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 New York Times [5/18/2025 9:05 PM, Laurel Rosenhall, Shawn Hubler and Maggie Miles, 153395K] reports investigators on Sunday identified a 25-year-old man as the suspect in the bombing outside a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, Calif., as they searched for the motive behind the blast that damaged several blocks downtown and, they believe, killed him as well. The suspect, Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, Calif., had “nihilistic ideations,” authorities said, and had specifically targeted the clinic. Officials called the bombing an act of terrorism and said they were examining writings that could be related to the attack, which happened on Saturday. On a website that promotes the idea of terminating life, an audio recording features a man who said he was going to bomb an in vitro fertilization clinic because he was angry at his own existence. Three people familiar with the investigation said agents are examining that website to try to verify whether the bomber had made those statements. Although officials did not say that Guy Bartkus was the lone suspect, they did say that they were not actively searching for others. They also said on Sunday that there was no continuing threat to the community involving this attack. The San Diego Union Tribune [5/18/2025 4:33 PM, Staff, 1611K] reports a 25-year-old man from Twentynine Palms who apparently posted a rambling, online manifesto against life and in vitro fertilization was identified as the suspect who bombed a fertility clinic in Palm Springs on Saturday, killing himself, collapsing the roof of the clinic and damaging buildings in all directions. Officials are "fairly confident" that Guy Edward Bartkus was the bomber, and that it was his remains found near a burned-out car in the clinic’s parking lot, said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, at a Sunday morning news conference. Law enforcement authorities also are investigating an angry screed posted online in which Bartkus allegedly calls himself anti-life and opposed to in vitro fertilization. Davis, who described him as having "nihilistic ideations," – someone who believes life is pointless – said Bartkus also tried to live stream the bombing. Bartkus was driving a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan with license number 8HWS848, Davis said. "That’s critical because we need the public’s help in identifying the gaps in our investigation," Davis said. "We know where Mr. Bartkus was at about 6 a.m. We know the timeline of when he entered the city; However we need the public’s help for identifying where he traversed within the city before the explosion.” A search warrant was served at Bartkus’ home on Saturday, and his neighbors were evacuated at that time. On Sunday, officials said no further threat to the community exists. The powerful bomb exploded around 11 a.m. Saturday in the 1100 block of North Indian Canyon Drive in the parking lot of the American Reproductive Centers fertility clinic, which was closed at the time. The explosion sent debris flying for blocks. Authorities called the bombing "an intentional act of terrorism.” Four people who were injured were released from the hospital, officials said Sunday. Davis declined to describe the type of bomb used or how Bartkus would have built it, deferring to the ongoing investigation. In an interview on Sunday, Mr. Bartkus’s father told The New York Times he had not seen his son in a decade, and that he was shocked when a relative texted him saying his son was implicated in the bombing. Richard Bartkus, 75, of Yucca Valley, told the Times that Guy Edward Bartkus once lit the family house on fire while playing with matches at 9 years old, and as a teenager, he made "stink bombs" and "smoke bombs.” "Nothing major, nothing like a ‘bomb’ bomb, but he’d build rockets, shoot them in the air," the father said.tThe AP [5/18/2025 7:42 PM, Staff, 4120K] reports Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, California, was identified by the FBI as the suspect in the apparent car bomb detonation Saturday that damaged the clinic in the upscale city of Palm Springs in the desert east of Los Angeles. Investigators said Barktus died in the blast, which a senior FBI official called possibly the "largest bombing scene that we’ve had in Southern California." A body was found near a charred vehicle outside the clinic. Bartkus attempted to livestream the explosion and left behind writings that communicated "nihilistic ideations" that were still being examined to determine his state of mind, said Akil Davis, the assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. The writings seemed to indicate anti-natalist views, which hold that people should not continue to procreate. U.S. Attorney Bilal "Bill" Essayli, the top federal prosecutor in the area, called the message "anti-pro-life.” "This was a targeted attack against the IVF facility," Davis said Sunday. "Make no mistake: we are treating this, as I said yesterday, as an intentional act of terrorism.” The bombing injured four other people, though Davis said all embryos at the facility were saved. "Good guys one, bad guys zero," he said. NBC News [5/18/2025 1:45 PM, Tom Winter, 44540K] reports that at a press conference on Sunday, authorities said they believe the suspect was attempting to livestream the attack and are looking into what they call a "manifesto.” The suspect was reportedly dealing with depression and had personal relationship issues, law enforcement officials close to the investigation said. Authorities said he was 25 years old and from Twentynine Palms, where they are executing a search warrant. On Saturday, multiple law enforcement tactical officers were seen outside a Twentynine Palms residence, about an hour away from the targeted fertility clinic. The FBI and Palm Springs Police Department had originally held off on identifying the suspect, citing the condition of his body after the blast. The severity of the injuries sustained by those hurt in the blast has not been disclosed, but all have been released from the hospital, officials said Sunday. The blast, which the FBI deemed an act of terrorism, took place at 1199 North Indian Canyon Dr. at around 11 a.m., according city officials. The street is home to a number of medical facilities, including the Desert Regional Medical Center.

Reported similarly:
Los Angeles Times [5/18/2025 6:48 PM, Rebecca Plevin and Julia Wick, 14672K]
Breitbart [5/18/2025 3:17 PM, Staff, 3077K]
AP [5/18/2025 11:10 PM, Sarah Raza and Eric Tucker, 3077K]
Axios [5/18/2025 2:16 PM, Avery Lotz, 13599K]
ABC News [5/18/2025 8:04 PM, Staff, 31733K]
Daily Caller [5/18/2025 11:18 AM, Melanie Wilcox, 1010K]

Breitbart [5/18/2025 3:46 PM, Amy Furr, 3077K] reports the suspect in the explosion at a fertility clinic in Palm Springs, California, on Saturday was reportedly an "anti-natalist" who did not believe people should have more children. The blast occurred at the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) just before 11:00 a.m., shattering windows and leaving debris in its wake, BBC News reported Sunday. The suspect was identified as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus of Twentynine Palms, and the FBI said the attack was deliberate. "This was an intentional act of terrorism. As our investigation will unfold we will determine if it’s international terrorism or domestic terrorism," the head of the Los Angeles FBI field office, Akil Davis, noted. The BBC said the suspect "had stated in writings and recordings that he is opposed to increasing the population and is against in vitro fertilisation (IVF) — a service offered by clinic that was targeted — saying it is ‘extremely wrong.’". The outlet said the explosion "was a result of a large vehicle-borne improvised explosive device" and its effect was felt over a mile away. Some structures caught on fire during the incident and several nearby businesses were damaged, per Breitbart News. Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) later responded to reports of the blast, noting, "The state is working closely with local and federal authorities as the investigation unfolds. Please avoid the area.” According to the New York Post, the suspect died in the attack and four others were hurt as a result of the explosion. The outlet noted ARC performs IVF treatments, egg collections, and additional procedures. "Police found two rifles — an AK-47 and an AR-style rifle — along with ammunition next to the exploded vehicle, according to an internal briefing obtained by the LA Times," the Post said. The Washington Post [5/18/2025 3:47 PM, Praveena Somasundaram and Jeremy Roebuck, 32099K] reports that on Sunday, officials again described the attack as "an intentional act of terrorism." They did not directly disclose a motive, though authorities confirmed that the FBI was examining a screed thought to have been written by the suspect. "This was a targeted attack against the IVF facility," said Akil Davis, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office. Investigators are also aware of a rambling 30-minute audio recording that surfaced online after the bombing in which a man described his plan to attack an IVF clinic. The audio, and a website it was posted on, did not identify the speaker or the American Reproductive Centers clinic by name. But a law enforcement official familiar with the investigation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said both were being examined as part of the FBI’s ongoing probe into Bartkus’s motives, and what they described as his "anti-natalist" views. The Los Angeles Times [5/18/2025 9:08 PM, Libor Jany, et al., 14672K] reports "We believe he was the subject found by the vehicle," said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, referencing a 2010 silver Ford Fusion sedan near the explosion site. Davis said investigators believed the suspect was attempting to livestream the attack, which he described as "the largest bombing ever investigated in Southern California.” Law enforcement sources told The Times that the bomber used a very large amount of explosives — so many the bomb shredded his remains — and may not have intended to be killed in the blast. They also said the suspect appeared to be "anti-life" — an "antinatalist" who believed that procreation is unethical or unjustifiable — and interacted with like-minded people in social forums. In addition, he appeared to be reacting to the recent death of a friend. Investigators, they said, were looking into a manifesto posted online, social media and a YouTube account mentioning explosives — the latter of which they were still verifying. An online website that contained no name, but appeared connected to the bombing, laid out the case for "a war against pro-lifers" and said a fertilization clinic would be targeted. "Here you can download the recorded stream of my suicide & bombing of an IVF clinic," the site began, but no such file existed. The site extolled a hodgepodge of philosophies, from "abolitionist veganism," the opposition to all animal use by humans, and "negative utilitarianism," the idea that we should act to minimize suffering rather than maximize pleasure in the world. "Basically, I’m a pro-mortalist," the author wrote, referring to a fringe philosophical position that it is best for sentient beings to die as soon as possible to prevent future suffering. The Times could not independently confirm that Bartkus created the website. Domain data show the site was created in February. Daily Wire [5/18/2025 11:07 AM, Daniel Chaitin, 3816K] reports U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced in a Sunday post on X. "Bartkus is believed to be the individual who is deceased at the scene. Investigators are working to positively identify the remains," Essayli said. "An anti pro-life manifesto believed to be authored by the suspect has been located and is being examined by the FBI.” He continued: "We are happy to report that no embryos at the IVF center were damaged by the explosion. This case is being treated as an intentional act of domestic terrorism. The investigation is ongoing.” A vehicle exploded on Saturday in a parking lot outside of the American Reproductive Centers (ARC) facility, ARC said in post on Facebook.

