, 145325K] reports China, Russia and India have dispatched emergency teams and supplies to earthquake-ravaged Myanmar. So have Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. The United States, the richest country in the world and once its most generous provider of foreign aid, has sent nothing. Even as President Trump was dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, he said that American help was on its way to Myanmar, where a 7.7-magnitude earthquake ripped through the country’s heavily populated center on Friday. More than 1,700 people were killed, according to Myanmar’s military government, with the death toll expected to climb steeply as more bodies are uncovered in the rubble and rescue teams reach remote villages. But a three-person U.S.A.I.D. assessment team is not expected to arrive until Wednesday, people with knowledge of the deployment efforts said. The overall American response has been slower than under normal circumstances, people who have worked on earlier disaster relief efforts as well as on aid to Myanmar said. Chinese search-and-rescue teams, complete with dogs trained to sniff out trapped people, are already on the ground in Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and one of the places most deeply affected by the quake. China has pledged $14 million for Myanmar quake relief, sending 126 rescue workers and six dogs, along with medical kits, drones and earthquake detectors. “Being charitable and being seen as charitable serves American foreign policy,” said Michael Schiffer, the assistant administrator of the U.S.A.I.D. bureau for Asia from 2022 until earlier this year. “If we don’t show up and China shows up, that sends a pretty strong message.” On Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Myanmar announced on its website that the United States would provide up to $2 million in aid, dispersed through humanitarian groups based in Myanmar. But many of the systems needed to funnel American aid to Myanmar have been shattered. On Friday, as some employees in Washington in U.S.A.I.D.’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance were preparing a response to the earthquake, they received agencywide layoff emails. Career diplomats working for U.S.A.I.D. and other employees had been bracing for layoffs for weeks; Trump political appointees in Washington had already fired most of the contractors working for the agency. The employees who received layoff notices were told they should go home that afternoon. Some had been coordinating with aid missions in Bangkok and Manila, which handle disaster response in Asia.

CNN [3/30/2025 1:32 PM, Betsy Klein, 908K] reports President Donald Trump is barreling toward a self-imposed April 2 deadline for sweeping tariffs and is threatening additional ones on foreign adversaries this weekend even as he’s expressed openness to making deals. Trump has cast April 2 as "Liberation Day," promising reciprocal tariffs on an unspecified number of countries, as well as 25% tariffs on automobiles and car parts. But he also warned of additional tariffs on US adversaries Russia and Iran in a phone interview with NBC News’ Kristen Welker over the weekend. The president openly aired grievances toward Russian President Vladimir Putin in the interview. "I was very angry – pissed off – when Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility, because that’s not going in the right location, you understand?" Trump told Welker, referring to the Russian leader’s comments last week suggesting Ukraine be put under a "temporary administration" while the two nations work toward a deal. He continued, "But new leadership means you’re not gonna have a deal for a long time, right? … But I was pissed off about it. But if a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia.” Trump’s sharply critical tone on Putin stands in stark contrast to his own words on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump’s calls for elections in the war-torn country. He told Welker that Putin is aware he is angry. Trump warned that failure to reach a deal could result in secondary tariffs. "If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, which it might not be, but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia," he said. Trump didn’t provide further explanation on how he would implement those secondary tariffs.

Washington Post [3/30/2025 4:24 PM, Jeff Stein, 31735K] reports White House aide Peter Navarro claimed Sunday that President Donald Trump’s new tariffs would raise more than $6 trillion in federal revenue over the next decade, a figure that experts said would almost certainly represent the largest peacetime tax hike in modern U.S. history. Appearing on Fox News, Navarro said the president’s tariffs on auto imports, set to take effect Wednesday, would raise $100 billion per year. Meanwhile, a regime of additional tariffs — details of which have yet to be released — would raise another $600 billion per year, or $6 trillion over the next decade, Navarro said. Navarro’s remarks suggest Trump is preparing dramatic new measures for Wednesday, which the president has referred to as “Liberation Day.” Navarro is among the most hawkish voices on trade in the president’s inner circle, and it was not immediately clear whether he was previewing official administration policy or speaking for one side of an internal debate over the tariffs. Also speaking on Fox News on Sunday, Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, declined to outline Trump’s tariff plans. “I can’t give you any forward-looking guidance on what’s going to happen this week,” said Hassett, who is widely regarded as more skeptical of tariffs than Navarro. “The president has got a heck of a lot of analysis before him, and he’s going to make the right choice, I’m sure.” Whatever the case, Navarro’s comments are sure to rattle markets amid intensifying fears about the global trade war Trump has touched off since taking office in January. Though investors had appeared to cheer Trump’s return to the White House, markets have since tumbled, with the benchmark S&P 500 on track to finish the first quarter down about 5 percent. Tariffs are taxes imposed on foreign goods imported into the United States. A tariff regime that generated $600 billion per year would amount to the biggest increase in federal tax revenue since World War II, according to budget expert Jessica Riedl, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, a center-right think tank. “We’ve never seen a president propose such a drastic tax increase at a time where there is no national emergency requiring it” and the economy is already slowing, Riedl said. “You just do not hear numbers like $6 trillion over 10 years in legislation or executive orders.” By way of comparison, the U.S. is set to spend nearly $900 billion on the Pentagon this year. Extending Trump’s 2017 tax cuts is projected to cost roughly $4 trillion over the next decade, adding roughly $400 billion a year to the national debt.

New York Times [3/31/2025 12:47 AM, Yan Zhuang, 145325K] reports the United States will not take control of Greenland, the island’s new prime minister said on Sunday in response to President Trump’s latest assertion that he wants to annex the territory. “President Trump says that the United States ‘will get Greenland,’” Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who was sworn in on Friday, said on social media. “Let me be clear: The United States will not get it. We do not belong to anyone else. We decide our own future.” On Saturday, Mr. Trump had told NBC News: “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent.” In an interview with the network, Mr. Trump said he “absolutely” has had real conversations about annexing the icebound island, a semiautonomous territory that has been connected to Denmark for more than 300 years. While there was a “good possibility that we could do it without military force,” Mr. Trump added, “I don’t take anything off the table.” Mr. Trump’s escalating talk of seizing Greenland reflects an expansionist mind-set in his second term. His administration has also threatened to annex Canada and the Panama Canal. Mr. Nielsen, who at 33 is Greenland’s youngest prime minister, was sworn in on the same day that an American delegation led by Vice President JD Vance arrived on the island. The territory’s political leaders had seen the trip as an aggressive escalation of Mr. Trump’s threats to seize the territory. Some officials complained about the timing of the visit, pointing out that it came just after Greenland held parliamentary elections. Mr. Vance took a softer tone on his trip than Mr. Trump, saying that the United States would respect Greenland’s right to self-determination and that using military force — which Mr. Trump has refused to rule out — would not be necessary. But the island’s government had not invited Mr. Vance or the others in his group, including his wife. The U.S. national security adviser and the energy secretary were also on the trip. And Greenlanders resisted his overtures when he arrived. The U.S. delegation’s itinerary changed after an earlier announcement was met with a backlash. Initially, Ms. Vance, who had been expected to visit without the vice president, had planned to attend a dog sledding race in southern Greenland. But the organizers of the race made clear they had not invited her. And the outgoing prime minister, Mute B. Egede, said in an indignant statement that there would be no meetings between American and Greenlandic officials.