Reported similarly:
New York Post [5/18/2025 12:02 PM, Joe Marino and Zoe Hussain, 49956K]

CBS News [5/19/2025 1:29 AM, Lauren Pozen, Dean Fioresi, 51860K] reports the father of Guy Edward Bartkus is speaking out after news that his son is the person investigators believe to be the suspect in the bombing at a Palm Springs fertility clinic on Saturday. Richard Bartkus says that he hasn’t spoken to his 25-year-old son in more than a decade and that he is not the person he remembers. "He tried to help people," Bartkus said of his son. "After Twentynine Palms he just changed.” He was unaware that his son was a suspect in the massive investigation that sprawled across Southern California on Saturday, which is still ongoing at his son’s home in Twentynine Palms. He was also unaware that his son is believed to be dead following the incident. "It didn’t say anything about him dying and I read later that he died," Bartkus said while speaking with CBS News Los Angeles. FBI investigators say that Guy Bartkus packed his 2010 silver Ford Fusion with explosives before making the hour-long drive to Palm Springs, where they believe he intentionally parked outside of American Reproductive Centers, an IVF clinic. Investigators say that they’re still digging through a series of Bartkus’ online posts and writings, which appear to indicate anti-natalist beliefs, a view that people should not continue to have children. "We need the public’s help in identifying gaps in our investigation," said Akil Davis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles field office in a press conference on Sunday. "We know where Mr. Bartkus was at about 6 a.m. We know the timeline of when he entered the city, but we need the public’s help identifying where he traversed within the city before the explosion went off.” As that investigation continues, Bartkus says that his son was fascinated with how things worked as a kid. Barktus also said that when his son was nine years old, he accidentally burned their family home down while trying a trick with matches but never noticed any red flags. "He would make a smoke bomb, stink bomb, kid things," his father said. "He didn’t make anything dangerous. When I say bombs, it wasn’t like a bomb bomb. ... It was like something you just throw on the ground and it pops.” Bartkus says that bombing a building, what the FBI is now calling the largest in Southern California history, is something he never imagined his son would do. "I don’t know what changed his mind. Maybe a girl, maybe people he was hanging out with up there. It wasn’t him. Before that, Guy was more for helping people," Bartkus said. Federal investigators say that they’re handling the investigation as an international act of terrorism. They did not have a timeline for when the neighborhood surrounding Bartkus’ Twentynine Palms home would be reopened as they continued to gather evidence. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

The Hill [5/18/2025 12:33 PM, Will Conybeare, 18649K] reports the person of interest in the "act of terrorism" that severely damaged a reproductive health facility in Palm Springs, California, is confirmed to be dead, according to authorities. An FBI spokesperson had initially confirmed the information to Nexstar’s KTLA early Sunday morning. The facility, the American Reproductive Centers (ARC), is a fertility clinic and in vitro fertilization (IVF) lab. Palm Springs Mayor Ron deHarte was one of the first officials to deem the incident "an intentional act of violence," and the FBI later called it a "terrorism" act. At a press conference on Sunday morning, FBI Assistant Director for Los Angeles’s FBI field office Akil Davis identified the suspect, who is deceased, as 25-year-old Guy Edward Bartkus. During Sunday’s press conference, Davis revealed more details surrounding Bartkus, indicating that he was a resident of Twentynine Palms and that the evacuations issued for a neighborhood within that city on Saturday evening were connected to a search warrant related to the explosion. This information has been released because authorities are asking the public’s help for tracking Bartkus’ movements in the hours leading up to the alleged attack. Authorities said they are confident he is the individual whose remains were found near the car. "We know where Bartkus was at about 6 a.m. [Saturday] and we know the timeline of when he entered the city; however, we need the public’s help in identifying where he traversed within the city before the explosion," Davis said.

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NPR [5/19/2025 4:38 AM, Jason DeRose, 29983K]
NPR [5/18/2025 4:52 PM, Joe Hernandez, 37958K] Audio: HERE

AP [5/19/2025 1:09 AM, Makiya Seminera, Annie Ma and Janie Har, 31733K] reports that, after the government terminated his legal status in the U.S., one student abruptly lost his laboratory job in Houston and, fearing detention, he returned to his home country in south Asia on a one-way ticket. The Trump administration later reversed course in its expansive crackdown on international students, but there was a major obstacle. The student cannot return because his American visa was revoked. Without it, he’s “stranded,” said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. As the government begins reinstating students’ records, many face a daunting and complicated path toward rebuilding their lives. For those who left, there is no guarantee they can return. Others have faced challenges reenrolling in school and returning to jobs. Mental anguish from their ordeals linger, as do feelings of vulnerability. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has expanded the grounds for terminating a student’s legal status, leaving many to fear they could be targeted again. A total of more than 4,700 international students had their permission to study in the U.S. canceled this spring, with little notice or explanation. In court hearings, Department of Homeland Security officials said they ran the names of student visa holders through an FBI-run database that contains the names of suspects and people who have been arrested, even if they were never charged with a crime or had charges dropped. At a court hearing last week in Oakland, California, lawyers for international students sought a nationwide injunction they said would protect their clients and others across the country. But government attorneys said that wasn’t necessary because ICE was mailing status reactivation letters to affected students. It likely will take two weeks for all students to receive their letter, which can then be shared with universities and employers, assistant U.S. attorney Elizabeth Kurlan said. The plaintiffs’ lawyers said the letter is meaningless, arguing ICE’s new policy suggests student records can be terminated on a whim. There’s also no evidence ICE has asked the State Department to restore revoked visas, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said.

Univision [5/18/2025 9:58 AM, Staff, 4992K] reports a federal judge told the U.S. government that its explanation for invoking the state secrets privilege in the case of Kilmar Ábrego García, the immigrant mistakenly deported to El Salvador, is inadequate. And it asked that the statement in which Secretary of State Marco Rubio declined to provide details about the deportation of Ábrego García to the CECOT terrorist prison in the Central American country be made public. Federal government lawyers have argued that revealing details in open court, or even to the judiciary in private, about whether it is making efforts to return Ábrego García to the United States would jeopardize national security. For example, they pointed out that it would reveal confidential negotiations with foreign countries. However, U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis of Maryland said she did not know how she could independently determine the nature of the government’s concerns with the information provided to her. “There are no specifics,” she noted. “This is basically a ‘take my word for it,’” she added. Jonathan Guynn, a Justice Department lawyer, disagreed that the explanation was inadequate. “We believe we have provided meaningful information,” he said. The focus of Friday’s hearing centered primarily on the desire of President Donald Trump’s administration to invoke the state secrets privilege, a legal doctrine most often used in cases involving the military and spy agencies. But how Xinis ultimately rules could impact the central question looming over the case: has the Trump administration followed its order to bring back Ábrego García?

Breitbart [5/18/2025 5:26 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 3077K] reports unnamed sources in the Department of Justice (DOJ) are claiming the Trump administration is planning to gut safeguards that prevent politically motivated prosecutions — ironically, a safeguard that was not triggered by the prosecution of Donald Trump when he ran for president in 2024, supporters say. Reports this weekend by the Washington Post and the Daily Beast allege Attorney General Pam Bondi is considering removing a requirement that an internal department group called the Public Integrity Section (PIN) sign off on any prosecutions of public officials, such as lawmakers and other elected officials. Federal prosecutors across the country may soon be able to indict members of Congress without approval from lawyers in the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section, according to three people familiar with a proposal attorneys in the section learned about last week. Under the proposal, investigators and prosecutors would also not be required to consult with the section’s attorneys during key steps of probes into public officials, altering a long-standing provision in the Justice Department’s manual that outlines how investigations of elected officials should be conducted. A DOJ spokesman confirmed the proposal and said no final decisions have been made, according to the Post. The newspaper also reported that three people familiar with the proposal spoke on the condition of anonymity because "they fear reprisals.” The ongoing controversy about politically motivated prosecutions has continued to unfold as a two-way street since Donald Trump took office. Bondi is among the many Trump supporters and officials who have repeatedly accused the Biden administration of having weaponized the DOJ against Trump with politically motivated prosecutions in order to prevent him from running in 2024. Unnamed sources who, along with other career prosecutors, remained quiet when the department and special counsel Jack Smith went after candidate Trump, are now implying the Trump administration is planning take down its enemies with federal prosecutions.

FOX News [5/18/2025 3:39 PM, Staff, 46878K] Video: HERE reports the ‘Fox News Sunday’ legal panel discusses the Supreme Court’s birthright citizenship debate and more.

CNN [5/18/2025 2:52 PM, Piper Hudspeth Blackburn, 875K] reports intense negotiations are underway among House Republicans in the leadup to a crucial vote Sunday evening as GOP leadership races to get Trump’s sweeping tax and spending cuts bill back on track after an embarrassing setback late last week. House Speaker Mike Johnson signaled a potential compromise to get holdouts on board and advance the bill in the House Budget Committee on Sunday , saying that Republicans are working on moving up the timeline for the implementation of work requirements for Medicaid recipients – a key change hardliners are pushing for. "The concern is, what we’re trying to work with is the ability of the states to retool their systems and ensure the verification process is to make sure that all the new laws and all the new safeguards are replacing can actually be enforced," he said. "And so we’re working through all those details, and we’ll get it done.” It’s a change that South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman, one of the Republicans who voted against advancing Trump’s massive domestic policy bill on Friday, said on Saturday was necessary to get him to support the bill. Accelerating the phase out of tax credits for green energy projects under the Inflation Reduction Act was also among the changes under consideration, he said, noting that the holdouts "absolutely" must get both changes. "Otherwise, we vote no," he added. Norman told CNN that he expects House Budget Committee’s chairman Jodey Arrington to offer an amendment during Sunday night’s Budget Committee meeting to make some of the changes. Along with Norman, the other Republican holdouts are: Chip Roy of Texas, Josh Brecheen of Oklahoma and Andrew Clyde of Georgia. The bill includes trillions of dollars in tax cuts and a big boost to the US military and to national security — largely paid for by overhauls to federal health and nutrition programs and cuts to energy programs. Making changes to appease hardliners could turn off moderate Republicans — including a number who are worried that phasing out the tax credits could imperil jobs in their districts — and others worried about cuts to Medicaid benefits. Still, two GOP leadership sources also told CNN that signs appeared positive that the bill would get back on track with a vote to advance the bill in the House Budget Committee Sunday night — with the goal of passing the bill out of the narrowly divided House later this week.