Reported similarly:
AP [3/30/2025 2:16 PM, Staff, 24727K]
CBS Austin [3/30/2025 2:48 PM, Anissa Reyes, 602K]

CBS News [3/30/2025 8:29 AM, Staff, 51661K] reports the Danish foreign minister scolded the Trump administration on Saturday for its "tone" criticizing Denmark and Greenland during Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the strategic island. Vance — joined by his wife, second lady Usha Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Secretary of Energy Chris Wright and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah — on Friday visited the Pituffick Space Base, the northernmost U.S. military installation, in Greenland. The trip had been scaled back after an uproar among Greenlanders and Danges who were not consulted about the original itinerary. While there, the vice president blasted Denmark for its handling of the island, saying the U.S. base in Greenland is less secure than it was decades ago because of Denmark’s stewardship. "There is no amount of bullying, no amount of obfuscating, no amount of confusing the issue," Vance said. "Our message to Denmark is very simple: You have not done a good job by the people of Greenland, you have underinvested in the people of Greenland, and you have underinvested in the security architecture of this incredible, beautiful landmass filled with incredible people. That has to change. And because it hasn’t changed, that’s why President Trump’s policy in Greenland is what it is.” Mr. Trump has eyed the semi-autonomous Danish territory despite opposition from residents and leaders. Earlier Saturday, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen posted a video on social media scolding the Trump administration, saying his country is already investing more into Arctic security and remains open to more cooperation with the U.S. "Many accusations and many allegations have been made. And of course, we are open to criticism," Rasmussen said speaking in English. "But let me be completely honest: we do not appreciate the tone in which it is being delivered. This is not how you speak to your close allies. And I still consider Denmark and the United States to be close allies.”

New York Times [3/31/2025 4:45 AM, Yan Zhuang, 145325K] reports Lithuania’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that it had pulled a U.S. military vehicle out of a deep and muddy bog, nearly a week after the four American soldiers riding it went missing. The vehicle was pulled out of the bog on Sunday night, the Defense Ministry said on social media. It did not provide an update on the missing soldiers. The soldiers were reported missing on Tuesday after they did not return from a training mission, according to the U.S. military. Their vehicle, an M88 Hercules, was discovered submerged in a muddy bog on Wednesday. The missing soldiers, from the First Brigade, Third Infantry Division, were training near the border with Belarus, a close ally of Russia and a stalwart supporter of its war in Ukraine. The soldiers had been sent out in the M88 Hercules, essentially a giant armored tow truck, to extract another Army vehicle, the military said. They may have driven off the road and into the bog, and the soldiers appeared to have been trapped inside, according to a U.S. Army official in Europe. To lift the vehicle out, U.S. Navy divers swam into the bog to attach two cables to the sunken vehicle, the U.S. Army said on social media. The divers had difficulty reaching the vehicle because of the dense mud, and rescue crews excavated and pumped water out of the bog, the army said. On Sunday, rescue efforts were also hampered by a landslide, Dovile Sakaliene, the Lithuanian defense minister, said on social media. She described the effort as an “exhausting fight with the power of the deep swamp.” The initial search for the soldiers, through thick forests and swampy terrain, involved Lithuanian military helicopters and dive teams, and hundreds of American and Lithuanian soldiers and law enforcement officers, the U.S. Army said. Both Belarus and Russia have frequently criticized Lithuania, a member of NATO that used to be part of the Soviet Union, for hosting American and other allied troops. Lithuania and other former Soviet states in Eastern Europe are growing worried that President Trump will weaken NATO. Their participation in recovery efforts to find the missing U.S. soldiers showcased what President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania said was the value of allies acting together. Poland, Lithuania’s neighbor and another member of NATO, has also sent military engineers to help.

CBS News [3/30/2025 4:12 PM, Staff, 51661K] reports Russian drones targeted a military hospital, a shopping center and apartment blocks in Ukraine’s second-largest city, killing two people and wounding dozens. Elsewhere, President Trump offered his most critical comments at Russian President Vladimir Putin for comments he made about the leader of Ukraine. Six strikes in a "deliberate, targeted shelling" hit the northeastern border city of Kharkiv, wounding service members who were undergoing treatment, Ukraine’s General Staff said. Regional Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said the two casualties were a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman. Ukraine’s air force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday. It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed. According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Kyiv and strengthen the Kremlin’s negotiating position in ceasefire talks. The Trump administration has been pushing for a speedy end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine. Moscow has rejected a joint U.S.-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of "dragging out the war" to "buy time and then try to grab more land.” On Sunday, Mr. Trump — in a phone interview with NBC News — said he was "angry, pissed off" when Putin "started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility." He was referencing comments Putin made on Friday about temporarily putting Ukraine under external governance — without the Ukrainian leader. "If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, I’m going to put secondary sanctions on Russia," Mr. Trump told NBC News’ Kristen Welker, adding that there would be "a 25 to 50-point tariff on all oil.” "Anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States," he said. Nonetheless, Mr. Trump reiterated that he and Putin have a "very good relationship.”