ABC News [5/18/2025 7:57 PM, T. Michelle Murphy, 31733K] reports former President Joe Biden was diagnosed with prostate cancer last week, his office said in a statement on Sunday. The news came after it was revealed that a "small nodule" was detected during a "routine physical exam," a spokesperson for the former president told ABC News on May 13. His prostate cancer diagnosis is "characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone," his office said Sunday. "While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.” As Biden and his family review treatment options, President Donald Trump and other political leaders began reaching out to share support for the former leader of the United States. "Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Sunday afternoon. "We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery.” Former Vice President Kamala Harris also posted on X on Sunday, saying she and her husband are keeping President Joe Biden and his family in their prayers. "Joe is a fighter — and I know he will face this challenge with the same strength, resilience, and optimism that have always defined his life and leadership," she wrote. Her husband, Doug Emhoff, the former second gentleman under Biden, separately posted his regards. Also sharing her regards was former State Secretary Hillary Clinton, who posted, "I’m thinking of the Bidens as they take on cancer, a disease they’ve done so much to try to spare other families from. Wishing you a speedy, full recovery.” Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security, also said that she was praying for Biden’s family in her social media post.

USA Today [5/18/2025 7:25 PM, N’dea Yancey-Bragg, 75552K] reports federal and state officials have increased the reward for information leading to the arrests of seven inmates who broke out of a New Orleans jail by climbing through a hole behind a toilet. The massive manhunt for seven of the 10 escapees entered a third day in Louisiana on May 18. During a news conference, Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Jonathan Trapp said he believes members of the public were helping the seven inmates elude authorities. Trapp said the FBI is now offering $10,000 per inmate while the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is offering $5,000 per inmate. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry also noted that the Crime Stoppers award will be increased to $5,000 per inmate, which will be covered by the governor and state Sen. Cameron Henry. "The FBI will work together to ensure that those people helping these inmates evade recapture will be held accountable," Trapp said at the news conference. "These inmates are accused of serious crimes, and until they are back in custody, we should all remain vigilant.” The inmates, some of whom are facing murder charges, escaped from Orleans Parish Prison around 1 a.m. on May 16. The men pulled a "defective" cell door off its tracks and escaped through a hole in the wall behind a toilet and sink unit, according to Susan Hutson, sheriff of Orleans Parish. By the evening of May 17, Kendell Myles, Robert Moody, and Dkenan Dennis had been taken back into custody, according to Landry. Local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies are still working to find Corey Boyd, Leo Tate, Jermaine Donald, Derrick Groves, Lenton Vanburen, Antoine T. Massey, and Gary C. Price. At least one of the inmates was found due to a tip from the public, the FBI in New Orleans said on social media. Louisiana State Police previously said one recovered escapee was found hiding under a car in a hotel garage in New Orleans’ famed French Quarter. The inmate was arrested after a brief chase. The city of New Orleans and its police department urged residents and visitors to stay vigilant during the manhunt and report any suspicious activity, WDSU reported. Col. Robert Hodges, superintendent of the Louisiana State Police, also warned that the escapees may no longer be in New Orleans and could have traveled to other parishes or states.

Breitbart [5/18/2025 12:46 PM, Ildefonso Ortiz, Brandon Darby and Cartel Chronicles, 3077K] reports authorities in Mexico are looking into the targeted killing of two men and the injury to a third who provided training to Mexican police agencies and worked as advisors for the U.S. Department of State and other agencies. The attack took place on Friday night in the city of Tlaquepaque, Jalisco, where a group of gunmen pulled up and began firing dozens of shots at three men who were eating tacos. The Jalisco State Attorney General’s Office confirmed to Breitbart News Foundation that the two decedents were Carlos Amador Chavela and Cesar Gustavo Guzman Gonzalez. Officials identified the third man, who sustained serious injuries, as Pablo Cajigal Del Angel. The three men had just finished teaching a series of courses to Jalisco State Police officers. According to information from investigators, after teaching the course, the men went to a get-together with other officials. Then they went to eat tacos at a local restaurant where the attack took place shortly before 9 p.m. Breitbart News Foundation confirmed that Chavela and Cajigal worked as advisors for the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement. Similarly, Guzman worked with Interpol and various other agencies, including Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office and the Jalisco State Police. While a motive for the targeted killing has not been revealed, the city where the attack took place is controlled by Cartel Jalisco New Generation, one of the Mexican criminal organizations designated as terrorists by the U.S. Department of State.

New York Times [5/19/2025 12:01 AM, John Eligon, 138952K] reports South Africa has been a focus of President Trump’s criticism in his second term. Mr. Trump has made debunked claims that white farmers in South Africa are being killed in a genocide. On May 12, Mr. Trump welcomed some of those farmers into the United States as refugees. He has also expelled South Africa’s ambassador to the United States and has cut off American aid. South Africa will get its chance to directly rebut what it says is Mr. Trump’s misinformation with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s scheduled visit to the White House on Wednesday. Mr. Ramaphosa faces the political challenge of standing firm on his country’s principles without angering Mr. Trump. America is South Africa’s second-largest trading partner, but government officials say that many of their policies that upset Mr. Trump are necessary to undo the racial inequality created during apartheid. Mr. Ramaphosa is expected to try to convince Mr. Trump that the United States has a lot to gain from maintaining close ties with South Africa, the largest economy in Africa. The South African president will also try to reset his relationship with Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa and is perhaps the leader’s loudest critic. South African officials have disputed Mr. Trump’s assertion that Afrikaners, a white ethnic minority that created and led the apartheid regime, are being persecuted and killed at home. South African police data don’t support the narrative of mass murder. From April 2020 to March 2024, 225 people were killed on farms in South Africa, according to South African police officials. But many of the victims — 101 — were current or former workers living on farms who tend to be Black. Fifty-three of the victims were farmers, who are usually white. Mr. Ramaphosa plans to call on Mr. Trump to support an independent investigation into the genocide claims, said Vincent Magwenya, a spokesman for the South African president. Since his first term, Mr. Trump has embraced claims by some Afrikaners that they are targeted in mass killings in rural communities, where many of them own farms, and that they face discrimination in hiring, land ownership and other areas. In January, Mr. Ramaphosa signed into law a measure that allows the government to seize privately held land without providing compensation when it’s in the public interest. Mr. Trump then issued an executive order in February offering refugee status to Afrikaners. This month, top administration officials welcomed 59 Afrikaners as refugees at an airport near Washington.

Washington Post [5/18/2025 12:56 PM, Staff, 32099K] reports regarding James Alan Fox’s May 13 op-ed, “The illusion of the mass shooting ‘epidemic’”:While it’s true that mass shootings are declining, Fox’s recent opinion piece ought to be a reminder that signs of progress are not the same thing as a finished job. Yes, mass shootings with four or more deaths account for just 1 percent of annual gun violence in the United States, and, yes, it’s encouraging that there have only been four such tragedies this year as of May 10 compared with 11 by this time last year. This decline is not a happy accident: It’s the direct result of over a decade of tireless advocacy leading to historic progress, such as the landmark Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, and improvements to state laws across the nation. These reforms have contributed to what was likely the sharpest single-year homicide decrease in our recorded history. Hard-won — and fragile — progress doesn’t mean there is nothing to see here or that urgency is overblown. The choice is not, as Fox suggested, between “calm deliberation” and “ill-conceived quick fixes in the immediate aftermath of bloodshed.” We can pursue sensible solutions with urgency, and we must. The United States continues to far outpace the world in mass shootings, and “rare” is cold comfort to the thousands of families and communities torn apart by these tragedies — to say nothing of the daily gun violence epidemic that claims 125 lives every day. And to dismiss mass shootings that are related to domestic or community violence as somehow less relevant to the fear Americans feel and the solutions they deserve is to miss altogether the complexity of gun violence in America and the ways we can address it.

CBS’ Face The Nation [5/18/2025 11:35 AM, Staff, 4957K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been at the Vatican and they have offered to host a direct meeting between Ukraine and Russia. Given that Vladimir Putin was a no show at the talks he called for in Istanbul this past week, is there reason to believe that he will take up Pope Leo on the offer? Secretary Rubio says, " I’m not a spokesperson for the Kremlin, but if you saw their statements, I believe yesterday, where they said that they would be open to such a meeting under the right conditions. So we’ll wait and see if that’s possible. Obviously, the Vatican has made a very generous offer to host anything, by the way, not just a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin, but any meeting, including at a technical level, you know, any meetings that- that need to be hosted, they- they’ve expressed a willingness to do so. So it’s a very generous offer that may be taken up on. I mean, it would be a site that all parties would feel comfortable. So hopefully we’ll get to that stage where talks are happening on a regular basis and that the Vatican will have the opportunity to be one of the options." Russian Foreign Ministry says that Rubio initiated a call to his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. What that conversation about? "We talked about a variety of things. I wanted to get his readout on his view of how the talks went yesterday. They were not a complete waste of time. For example, there were 1,000 prisoners that are going to be exchanged, and that, from a humanitarian standpoint, is very positive. He explained to me that they are going to be preparing a document outlining their requirements for a cease-fire that would then lead to broader negotiations. So obviously, the Ukrainian side is going to be working on their own proposal, and hopefully that will be forthcoming soon. And if that does happen, and the proposal that comes forward from the Russian side and- and for that matter, from the Ukrainian side, are proposals that are serious and viable, then there’s been real progress, and we can work off of that. So we’ll have to wait and see. But he wanted me to know, and he communicated in our call, that they are- their side will be working on a series of ideas and requirements that they would have in order to move forward with a cease-fire and further negotiations. So we’ll await that, and hopefully it’s a document that is close enough to what the Ukrainians want to be able to get to that point and maybe work out those differences." Rubio states.

San Diego Union Tribune [5/18/2025 9:30 AM, Staff, 1611K] reports local sheriffs are on the front lines in deciding whether to participate in the Trump administration’s mass deportation plans. But states increasingly are making the choice for them. More and more, sheriffs’ hands are tied no matter whether they do — or don’t — want to help with deportations, though they often get the blame when conservatives draw up lists of sanctuary cities. "‘Naughty lists,’ as we call them, are not super helpful here," said Patrick Royal, a spokesperson for the National Sheriffs’ Association. "We all know there are places like Colorado where you can’t [help with deportations], and places like North Carolina where you have to.” Cooperation between sheriffs and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement lies at the heart of the Trump administration’s immigration detention policy. The administration plans to punish noncooperative jurisdictions with funding cuts— though many legal experts agree that cooperation is voluntary unless state or local laws say otherwise. Sheriffs, who typically run local jails, must decide what to do when faced with immigration detainers— requests from ICE to hold onto incarcerated people up to two extra days so ICE officers can show up and arrest them. ICE issues those detainers when the agency reviews fingerprints sent electronically for background checks as part of the jail booking process. Otherwise, arrested suspects who post bond or are otherwise released by a judge might go free despite their immigration status, prompting ICE in some cases to pursue them in the community. In North Carolina, Sheriff Garry McFadden ran on a platform of limiting cooperation with ICE when he was elected in Mecklenburg County, home to Charlotte, in 2018. But today, McFadden must comply with detainers because of a state law passed last year. In a now-retracted Facebook post, U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis in late April accused Mecklenburg and several other North Carolina counties of "shielding criminal illegal immigrants" as sanctuary jurisdictions. Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said in the post he was writing federal legislation to prosecute sanctuary jurisdictions. "You can’t say we’re a sanctuary county and have state laws that say we have to work with ICE. You can’t have both," McFadden said. He added that he’d like more choice about whether to comply with detainers. A federal funding cutoff would endanger important jail programs such as rape counseling, he said. Conservative sheriffs in Democratic-controlled states also can be frustrated by state policy on detainers. Sheriff Lew Evangelidis of Worcester County, Massachusetts, said he’s been criticized for releasing prisoners wanted by ICE but sometimes has no choice: A 2017 state Supreme Court ruling prohibits holding prisoners based on detainers. "If they [ICE] want this person and consider them a threat to public safety, then I want that person out of my community. I want to keep my community safe," said Evangelidis. He supported a Republican-sponsored effort in the state legislature to allow 12-hour holds for ICE if a judge determines the prisoner is a threat to public safety, but the amendment was voted down in April. Many experts agree that ICE detainers can be legally ignored if states allow sheriffs to do that. President Donald Trump has added more pressure, last month requesting a list from Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem of sanctuary cities, which he says would face funding cuts. The administration also has sued some states, including Colorado, Illinois and New York, over their policies.

Just the News [5/18/2025 8:25 AM, Nicholas Ballasy, 878K] reports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have captured several more illegal immigrants with a history of violent crime sanctuary cities and towns, officials told Just the News. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said ICE agents in Boston on May 15 detained Manuel Seberiano Garcia-Munoz, a 32-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who was previously deported. On the same day, several other illegal immigrants with criminal records were detained, including Jose Reyes Alvarez, a 28-year-old illegal immigrant from El Salvador and allegedly a member of the MS-13 gang, DHS said. ICE agents in Newark on May 15 arrested Oscar Juracan, 32, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala with a criminal history that includes an "aggravated sexual assault-during robbery" conviction, according to DHS. On May 15, ICE agents in Philadelphia arrested Tito Flores-Gonzalez, a 27-year-old illegal immigrant from Mexico who was "voluntarily deported back to Mexico twice by United States Border Patrol," the agency said. On January 15, 2025, the Delaware State Police arrested him for "attempted kidnapping in the second degree, terroristic threatening, harassment and offensive touching," DHS said. “These sanctuary politicians are playing Russian roulette with American lives. While sanctuary politicians in places like Philadelphia, Boston, Newark, and California work to thwart ICE, DHS will continue arresting criminal illegal aliens and getting them out of our country,” Assistant Homeland Secretary Tricia McLaughlin told Just the News in a statement. Border Czar Tom Homan said on Friday that there has been a 96.7% decrease in illegal border crossings under President Trump and that the drug cartels are "going broke," according to a report from The Center Square.

New York Post [5/18/2025 10:31 AM, Zoe Hussain, 49956K] reports "Tiger King" Joe Exotic’s husband, who was already doing time behind bars for immigration crimes, has been deported to Mexico by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, according to a report. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage, is now pleading with President Trump and members of his administration to give his partner a reprieve. Exotic posted a picture with his husband, Jorge Flores Maldonado, on Instagram Saturday with the caption, "They have officially taken him to an ICE detention Center for his hearing to either stay in America or go back to Mexico.” Maldonado was released from prison and deported to Mexico just hours after the immigration hearing, TMZ confirmed Sunday. The newlyweds had tied the knot just a few weeks ago while in a Texas federal lockup, where Exotic, 63, is currently serving a 21-year sentence for plotting to hire a hitman to murder big-cat arch-rival Carole Baskin and violating federal wildlife laws."@potus @stephenm don’t you think between losing my life’s work. My parents and now this that I’ve suffered enough and it’s time to watch season 2 of Tiger King and see they admitted on world television the committed perjury and let me go," Exotic wrote Saturday, tagging the accounts of the Trump administration and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller. Maldonado, a Mexican national, was serving time for immigration issues, the reality star previously said, according to CBS News.

CBS News [5/18/2025 1:14 PM, Ivan Taylor, 51860K] reports a South Florida woman who has lived in the U.S. for two decades is now facing a staggering $1.82 million fine from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for failing to leave the country after receiving a removal order in 2005, according to the federal agency. The woman, a 41-year-old mother of three U.S. citizens, asked CBS News Miami to be identified only as "Maria" out of fear for her safety. Originally from Honduras, Maria said she lives with anxiety every day and struggles to sleep after receiving the notice from ICE’s civil fines department. "Ever since that day I live with anxiety… I can’t sleep… I don’t feel," she said in an interview with CBS News Miami. "I don’t want to go back.” Maria entered the U.S. through California in February 2005. Two months later, after failing to appear at a scheduled immigration hearing, she was ordered to leave the country. According to a notice sent May 9, ICE is now charging her $500 for every day she has remained in the U.S. since that order, totaling $1,821,350. "I told the immigration officer I didn’t have any family in this country or a specific place to stay," Maria said. "I never received any document and they did not know where I was going to be.” The fine was issued under the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which permits the government to impose daily penalties on undocumented individuals who ignore removal orders. Maria’s attorney, Michelle Sanchez, said the fine is excessive and unfair, given that her client was not properly informed of the consequences. "For me that is absolutely nuts!" Sanchez said. She filed a motion in 2024 to reopen Maria’s case, arguing that her client qualifies for U.S. residency due to her long-term residence and lack of a criminal record. Sanchez also pointed to Maria’s three children — all U.S. citizens — who would suffer "extreme and exceptionally unusual hardships" if their mother were deported.

Reported similarly:
Univision [5/18/2025 10:22 AM, Staff, 4992K]

Breitbart [5/19/2025 12:50 AM, Neil Munro, 3077K] reports Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz told an audience of graduating students that the nation’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents are "Trump’s Modern Gestapo.” The Gestapo was the secret police created by Adolf Hitler’s National Socialist regime in the 1930s. The name is an abbreviation of a German noun, Geheime Staatspolizei [Secret State Police], which was used to murder a vast number of people throughout Europe. In contrast, ICE protects Americans’ borders, communities, and livelihoods from the destructive mass migration encouraged by Walz and other Democrats. For example, ICE raids often ensure market wage raises for ordinary Americans, so reducing the need for Walz and other Democrats to promote welfare payments. "This vile anti-American language can only be construed as inciting insurrection and violence," responded Trump’s senior aide, Steve Miller. "It is absolutely sickening to compare ICE law enforcement agents to the Gestapo," said a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, which includes the ICE agency. "Attacks and demonization of ICE and our partners is wrong. ICE officers are now facing a 413% increase in assaults," the statement added. On Saturday, Walz told the mostly left-wing graduating class of the University of Minnesota Law School: Donald Trump’s modern-day Gestapo is scooping folks up off the streets. They’re in unmarked vans, wearing masks, being shipped off to foreign torture dungeons. No chance to mount a defense, not even a chance to kiss a loved one goodbye, just grabbed up by masked agents, shoved into those vans, and disappeared. To be clear, there’s no way for us to know whether they were actually criminals or not because they refuse to give them a trial. We’re supposed to just take their word for it.

FOX News [5/18/2025 9:29 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 46878K] reports that, as the Trump administration has moved to end protections for thousands of Afghan nationals, faith leaders and advocates are sounding the alarm over the potential deportation of Christian converts, who, they say, face severe persecution under Taliban rule. Pastor Behnam Rasooli, known as Pastor Ben, leads the Oklahoma Khorasan Church in Oklahoma City, a congregation primarily composed of Afghan Christian refugees. In an interview with Fox News Digital, he shared harrowing accounts of the dangers he says his Christian community faces. "If any of these Afghan Christians are deported back to Afghanistan, the first thing that will happen is the husbands will be killed, the wives will be taken as sex slaves," Pastor Ben stated. "If they don’t kill them, they’ll put them in prison and beat them every single night.” The Department of Homeland Security officially ended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Afghan nationals, potentially forcing more than 9,000 individuals to return to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan. Department of Homeland (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem cited an "improved security situation" and a stabilizing economy as justification. "This administration is returning TPS to its original, temporary intent," Noem said. "We’ve reviewed the conditions in Afghanistan with our interagency partners, and they do not meet the requirements for a TPS designation.” Afghans’ protected status is set to expire on May 20, with the program formally ending on July 12. Noem added that terminating the designation aligns with the administration’s broader goal of rooting out fraud and national security threats in the immigration system.

NPR [5/19/2025 5:00 AM, Diaa Hadid and Omkar Khandekar, 29983K] reports a man gives his passport to a Hindu priest at a temple in this western Indian city. For a fee of about $2, the priest prays to the monkey god Hanuman for the man’s visa application to the United States to be accepted. The prayer quickly ends, and another supplicant hands over his passport. The Chamatkarik Shree Hanumanji Mandir is one of many "visa temples," as they’re known across India, that boast of answering the prayers of Indians seeking to migrate abroad. There are more than 5 million Indian Americans, one of the largest immigrant groups in the U.S., according to the Pew Research Center. But not all got their visa prayers answered. The U.S. has deported more than 600 Indian nationals who entered without legal status since President Trump took office in January, according to India’s Foreign Ministry. The migrants, along with new U.S. tariffs, have become thorny issues for India as it navigates a fast-moving second Trump administration.