FOX News [3/30/2025 9:45 PM, Greg Wehner, 52868K] reports President Donald Trump said Sunday that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is trying to back out of a rare earth deal with the U.S., adding if he does that he is going to have "some problems.” "I think Zelenskyy, by the way, he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal, and if he does that, he’s got some problems – big, big problems," Trump said while speaking to reporters on Air Force One on Sunday. "We made a deal on rare earths, and now he’s saying, ‘well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.’ He wants to be a member of NATO. Well, he was never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that, so, if he’s looking to renegotiate the deal, he’s got big problems.” Zelenskyy said last month that Ukraine is ready to sign an agreement on minerals and security with the U.S. at any time, noting that the agreement is seen as a step toward greater security and solid security guarantees. Zelenskyy’s statement came after a visit to the White House where the two leaders were expected to sign an agreement on rare Earth minerals. But the visit turned sour, and Zelenskyy was kicked out of the president’s home with no deal in hand. While speaking to reporters on Sunday, Trump said he and his team were making progress on a ceasefire deal between Ukraine and Russia. One reporter asked if Trump would say his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin was at its lowest point. The president said no, adding he did not think Putin was going to go back on his word for a partial ceasefire. He also said deals are made with people whether you like them or not. Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a meeting with members of the Security Council via videoconference at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Monday, May 13, 2024. Trump explained that Putin had said some things over the last few days about Zelenskyy not being credible, adding he was not happy about that. But, Trump added, he thinks Putin is going to be good. He also said he would not want to put secondary tariffs on Russia. The U.S. put secondary tariffs on Venezuela, which Trump said has had a "very strong impact.” "You know that every ship just got out and left. A lot of them left. They dropped the hoses right into the ocean, and they left. They didn’t want to be there for a minute because they didn’t want those tariffs to catch on," Trump said. "But they didn’t want me to see them there. So, Venezuela and secondary tariffs, all secondary tariffs, are very strong, because essentially it says if you disobey our orders, you cannot do business in the United States of America, and that’s the catch."

Wall Street Journal [3/30/2025 2:01 PM, Alan Cullison, Georgi Kantchev and Kristina Peterson, 52868K] reports President Trump threatened new economic penalties on Russia and said he was angered by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent comments, escalating his rhetoric as talks have resulted in little progress toward a real cease-fire in Ukraine. On Friday, Putin called for “interim governance” in Ukraine under the auspices of the United Nations, which would essentially push out Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Sunday, Trump told NBC News those comments were unacceptable because they meant there wouldn’t be a deal for a long time. “You could say that I was very angry, pissed off,” he said, when “Putin started getting into Zelensky’s credibility.” He added that if Russia couldn’t reach a deal, he would impose secondary tariffs. “If a deal isn’t made, and if I think it was Russia’s fault,” Trump said, “anybody buying oil from Russia will not be able to sell their product, any product, not just oil, into the United States.” The president’s new threats toward Russia marks a shift away from his previous praise for Putin, just weeks after Trump’s tensions with Zelensky erupted in a fiery confrontation in the Oval Office. The Ukrainian leader had urged the U.S. not to trust Putin and Trump responded that Kyiv needed to accept that it had a weak negotiating hand, three years after Russia’s full-scale invasion. Trump said U.S. officials had conveyed his frustration to Russia and that he expected to talk with Putin later this week. His criticism comes after rounds of talks with Moscow that the White House has broadly called successful, but have yielded little progress. Moscow and Kyiv said they agreed to a cessation of airstrikes against energy infrastructure in both countries, but such strikes have continued, albeit at a slower pace. The Trump administration also tried to formalize a cease-fire in the Black Sea, but Moscow tried to attach a number of demands to the deal, including sanctions relief. The statements issued afterward by Washington and Moscow differed sharply, prompting some former U.S. diplomats to wonder whether they had attended different meetings.