Border Report [5/19/2025 2:20 AM, Sandra Sanchez, 117K] reports over $2.1 million in illegal drugs were seized in two large incidents at South Texas ports recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection says. Over $618,000 of cocaine was seized Wednesday at the McAllen-Hidalgo-Reynosa International Bridge from a car coming from Mexico, CBP says. The drugs were confiscated after the car was sent for secondary inspection and nonintrusive inspection equipment was used, CBP says. Inside the small car officers found 21 packages of cocaine weighing over 46 pounds that were concealed within the vehicle during the triple-digit day, the agency says. “Our frontline CBP officers continue to maintain strict vigilance, even amid the sweltering heat this week, and seized a significant load of cocaine,” Port Director Carlos Rodriguez said. “Seizures like these exemplify CBP’s continued commitment to advancing the agency’s border security mission.” On Tuesday, CBP officers say they found $1.7 million worth of methamphetamine inside a car coming from Camargo, Mexico, at the Rio Grande City International Bridge in Starr County. The car was driven by a 26-year-old Mexican woman in a vehicle that was sent to secondary inspection. There, 83 packages of drugs totaling almost 200 pounds were discovered by a canine team and nonintrusive inspection equipment, the agency says. “Our frontline CBP officers utilized an effective combination of technology and inspections experience to take down this significant load of methamphetamine in a passenger vehicle,” said Rio Grande City Port Director Rogelio Olivares. “This seizure underscores the reality of the drug threat and the importance of upholding our priority border security mission.”

CBS News [5/18/2025 8:57 AM, Staff, 51860K] reports the number of people entering the southern border illegally continues to show steep declines since last year. U.S. Customs and Border Patrol statistics show that during the first four months of 2025, there were more than 96,000 people apprehended at the southern border. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [5/18/2025 9:22 PM, Rachel Nostrant, 138952K] reports another fierce storm system hit the central United States this weekend, devastating many communities that are still reeling from severe weather just weeks ago. On Friday night, a series of tornadoes tore through the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions, killing at least 28 and injuring dozens more. Kentucky and Missouri were hit particularly hard, with 26 deaths occurring there. The storms are the latest deadly chapter in an especially brutal spring. In April, similar storms caused deadly flooding and more destruction, also hitting Kentucky and Missouri. The stretch of inclement weather comes as federal weather and emergency management workers struggle to keep up in the face of recent federal work force cuts. This system consisted of supercells, or highly organized, longer-lasting storms that produce stronger winds and larger hail than typical thunderstorms. The supercells then spawned tornadoes beginning Friday afternoon around the system’s bull’s-eye, which was centered over parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky. Government forecasters said on Saturday that a preliminary count showed that 26 tornadoes had touched down, mostly in Indiana and Kentucky. That number pales in comparison with the tornado outbreak during the April storms, which was 107, but officials in the bombarded states said that residents were still dealing with the damage from previous storms. “We’ve been under almost a continuous stream of storms,” said Chad Jenkins, the emergency management director for Brown County, Ind., where at least five people were injured. “It’s been a pretty turbulent spring for us.” At least 19 people have been killed in Kentucky since Friday, with 17 in Laurel County, one in Pulaski County and one in Russell County, Gov. Andy Beshear said. On Sunday, 10 people were still being treated at the University of Kentucky Hospital for injuries from the storm, and three were in critical condition, the governor wrote on X. At least seven people died in Missouri, five of them in St. Louis. Two people were killed in Scott County, in southeastern Missouri, officials said. For the next day or so, the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions could see a reprieve from severe weather, according to the National Weather Service. On Saturday, the storm system moved east, bringing a smattering of thunderstorms across New England before dissipating.

ABC News [5/18/2025 11:46 AM, Staff, 31733K] Video: HERE reports ABC News’ Alex Stone joins Live from London, Kentucky, to show the destruction from severe weather.

NPR [5/19/2025 4:32 AM, Justin Hicks and Leila Fadel, 29983K] reports more than two dozen are dead across Kentucky, Missouri and Virginia after severe storms brought tornadoes through those states. NPR hears about the devastation in the small city of London in Kentucky. [Editorial note: consult audio at source link]

USA Today [5/18/2025 3:35 PM, Julia Gomez, 4241K] reports Kentucky’s governor announced the state would look into emergency housing options after storms and severe weather killed at least 19 people in Kentucky. "We are hard at work this morning addressing the tragic damage and deaths caused by severe weather Saturday morning," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear wrote in a post on the social media site X. "We are securing emergency housing options and looking into sites for intermediate housing.” On May 16, Beshear declared a state of emergency due to a weather system that was moving across the state. On May 18, Beshear confirmed the death of an adult woman from Russell County, which is 116 miles south of Louisville, bringing Kentucky’s confirmed death toll up to 19, according to his post on X. The victim’s age was not disclosed. All 19 confirmed killed were adults, ranging in age from 25 to 74, according to the Kentucky Governor’s Office’s press release. Some of the victims’ ages have not been disclosed, and only a few have been named publicly. At least another four deaths are suspected. Most of the victims lived in Laurel County, but one person, a female whose age was not disclosed, was from Pulaski County, which is around 133 miles southeast of Louisville. Laurel County is around 150 miles southeast of Louisville.

AP [5/18/2025 8:06 PM, Dylan Lovan and Carolyn Kaster, 5801K] reports residents in Kentucky and Missouri sifted through damage in tornado-stricken neighborhoods and remained on edge Sunday for more severe weather ahead after storms swept through parts of the Midwest and South and killed more than two dozen people. Kentucky was hardest hit as a devastating tornado damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles and left many homeless. At least 19 people were killed, most of them in southeastern Laurel County. Meteorologists predicted a fresh “multi-day” mix of dangerous weather conditions across the nation’s midsection starting Sunday with heavy rains, thunderstorms and the possibility of more tornadoes, according to the National Weather Service. Jeff Wyatt’s home of 17 years was destroyed along with much of his neighborhood in London, Kentucky. Wyatt, his wife and two of their children scarcely made it to safety in a hallway while the roof and family room were ripped away. On Sunday, the family returned to the wreckage to collect photos, baby blankets and other keepsakes. “It happened so fast,” said Wyatt, 54. “If we would have been there 10 seconds longer, we would have been gone with the family room.” Damage assessments were underway Sunday as the state readied its request for federal disaster assistance, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said. He announced a 19th storm victim, an adult woman from Russell County. Of 10 people hospitalized for injuries related to the severe weather, three remained in critical condition. “A lot of Kentuckians are hurting right now,” Beshear said on X, touting fundraising efforts to help with funeral expenses and rebuilding. “If you’re able to help, please do.” The storms hit after the Trump administration massively cut staffing of National Weather Service offices, with outside experts worrying about how it would affect warnings in disasters such as tornadoes. The office in Jackson, Kentucky, which was responsible for the area around London, Kentucky, had a March 2025 vacancy rate of 25%; the Louisville, Kentucky, weather service staff was down 29%; and the St. Louis office was down 16%, according to calculations by weather service employees obtained by The Associated Press. The Louisville office was also without a permanent boss, the meteorologist in charge, as of March, according to the staffing data.

Houston Chronicle [5/18/2025 7:00 AM, Rebekah F. Ward, 1982K] reports a year after deadly winds shattered skyscraper windows, toppled trees and caused widespread power outages across Houston, many homes still bear the marks of the derecho’s destruction. The estimated damage from the storm totaled over $1 billion. Data is scarce on the number of Houston-area homes still in disrepair from the 100 mph wind gusts, but according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, full recovery from a major derecho typically takes years. "It really took a lot of people by surprise," said Avantika Gori, an environmental engineer at Rice University. "It’s not common to get that level of wind speed so far inland.” One Fifth Ward home, its porch roof pulled clean off by high winds last May, remains patched with plastic tarps a year later. Piles of timber from the destruction are stacked neatly to one side. Resident Carolyn Lane said water leaks into her living room whenever it rains. The 77-year-old grandmother has lived in the house with her eldest son, who told the Houston Chronicle last year that he did what he could to make repairs. He died from cancer in January and his mother now lives alone. "I miss him. But he’s here with me, I got his ashes," she said. "So I talk to him, you know. It makes me feel better.” Safety nets that are supposed to help residents like Lane are shrinking. The Trump administration is weighing how to scale back the long-term recovery role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, even as coastal Texas’ insurance premiums and deductibles skyrocket. Joel Wish, founder of the new disaster recovery outfit Bright Harbor, said that as long as the president approves a federal emergency declaration after a storm, residents do tend to have options to get support quickly. But it seldom covers the full cost of home repairs. FEMA officials said the federal agency had approved over $892 million in financial assistance for more than 735,000 households after the disaster, which included both the derecho windstorm and early May flooding last year. Asked if the individual assistance program changed since then, officials pointed only to updates that took effect before the derecho. They added that "FEMA’s core mission has remained the same" even though its "approach to supporting local authorities continues to evolve.” Some federal watchdogs are increasingly concerned, though, that FEMA’s major role helping residents rebuild after disasters is already hamstrung by its drastic decline in staffing that could continue to shrink under Kristi Noem’s tenure as Secretary of Homeland Security. In a March cabinet meeting, Noem caught her audience off-guard when she said, "We are going to eliminate FEMA," a statement she later walked back. Still, she remains supportive of drastic cuts to its operations in line with Trump’s executive order that kicked off a "full-scale review" of FEMA’s current operations, saying disaster preparedness should shift to local governments. The agency also has a new acting administrator, after previous lead Cameron Hamilton was pushed out one day after he testified on Capitol Hill that he did not think FEMA should shutter. Before his departure, Hamilton did support reducing the role of FEMA, especially for smaller disasters.

New York Post [5/18/2025 2:12 PM, Ryan King, 49956K] reports FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino delivered a scathing rebuke of the bureau’s former director James Comey over his cryptic "86 47" message made in seashells that he posted on Instagram Friday. Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and conservative talk radio host, blasted Comey as an example of failed leadership at the FBI, he claims casts a shadow over the bureau. "Former FBI Director James Comey brought shame to the FBI badge, yet again, this past week," Bongino wrote on X. "The Director and I spend an inordinate amount of time cleaning up messes left behind by former Director Comey. And his latest actions are no exception.” Comey, an ardent critic of President Trump who led the FBI from 2013 to 2017, set off a firestorm with the Instagram post. The phrase "86" is often used to mean "get rid of" something, particularly in the restaurant industry. Trump is the 47th president, and some of his allies suggested Comey was flirting with language that could incite people to violence. The Secret Service later interviewed Comey and other top law enforcement officials said they were looking into the debacle. "He knew exactly what that meant. A child knows what that meant," Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier Friday. "If you’re the FBI director, and you don’t know what that meant, that meant ‘assassination,’ and it says it loud and clear.” Trump has survived two high-profile assassination attempts, including the July 13, 2024, Butler, Pa., attempt in which a bullet knicked his upper right ear. Comey has since taken the post down. "It never occurred to me but I oppose violence of any kind so I took the post down," Comey said after removing the image from his Instagram account. But Bongino seemed unmoved in his contempt against Comey. "As the Deputy Director of the FBI, I am charged, standing with Director Patel, with managing the most powerful law enforcement agency in the world. The Director and I are also responsible for looking at grave mistakes made by people within the FBI in the past, and ensuring they never happen again," he added. "I cannot post openly about all the things the Director and I are doing to reform the enterprise, but I assure you, they are happening. Sadly, many of those agenda items are the result of former Director Comey’s poor decision-making and atrocious leadership.” FBI director Kash Patel said Friday that the bureau would provide the Secret Service with any assistance needed to address Comey’s post.

Reported similarly:
Breitbart [5/18/2025 1:32 PM, Amy Furr, 3077K]

The Hill [5/18/2025 5:43 PM, Sarah Fortinsky, 18649K] reports Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Whatley said in a Sunday interview that there’s "no way" former FBI Director James Comey didn’t realize his "8647" social media post would be interpreted as a call for violence, as the former FBI director asserted when he took down the post hours later. The RNC chair said Comey should be investigated for his since-deleted post but stopped short of calling for the FBI director to be locked up when asked whether he agrees with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard that "Comey should be in jail.” "What I agree [with] is that this should be investigated," Whatley said in response, in an interview on Fox News’s "MediaBuzz.” "There is no way that this is unintentional," he continued. "James Comey knew exactly what he was putting up. He thought it was funny. It’s not funny.” Comey — a longtime foe of the president’s — posted a photo earlier Thursday on Instagram of seashells on a beach arranged to form the numbers "8647." The post garnered significant blowback from much of President Trump’s base, with many understanding the numbers to be a call for violence against the 47th president, Trump. Others suggested the "86" could be calling for the president to be impeached or removed from office. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem, however, accused Comey of calling for Trump’s "assassination" and said federal law enforcement authorities were investigating the "threat.” "Disgraced former FBI Director James Comey just called for the assassination of @POTUS Trump," Noem wrote on the social platform X on Thursday evening. "DHS and Secret Service is investigating this threat and will respond appropriately.”

CBS News [5/18/2025 6:37 PM, Jesse Zanger and Zinnia Maldonado, 51860K] reports New York City and federal officials have begun their investigation into why a Mexican tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, killing two people. Videos show the moment the Cuauhtémoc’s masts hit the bridge and snapped with 277 people on board. Sailors were seen dangling from wires after the masts broke. At least 19 were hurt and two were still in critical condition after the accident, officials said Sunday. The Cuauhtémoc was docked at Pier 36 a day after what the Coast Guard called a "devastating tragedy." The Coast Guard has been guiding the ship’s crew on repairs and how to move it safely from the area. The Mexican navy said the collision happened at around 8:30 p.m. Saturday as the vessel was departing the South Street Seaport for Iceland. Sailors were standing on the yards along the mast for a ceremonial departure when the ship lost power, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. The tall ship drifted backward and ultimately struck the Brooklyn Bridge, snapping off the tops of the masts as some sailors clung to wires for safety. Officials said the Brooklyn Bridge was not structurally damaged. The governor of Veracruz in Mexico, Rocio Nahle, posted to social media the name of one of the victims who died. "I deeply regret the passing of Veracruz cadet América Yamilet Sánchez. My love, support, and solidarity go out to her family," Nahle wrote in Spanish on social media. On Sunday morning, the National Transportation Safety Board said it was dispatching a go-team to investigate the crash. New York City Emergency Management held an interagency meeting regarding the crash Sunday morning that included the mayor’s office, FDNY, NYPD, the U.S. Coast Guard, the New York City Economic Development Corporation and the MTA. "We will ensure a robust investigation and support for those impacted while maintaining the safety and security of the Port of New York," the Coast Guard said. Schumer said the Coast Guard has a system called vehicle traffic service, or VTS, that’s similar to how the FAA handles air traffic control. "There are indications that this service called the VTS may not have been fully or adequately functional in light of that hiring freeze. We don’t know the answer to that question. We need answers. If this were the case, Brooklyn Bridge accident could be a national harbinger, demanding immediate attention," Schumer said. Schumer pointed to Admiral Linda Fagan’s being relieved of her duties as commandant of the Coast Guard on Jan. 21. "In the time since the post of commandant have been vacant without a permanent commandant nominee. Furthermore, the current hiring freeze at the Department of Homeland Security, DHS, which the Coast Guard is part of, may have limited the ability of the Coast Guard to fully staff up at the VTS, the vehicle traffic service, the shore-wide system that provides quote air traffic control for the seas, especially in congested areas and restricted waters like New York Harbor," Schumer said.

CNN [5/19/2025 1:25 AM, Michelle Watson, Hanna Park, 875K] reports that, just before 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, several onlookers in Brooklyn were enjoying one of New York City’s sunnier days, when they witnessed a Mexican Navy training ship hit the bottom of the Brooklyn Bridge, resulting in two fatalities and injuries to over a dozen people. "We could see some people being kind of dragged," an eyewitness, Flavio Moreira, told CNN. "I believe it was some of the staff, they were on the top of the boat. And they were swinging around, back and forth as soon as the ship hit the bridge.” The allision of the Cuauhtémoc, the Mexican Navy training ship, with the Brooklyn Bridge comes just 16 months after a massive cargo ship plowed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024. The Singaporean-flagged container vessel, named Dali, lost power—just like the Cuauhtémoc—and veered off course, smashing into the bridge and killing six construction workers. Mayor Eric Adams said he was praying for all 277 passengers who were on board, their families, and he thanked the first responders who sprang into action to prevent further damage. Most crew members of the ship were expected to fly back to Mexico Sunday night, a senior city official familiar with the investigation told CNN. The sailing ship had just departed New York’s Pier 17 when the incident occurred around 8:20 p.m. The boat had previously been docked at the South Street Seaport Museum for five days of public viewing. It was on a global goodwill tour and en route to Iceland at the time of the incident Saturday night, officials said. Authorities began responding to the area around 8:26 p.m. after receiving multiple 911 calls, a New York City Police Department spokesperson said. At least two of those injured were listed as critical according to Adams. The Mexican Navy said earlier a total of 22 people were injured, 19 of whom were taken to hospitals. A preliminary investigation by several authorities including the NYPD’s Special Operations Division, the Fire Department of New York, the US Coast Guard, and the New York City Department of Transportation determined that the boat, "experienced a mechanical malfunction," the NYPD said. The boat was also moving in the "wrong direction," a senior city official with knowledge of the investigation told CNN. As it made its way out of the harbor, the ship was supposed to make a stop at a Bay Ridge fueling dock before heading out to sea on its way to Iceland, the official said. "It was the current that took it under the bridge," the person said. "It wasn’t supposed to be headed in that direction.” According to the senior official, Cuauhtémoc’s captain has told investigators he lost steering of the vessel after the rudder stopped working. "They had some sort of mechanical issue, they lost power so without being able to use the rudder, they could not steer," the official said, cautioning all information is preliminary and subject to change.

Washington Post [5/18/2025 7:37 PM, Daniel Wu and Mary Beth Sheridan, 32099K] reports a Mexican naval academy cadet and a sailor died when the glitzy “goodwill vessel” they were aboard hit the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday, Mexico’s president said Sunday, as U.S. transportation investigators arrived in New York to investigate the crash that injured 19 others and left the ship’s broken masts tangled with the bridge. “It was an accident, there are two people dead, and what we have to do is express solidarity and wait a bit to see what the causes were,” Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum told reporters, adding that Mexican and U.S. officials were coordinating closely. “The Secretariat of the Navy, and the authorities there [in the U.S.] are investigating,” she said. Two of those injured were in critical condition after the ARM Cuauhtémoc drifted up New York City’s East River and its towering masts slammed into the bridge on Saturday evening. Video from bystanders showed sailors who were perched on the masts dozens of feet in the air flailing as the wooden beams they were strapped to bent and twisted in the collision. The cause of the crash was still under investigation Sunday, according to authorities, who have released few details. Transportation inspectors said there were no signs of structural damage to the bridge. New York officials said Saturday that the captain of the Cuauhtémoc lost control because of a mechanical issue and that the ship lost power before the crash. Maritime experts who reviewed video of the collision told The Washington Post that several factors could have contributed to the crash, including northeasterly winds and a current that might have pushed the Cuauhtémoc toward the bridge as it left port. They said video of the crash also showed signs that the ship had power and was being propelled backward, stern first, before it hit the bridge. The U.S. Coast Guard, which is joining the National Transportation Safety Board in the investigation, did not share any updates on the cause of the crash in a statement Sunday. Authorities for both agencies did not respond to requests for comment on the cause. The Cuauhtémoc, a training vessel for Mexican naval cadets, sails the world as a “goodwill vessel” to share Mexican culture, said Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States. The ship on Saturday night had string lights adorning it, a large Mexican flag flying from its stern and uniformed sailors perched along its three masts.

Reported similarly:
CNN [5/17/2025 10:57 PM, Michael Rios, 21433K]

New York Post [5/18/2025 3:28 PM, Kevin Sheehan, et al., 49956K] reports a Mexican tall ship slammed into the Brooklyn Bridge because it apparently lost its steering capacity thanks to mechanical failure, sources said — a tragedy eerily reminiscent of last year’s Baltimore span disaster. Shocking footage captured the moment the Mexican Navy’s 147-foot tall showboat the Cuauhatemoc struck the historic New York City bridge Saturday night, killing two crew members, injuring at least 17 other people — and leaving terrified crew members dangling and clinging for dear life from the rigging. "There must have been a lot of frantic, ‘Look out!’ There had to be some pandemonium," retired US Navy Capt. Alfred McLaren told The Post of the likely scene aboard ship. Sources said the 43-year-old vessel was on its way to the Brooklyn waterfront to refuel before setting sail for Iceland but had plenty of diesel when it appeared to have lost its steering ability because of a mechanical malfunction and was quickly carried into the bridge by powerful East River currents. A local harbor pilot, or mariner familiar with the East River’s currents and condition, and area docking pilot, who helps navigate ships out of regional berths and docks, were involved in aiding the guiding of the vessel before the crash, well-placed sources said. At least one of the two was on board the ship at the time. With an investigation now under way to confirm what went wrong, former US Coast Guard Lt. Henry Lipian told The Post the crew could have tried to drop anchor to try to help thwart the tragedy. "It doesn’t mean an anchor’s going to work," Lipian said. "It might slow the ship a little bit, but it might not be enough to stop it. It’s no guarantee. "You lose your engine for whatever reason, you’re at the mercy of the elements.” Lipian said it was a "worst-case scenario" for a crew made up largely of "trainees" to lose power in a harbor such as New York’s.