Politico [3/30/2025 11:25 PM, David Cohen, 52868K] reports President Donald Trump said Sunday he basically trusts Russian President Vladimir Putin to do the right thing as he attempts to hash out a peace deal in the Russia-Ukraine war. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One, Trump said of Putin: "I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. You’re talking about Putin. I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.” Trump’s words seemed to be a softening of his language earlier Sunday. Saying he was "pissed off," Trump had been critical of Putin in an interview with Kristen Welker of NBC. "If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault — which it might not be — but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia," Trump said. On Sunday night, the president did express displeasure over Putin’s criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Putin clearly doesn’t want to remain in power. "Some of the things that he said over the last day or two," Trump told reporters, "having to do with Zelenskyy because when he considers Zelenskyy not credible — he’s supposed to be making a deal with him, whether you like him or you don’t like him. So I wasn’t happy with that. But I think he’s going to be good.” Trump has frequently expressed his own disapproval of Zelenskyy over the last months. On Sunday night, he added to that criticism by saying Zelenskyy may be backing away from the minerals deal that the Trump White House had been working on with him, in which Ukraine would trade mineral rights for American assistance. That deal was to be signed the day in February that Trump and Vice President JD Vance had a blow-up with Zelenskyy in the White House. "I see he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal," he said. "And if he does that he’s got some problems. Big, big problems. We made a deal on rare earth and now he’s saying, well, you know, I want to renegotiate the deal.”

Yahoo! News [3/31/2025 3:10 AM, Martin Fornusek, 52868K] reports U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 30 that there is a "psychological deadline" for Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine, without naming a specific date. "If I think they’re (Russia) tapping us along, I will not be happy about it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, voicing his belief that the Kremlin’s chief "wants to make a deal.” Trump has softened his rhetoric on Putin after telling NBC News earlier on March 30 he was "pissed off" with the Russian leader over his fixation on President Volodymyr Zelensky, threatening 25%-50% tariffs on Russian oil. When asked whether his relationship with Putin is at its "lowest point," Trump said, "No, I don’t think so. I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word... We’ve always gotten along well.” The U.S. president has threatened additional tariffs and sanctions against Russia several times in the past months but has yet to take the step. In turn, Trump has exerted significant pressure on Ukraine to bring it to the negotiating table, including by temporarily cutting off military and intelligence support. Putin has rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by the U.S. and Ukraine in Jeddah on March 11 unless it includes conditions undermining Ukrainian defense capabilities and only agreed to a partial ceasefire on strikes against energy facilities and in the Black Sea. Kyiv has already accused Russia of violating the energy ceasefire, while the future of the Black Sea ceasefire is in doubt as Moscow has linked it to the lifting of Western sanctions on food producers and some banks. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, who visited Trump over the weekend at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, said that the U.S. president is frustrated with Russia’s delays. Stubb also proposed April 20 as a "good time" for an unconditional ceasefire. Trump acknowledged on March 25 that Russia may be "dragging their feet" in peace talks, while Kyiv and other observers warn that Moscow intentionally prolongs the process to allow Russian forces to capture more territory.