New York Post [5/18/2025 9:40 AM, Anthony Blair, 49956K] reports harrowing video shows Mexican sailors clinging to the rigging of the tall ship that smashed into the Brooklyn Bridge Saturday night — after dozens of crew members were seen standing on the masts of the vessel as it careened out of control. Two sailors were killed and 17 were injured after the ship, Mexican navy training vessel collided with iconic bridge just before 8:30 p.m. Saturday night. Video taken at the moment of the crash shows dozens of sailors lined up on the 147-foot masts as it set off on its journey for Iceland with 277 on board following a goodwill visit to New York City. Footage filmed from the Brooklyn side of the East River shows the Cuauhtémoc’s three masts hitting the bridge and snapping after an apparent mechanical failure, sending it drifting in reverse downstream. Other eyewitness video shows sailors hanging from the rigging ropes on the damaged masts. "We saw someone dangling, and I couldn’t tell if it was just blurry or my eyes, and we were able to zoom in on our phone and there was someone dangling from the harness from the top for at least 15 minutes before they were able to rescue them," eyewitness Lily Katz told The Associated Press. Emergency diving crews were sent in to check the water as a precaution, but remarkably, no one fell in, officials said.

AP [5/18/2025 11:23 PM, Joshua Goodman and Susan Haigh, 48304K] reports when a Mexican navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge, it was maneuvering in turbulent waters. The tide had just turned, and a fast current was heading up the East River as a 10 mph wind set in. While such hazards are easily handled by an experienced captain, mistakes can be costly in the heavily transited New York harbor, where narrow, curvy channels, winds howling off the jagged Manhattan skyline and whirlpool-like eddies can combine to make for difficult passage. In the case of the 300-foot (90-meter) Cuauhtemoc, two sailors were killed and 19 were injured Saturday evening when the training ship struck the iconic bridge, toppling the vessel’s three masts like dominoes as it drifted toward a crowded pier. It’s unknown what caused the collision, and an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board is likely to take months. But footage of the collision shot by horrified onlookers show the ship hurtling into the bridge in reverse at full speed, suggesting the captain lost control of the engine. There are also questions about whether a tugboat escort peeled away too soon and should have been rigged to the ship or stayed with it until it headed out to sea. Similar tugboat concerns emerged when a large cargo vessel crashed into a bridge in Baltimore last year. On Sunday, the damaged ship was moored at Pier 35 in lower Manhattan. A stream of people, including those who appeared to be investigators and crew, could be seeing getting on and off the vessel. The Coast Guard said damage to the Cuauhtémoc was being assessed. The Coast Guard established a 50-yard (46-meter) safety zone around the ship as the investigation by both the U.S. and Mexican governments got underway. Sen. Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat and the Senate minority leader, said any investigation should look into whether the Trump administration’s federal hiring freeze affected the U.S. Coast Guard’s staffing levels, safety procedures and accident-response readiness. “After being fully briefed on last night’s Brooklyn Bridge accident, one thing is predominantly clear: There are more questions than answers as it relates to exactly how this accident occurred,” Schumer said.

New York Times [5/18/2025 8:47 PM, Andrew Keh, Emiliano Rodríguez Mega, and Chelsia Rose Marcius, 153395K] reports a day after a Mexican sailing vessel slammed its masts into the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge, new details about the deadly crash began to emerge. But as the hobbled, 300-foot long ship, the Cuauhtémoc, remained docked at Pier 36 in Manhattan on Sunday, a clear understanding of what went awry in the accident that killed two crew members remained elusive. “To put it mildly, after being fully briefed on last night’s Brooklyn Bridge accident, one thing is very clear: There are many more questions than answers as to how the accident occurred and whether it could have been prevented,” Senator Chuck Schumer said during a news conference on Sunday. As the National Transportation Safety Board and Mexican officials began a full investigation into the crash, those questions included what the “mechanical issues” were that authorities said caused the Cuauhtémoc to veer wildly off its course and into the bridge, and what role a tugboat seen in videos and photographs of the incident on Saturday night played in the accident. In his news conference on Sunday, Mr. Schumer wondered aloud whether cuts and hiring freezes initiated by the Trump administration to the Coast Guard had played any role in Saturday’s incident. He compared the Coast Guard’s waterway control operation to the air traffic control duties of the Federal Aviation Administration. “We know that there has been meddling by the Trump administration into the Coast Guard staffing,” he said, “and now we need to know how this meddling might have impacted the events of last night from a command, communication and local coordination level.”

Washington Examiner [5/19/2025 12:28 AM, Staff, 1934K] reports Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) issued a statement on Sunday speculating that the Mexican navy training ship that crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge could have been avoided. It was an accusation that drew the ire of the Department of Homeland Security’s X account. In a post on X, Schumer insinuated that cuts implemented by the Department of Government Efficiency could have contributed to the accident in New York City. "With the Brooklyn Bridge strike last night," Schumer began his post. "I’m fighting for answers about whether Trump and DOGE have impacted water traffic control.” "We know they’ve been meddling with U.S. Coast Guard staffing," the senator added. "Trump relieved Admiral Linda Fagan as Commandant of the USCG, and that position is still vacant.” Schumer didn’t explain exactly how any of the DOGE cuts could have contributed to the crash in any way. The Trump administration’s decision to relieve Admiral Linda Fagan is unrelated to the DOGE cuts or traffic control issues. Nevertheless, Schumer continued hypothesizing. "And the hiring freeze has limited the ability for the USCG to staff up the Vehicle Traffic Service, that’s their traffic control operation that acts like Air Traffic Control but on water," Schumer wrote. "We need action for our national security, infrastructure protection, and public safety.” The Department of Homeland Security rejected Schumer’s insinuations and rebuked the senator. "Minority Leader Schumer’s accusations that a hiring freeze led to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Vessel Traffic Services not being adequately staffed are FALSE," read a post on Homeland Security’s X account. "The US Coast Guard has been fully supported and been exempt from hiring freezes. Additionally, this incident had nothing to do with Vessel Traffic Services— when a ship loses propulsion in a high current area, the vessel needs to engage all capabilities to stop and ideally tugs are nearby to support.”

Reported similarly:
New York Post [5/18/2025 4:36 PM, Josh Christenson and Jorge Fitz-Gibbon, 54903K]

Yahoo News [5/18/2025 1:34 PM, Dan Basso, 59943K] reports U.S. Coast Guard sailors and aviators, and National Park Service rangers on Friday, May 16, rescued four people from a fishing vessel that was taking on water north of Grand Marais on Lake Superior. In Facebook posts on Saturday, the Marquette Coast Guard and park service said four people aboard the vessel were transferred safely to other vessels and their boat was towed back to port. "Yesterday afternoon, Pictured Rocks’ response vessel, Arrowhead, supported crews from U.S. Coast Guard Station Marquette and U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Traverse City (rescued) a fishing vessel taking on water north of Grand Marais," Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore said in a Facebook post. In addition to the NPS’s Arrowhead, the Coast Guard’s 45-foot "response boat" and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter assisted, the Coast Guard said. "Our 45’ Response Boat - Medium, along with the National Park Service’s Arrowhead arrived on scene after being vectored to the vessel by a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Traverse City," the Coast Guard post said. "Both boats worked together transferring the personnel off the vessel in distress and safely towing it back into port saving four lives and preventing the loss of their vessel. Bravo Zulu to all those involved!" Neither the Coast Guard nor the park service provided additional information about the stricken vessel’s passengers or what caused it to take on water.

Yahoo News [5/18/2025 8:32 PM, Staff, 59943K] reports the U.S. Coast Guard airlifted two 25-year-old women from a cliffside in Lincoln City, Oregon on Saturday night, the U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest (USCGPNW) posted on X. Crews from Air Station North Bend hoisted the two from near the God’s Thumb hiking area, USCGPNW said. No medical conditions were reported, the Coast Guard posted.

Marine Link [5/18/2025 11:59 PM, Staff, 108K] reports the US Coast Guard Sector San Juan marine investigators and vessel inspection teams are investigating two separate and unrelated vessel fires in Puerto Rico. Both vessel fires were successfully extinguished, and there are currently no reports of marine pollution or reported injuries in either case. Capt. Luis J. Rodriguez, Coast Guard Sector San Juan commander, said: “Each of these vessel fires warrant investigations to learn causative factors and prevent future incidents from occurring with potential risk to human lives and impacts to Puerto Rico’s maritime transportation and marine environment. I commend the crews from both vessels for their initial actions that led to the fires being extinguished, as well as the efforts of responding firefighting crews, which collectively led to preventing the loss of life and averting a more catastrophic outcome.”

CNN [5/19/2025 5:00 AM, Zachary Cohen, Katie Bo Lillis and Natasha Bertrand, 22131K] reports the Pentagon has submitted small, medium and large options to the White House for developing “Golden Dome,” President Donald Trump’s vision for a cutting-edge missile shield that can protect the US from long-range strikes that will likely cost hundreds of billions of dollars, according to multiple sources familiar with the plans. Trump is expected to announce his preferred option – and its price point – in the coming days, a decision that will ultimately chart a path forward for funding, developing and implementing the space-based missile defense system over the next several years. Whatever option Trump opts for, it won’t be cheap; $25 billion has been carved out in next year’s defense budget for the system, but the Congressional Budget Office has estimated the US could have to spend more than $500 billion – over the course of 20 years – to develop a viable Golden Dome. The project will also present a bonanza for private contractors as the government won’t be able to build it alone, with companies including Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the running for highly lucrative contracts related to the system. The Department of Defense “has developed a draft architecture and implementation plan for a Golden Dome system that will protect Americans and our homeland from a wide range of global missile threats,” chief Pentagon spokesman and senior adviser Sean Parnell told CNN in a statement. “The Secretary of Defense and other Department leaders have engaged with the President to present options and look forward to announcing the path forward in the coming days,” Parnell added. A key part of the implementation plan will be the establishment of a direct reporting program manager – also known as a “golden dome czar” – who can oversee the development and deployment of the highly complex system, according to three sources familiar with the conversations.

FOX News [5/18/2025 3:11 PM, Danielle Wallace, 46878K] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the timing of a potential face-to-face meeting between President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin regarding a ceasefire deal in Ukraine in an interview that aired Sunday. Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday while returning to Washington, D.C., from Abu Dhabi that no peace in Ukraine would be reached until he met with Putin in person. The president added in a Truth Social post on Saturday that he planned to speak with Putin on the phone on Monday, followed by a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some NATO leaders. Meanwhile, Rubio — who attended Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural mass in Rome on Sunday — said the Vatican has offered to host a direct meeting between Ukraine, Russia and possibly other parties. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

NBC News [5/19/2025 5:00 AM, Peter Nicholas and Megan Shannon, 44742K] reports Jamieson Greer has a big job — three of them, actually. As U.S. trade representative, Greer has been flying around the world at Donald Trump’s behest, negotiating with countries over the tariffs that the president imposed. On top of that, he is the government’s official watchdog. The White House has appointed Greer both acting director of the Office of Government Ethics and acting head of the Office of Special Counsel. Cutting trade deals to Trump’s liking is one thing. Holding the Trump administration accountable for ethical lapses is something different. The missions would seem incompatible. Yet Greer’s hybrid role isn’t so much an anomaly in Trump’s second term as a norm. Trump has taken some Cabinet members and senior administration officials and layered on additional work that calls for wholly different sets of skills. Daniel Driscoll is secretary of the Army, but also the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The first job is about keeping soldiers in fighting trim; the second includes cracking down on contraband cigarettes. Marco Rubio is secretary of state, national security adviser and, for good measure, acting head of the National Archives and Records Administration, with its collection of rare documents that include Thomas Edison’s patent application for the light bulb. He is also the acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development — or what’s left of it, anyway, after the Trump administration effectively dismantled it. Trump recently named Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche the acting head of the Library of Congress. The Justice Department upholds the nation’s laws and advances Trump’s agenda; the library is supposed to give lawmakers independent research they request. The dual postings give rise to a tangle of managerial challenges, constitutional questions and potential conflicts of interest, critics contend. If a whistleblower comes forward and alleges wrongdoing at Greer’s trade office, can he give the complaint a fair hearing? Is Rubio equipped to forge a peace deal in Ukraine while also ensuring that visitors have a rewarding experience at the Herbert Hoover library in West Branch, Iowa, and the 15 other presidential libraries the Archives runs? “It is the model of a confused startup operation,” said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor at Yale University’s school of management. Congressional Democrats have taken note of the appointments and objected to what they describe as an end-run around the Senate’s right to confirm or reject presidential appointments.

AP [5/19/2025 2:56 AM, Josh Boak, 48304K] reports President Donald Trump is hoping separate phone calls Monday with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy will make progress toward a ceasefire in the war in Ukraine. Trump expressed his hopes for a “productive day” Monday — and a ceasefire — in a social media post over the weekend. His effort will also include calls to NATO leaders. Trump has struggled to end a war that began with Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and that makes these conversations a serious test of his reputation as a dealmaker after having claimed he would quickly settle the conflict once he was back in the White House, if not even before he took office. The Republican president is banking on the idea that his force of personality and personal history with Putin will be enough to break any impasse over a pause in the fighting. “His sensibilities are that he’s got to get on the phone with President Putin, and that is going to clear up some of the logjam and get us to the place that we need to get to,” said Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff. “I think it’s going to be a very successful call.” Still, there are fears that Trump has an affinity for Putin that could put Ukraine at a disadvantage with any agreements engineered by the U.S. government.

CBS News [5/18/2025 9:13 PM, Staff, 51661K] Video HERE reports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took the opportunity while in Rome for Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural Mass to meet with top U.S. officials and European leaders on Sunday ahead of a high-stakes phone call Monday between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine. Zelenskyy spoke with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Rome. Zelenskyy said on social media he had underscored the need for "real diplomacy" and reaffirmed Ukraine’s commitment to a "full and unconditional ceasefire." "We have also touched upon the need for sanctions against Russia, bilateral trade, defense cooperation, battlefield situation and upcoming prisoners exchange," he wrote. "Pressure is needed against Russia until they are eager to stop the war." It was the first face-to-face meeting between Vance and Zelenskyy since the contentious meeting at the Oval Office in February. Mr. Trump said on Saturday that he plans to speak with Putin on Monday about stopping the "bloodbath" in Ukraine. He will then speak with Zelenskyy and leaders of various NATO countries. Rubio said "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" in an interview that aired Sunday, he believes the only way that these talks will move forward is if Mr. Trump and Putin meet in person. He said Mr. Trump has publicly offered to meet one-on-one.

Reported similarly:
Yahoo News [5/18/2025 3:27 PM, staff, 59943K]

ABC News [5/19/2025 4:06 AM, David Brennan, 31638K] reports President Donald Trump is expected to speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin at around 10 a.m. ET on Monday, as the White House continues its push for an end to Moscow’s 3-year-old invasion of Ukraine after last week’s peace talks in Istanbul, Turkey. "The subjects of the call will be, stopping the ‘bloodbath’ that is killing, on average, more than 5,000 Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, and trade," Trump wrote in a post to his Truth Social website on Saturday. "I will then be speaking to President Zelenskyy of Ukraine and then, with President Zelenskyy, various members of NATO," Trump added. Renewed direct contact with Putin -- the last publicly known direct phone call between the two presidents took place in February -- comes after Trump’s hopes for peace talks progress in Istanbul were scuppered, Putin having declined to attend despite Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s invitation to do so. Once it became clear Putin would not attend, Trump told reporters of the peace effort, "Nothing’s going to happen until Putin and I get together, okay?" Trump’s repeated threats of further sanctions on Russia have so far failed to precipitate any notable shift in Moscow’s war goals -- which, according to public statements by officials, still include Ukraine’s ceding of four regions -- which Russian forces do not fully control -- plus Crimea, as well as a permanent block on Kyiv’s accession to NATO. Putin said Sunday that any peace deal with Ukraine should "eliminate the causes that triggered this crisis" and "guarantee Russia’s security." Kyiv and its European backers are still pushing for a full 30-day ceasefire, during which time they say peace negotiations can take place. Moscow has thus far refused to support the proposal, suggesting that all Western military aid to Ukraine would have to stop as part of any ceasefire.

Reported similarly:
NBC News [5/19/2025 3:36 AM, Alexander Smith, 44742K]

FOX News [5/18/2025 1:00 PM, David Spector, 46878K] reports Qatar has dumped billions into U.S. universities over the last four decades, The Free Press reported. The Sunni Gulf State has made headlines after gifting President Donald Trump a splashy $400 million plane dubbed the "palace in the sky," and has recently hosted him as part of his whirlwind Middle East tour. The White House announced that Qatar agreed to invest $243.5 billion in U.S. businesses Thursday. Qatar has also served as a mediator between Israel and Hamas amid hostage and ceasefire negotiations since the terrorist group invaded the Jewish state on Oct. 7. Qatar, a monarchy ruled by the Al-Thani family, has seen a rapid reversal of fortunes in its international standing in recent years. In 2017, the small Gulf state — home to just 2.65 million people — was the subject of an economic and travel blockade launched by Saudi Arabia and other Arab states who accused it of being too close to Iran and sponsoring terrorism. But today, Qatar enjoys warm relations with the United States and is a major player in world affairs. The emirate is the biggest foreign funder of American universities, donating $4.7 billion between the years of 2000 and 2021, according to a 2022 National Association of Scholars Study, and has spent $6.3 billion on American colleges since the government began keeping records in 1986, The Free Press reported. Qatar even boasts an "Education City" that hosts branches of several elite American Universities. A source close to the Qatar diplomats said the vast majority of the funding Qatar spends on U.S. universities is spent in their own country, with close to 90% of the funds going to managing the U.S. universities in Doha. Northwestern University opened a journalism school in the wealthy gulf state in 2025, receiving over $600 million in funding from Qatar. Cornell’s Qatar medical school, established in 2001, received nearly $1.8 billion from the country, Carnegie Mellon’s Qatari extension received over $740 million from the oil-rich country, Texas A&M’s Engineering school in Qatar received nearly $700 million in funding, Virginia Common Wealth University in Qatar received $100 million and Georgetown University in Doha received over $760 million from the monarchy.

Breitbart.com [5/18/2025 4:16 PM, Joshua Klein, 3077K] reports a bipartisan House majority has cosponsored a resolution backing Iranian democracy and denouncing the regime’s escalating campaign of terrorism, with Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA) — who announced the milestone — calling the move a stand for a "democratic, secular, and nonnuclear Republic of Iran," as Rep. Keith Self (R-TX) pointed to President Donald Trump’s legacy of pressure diplomacy, noting such deals succeed when "the world understands it must take him at his word.” A clear bipartisan majority in the U.S. House of Representatives has formally lined up behind H. Res. 166, a resolution condemning the Islamic Republic of Iran’s support for terrorism and oppression, while backing the aspirations of the Iranian people for regime change and democratic reform. Last week, the resolution introduced by McClintock crossed a crucial threshold, officially securing a majority with 219 cosponsors — 136 Republicans and 83 Democrats. "This truly bipartisan and broad-based House majority endorses the general principles propounded by Iranian democracy groups," McClintock said in a public statement, referring to the Ten-Point Plan presented by NCRI’s president-elect, Maryam Rajavi, and backed by over 4,000 lawmakers, 130 former world leaders, and 80 Nobel laureates. The plan includes universal suffrage, free elections, a market economy, separation of religion and state, gender and ethnic equality, and a nonnuclear, peaceful foreign policy. The resolution further calls for sanctions and international accountability against the Iranian regime’s leadership and military elements such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). In exclusive remarks to Breitbart News, McClintock noted that the resolution "should strengthen the President’s hand to know that a bipartisan majority in the House of Representatives stands behind the Iranian opposition.” "The simplest, surest and cleanest path to resolve this threat is to encourage and support the Iranian freedom fighters that are striving to collapse the tyranny from within," he added.

FOX News [5/18/2025 9:48 PM, Staff, 46878K] reports Sen. Ashley Moody, R-Fla., discusses her ‘Stop CCP Visas Act’ and the national security threat posed by China on ‘Sunday Night in America.’[Editorial note: consult video at source link]

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