Reuters [3/31/2025 4:02 AM, Staff, 24727K] reports Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Monday the U.S. would receive a strong blow if it acts on President Donald Trump’s threat to bomb unless Tehran reaches a new nuclear deal with Washington. Trump reiterated his threat on Sunday that Iran would be bombed if it does not accept his offer for talks outlined in a letter sent to Iran’s leadership in early March, giving Tehran a two-month window to make a decision. "The enmity from the U.S. and Israel has always been there. They threaten to attack us, which we don’t think is very probable, but if they commit any mischief they will surely receive a strong reciprocal blow," Khamenei said. "And if they are thinking of causing sedition inside the country as in past years, the Iranian people themselves will deal with them," he added. Iranian authorities blame the West for recent unrest including 2022-2023 protests over the death in custody of Mahsa Amini, a young woman detained for allegedly flouting hijab rules, and nationwide protests in 2019 over fuel price rises. Last week, Iran responded to the U.S. letter, with President Masoud Pezeshkian explaining on Sunday that Tehran would not enter direct negotiations with Washington but was willing to continue talks indirectly as per an injunction from Khamenei. "An open threat of ‘bombing’ by a head of state against Iran is a shocking affront to the very essence of international peace and security," Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei tweeted on Monday. "Violence breeds violence, peace begets peace. The U.S. can choose the course and concede to consequences." In his first 2017-21 term, Trump withdrew the U.S. from a 2015 deal between Iran and world powers that placed strict limits on Tehran’s disputed nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Trump also reimposed sweeping U.S. sanctions.

Newsweek [3/30/2025 12:29 PM, Ellie Cook, 3973K] reports Donald Trump arms spread. President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks during an Iftar dinner in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 27, 2025. The U.S. will launch military attacks on Iran if Tehran does not engage in talks with Washington on limiting its nuclear program, President Donald Trump said on Sunday, after Iran’s foreign minister dismissed direct contact between the two countries. Newsweek has reached out to the Iranian Foreign Ministry for comment via email. The president told reporters on Friday that "very bad things" will happen to Iran, should Tehran refuse to "talk it out" with Washington, against a backdrop of deepening fears of a possible military confrontation between Iran and the U.S. Trump told NBC on Sunday that if the Iranian regime did not "make a deal" with the White House, "there will be bombing.” "It will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before," the president said. In separate remarks on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran had "rejected" direct negotiations between its government and the Trump administration, but stressed that "that the path for indirect negotiations remains open.” U.S. and Iranian officials are "talking," Trump said on Sunday. Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, told state media on Thursday that Iran had responded to Trump’s missive via Oman, but did not elaborate on the contents of the reply. The answer "fully laid out" Iran’s stance, Araghchi said.

Newsweek [3/31/2025 3:54 AM, Amir Daftari, 52220K] reports Iran has reportedly loaded missiles on launchers and is ready for retaliation, according to state media. The threat follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s warning of "bombing" if Tehran refuses a new nuclear deal. Newsweek has reached out to the State Department and Iran’s foreign ministry fo comment. The U.S.-Iran standoff has grown more perilous since President Trump’s return to the White House. Iran views Washington’s "maximum pressure" policy—characterized by severe economic sanctions and military threats—as a provocation that has only deepened tensions. Tehran’s rejection of direct talks stems from this policy, which it sees as undermining trust. The risk of military conflict continues to rise as both sides harden their positions. The state-controlled Tehran Times reported on X Sunday that Iran’s missiles are "loaded onto launchers in all underground missile cities and are ready for launch." The newspaper issued a stern warning, stating that any escalation would come "at a heavy cost for the US government and its allies.” The Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Force also issued a statement warning that any act of aggression against Iran will be met with a "severe response.” In an interview with NBC, Trump warned, "If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing — and it will be bombing the likes of which they have never seen before." He later told reporters that he "would prefer a deal to the other alternative," without elaborating further. This warning followed the delivery of a letter by Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urging direct negotiations for a new nuclear agreement. In response, Iran rejected the proposal, citing the breakdown of trust due to Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal and his subsequent "maximum pressure" policy. Despite rejecting direct talks, Iran has indicated a willingness to engage in indirect negotiations, signaling a potential path forward, though tensions remain high. Meanwhile, The Telegraph reported that Iran could target a British-American naval base in the Indian Ocean if provoked, with a senior Iranian military official stating, "There will be no distinction in targeting British or American forces if Iran is attacked from any base in the region or within the range of Iranian missiles." This follows the U.S. significantly increasing its military presence at Naval Support Facility Diego Garcia, the base in question.

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