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

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

The AP [5/3/2025 9:39 PM, Staff, 48304K] reports Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Saturday that U.S. President Donald Trump proposed sending American troops into Mexico to help her administration fight drug trafficking but that she rejected it. Her remarks to supporters in eastern Mexico came in response to a Wall Street Journal article published the day before, describing a tense phone call last month in which Trump reportedly pressured her to accept a bigger role for the U.S. military in combating drug cartels in Mexico. “He said, ‘How can we help you fight drug trafficking? I propose that the United States military come in and help you.’ And you know what I said to him? ‘No, President Trump.’” She added: “Sovereignty is not for sale. Sovereignty is loved and defended.” White House National Security Council spokesman James Hewitt said in a statement later Saturday that Trump has worked closely with Mexico’s president “to achieve the most secure southwest border in history.” “Dangerous Foreign Terrorist Organizations, however, continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country,” the statement said. “The President has been crystal clear that Mexico must do more do combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries.” The U.S. military presence has increased steadily along its southern border with Mexico in recent months, following Trump’s order in January to increase the army’s role in stemming the flow of migrants. The U.S. Northern Command has surged troops and equipment to the border, increased manned surveillance flights to monitor fentanyl trafficking along the border and sought expanded authority for U.S. Special Forces to work closely with Mexican forces conducting operations against cartels. Trump designated many of the gangs and cartels smuggling drugs into the U.S. as foreign terrorist organizations on Feb. 19, restricting their movements and lending law enforcement more resources to act against them. But Sheinbaum’s hardline stance Saturday signaled that U.S. pressure for unilateral military intervention would put her and Trump on a collision course after months of cooperation on immigration and trade. “We can work together, but you in your territory and us in ours,” Sheinbaum said. The Hill [5/3/2025 10:25 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12829K] reports "It’s not necessary. We can collaborate. We can work together," Sheinbaum continued. "But you in your territory and us in ours. We can share information, but we will never accept the presence of the United States’ army in our territory.” The Hill reached out to the White House for comment. Earlier this year, Trump slapped tariffs on Mexico over his view that the country is not doing enough to curb the flow of fentanyl into the U.S. Many goods, under a 2020 trade agreement, are exempted from the levies. In February, Sheinbaum sent 10,000 Mexican soldiers to the U.S. border in February amid the threats. Last month, Trump also threatened to impose additional tariffs on the Latin American country over a water dispute. In response, Sheinbaum announced she would be sending water to Texas. Amid Trump’s calls to crack down on fentanyl, the State Department declared several Mexican drug cartels as terrorist organizations in February after suggesting fentanyl overdoses were a direct result of drugs being smuggled across the southern border. Sheinbaum has allowed the U.S. to conduct drone flights over Mexico to locate fentanyl labs in the northern part of the region. But Trump has continued to press Sheinbaum despite her repeated denials regarding the potential presence of U.S. forces in the country. "This cannot be an opportunity for the U.S. to invade our sovereignty. With Mexico, it is collaboration and coordination, never subordination or interventionism, and even less invasion," Sheinbaum told reporters three months ago after Trump adviser Elon Musk suggested cartels identified by the State Department were eligible for strikes. "The Mexican people will under no circumstances accept interventions, intrusions or any other action from abroad that is detrimental to the integrity, independence or sovereignty of the nation … [including] violations of Mexican territory, whether by land, sea or air," she added at the time. Reuters [5/3/2025 5:35 PM, Lucinda Elliott, 24727K] reports that a spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) said in response to a Reuters request for comment that Trump had been "crystal clear that Mexico must do more to combat these gangs and cartels and the United States stands ready to assist and expand the already close cooperation between our two countries." The council spokesperson added that Trump had worked closely with Sheinbaum to achieve the "most secure southwest border in history", however, "dangerous foreign terrorist organizations continue to threaten our shared security and the drugs and crime they spread threaten American communities across the country," the spokesperson said. FOX News [5/3/2025 8:49 PM, Alexandra Koch, 46189K] reports White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly highlighted coordinated efforts with Mexico to address border security. "President Trump has worked with President Sheinbaum to advance border security collaboration with Mexico to the highest levels ever," Kelly wrote. "This robust cooperation and information sharing is delivering tangible results, including the removal of numerous cartel leaders to the U.S. to face justice and creating the most secure border in history.” Since taking office, Trump has continued to use CIA drones to conduct surveillance flights over the country in coordination with the Mexican government. He has also formally named drug cartels "foreign terrorist" groups. However, Kelly said Mexico must do more to protect Americans from dangerous foreign terrorist organizations and "the drugs and violence they flood into communities on both sides of the border.” "We will continue exploring ways to enhance our efforts across the region to dismantle these transnational criminal organizations," she wrote. "We will make America safe again.” The Heritage Foundation, a top conservative group, released a report in January detailing how Trump could use the military to confront the border crisis. It argued that Mexican cartels are continuing to grow, illegal immigration and narcotics smuggling have accelerated and U.S.-Mexico security cooperation has deteriorated. However, the report noted direct military action against cartels should be a "last resort," preferring joint military action with Mexican coordination, Fox News Digital previously reported. "In the appropriate context, unilateral U.S. military action may be employed to disrupt cartel activity and prompt cooperation from a resistant Mexican government," the group wrote. The foundation claimed Mexico was unlikely to change its stance when Sheinbaum was elected despite the escalating threat from cartels.

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The Hill [5/3/2025 7:54 AM, Filip Timotija, 12829K] Video: HERE reports President Trump lashed out at judges early Saturday after a recent court ruling barred his administration from continuing to use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act (AEA) to deport alleged Venezuelan gang members. “Can it be so that Judges aren’t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals, including Murderers, out of our Country and back to where they came from?” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “If this is so, our Country, as we know it, is finished! Americans will have to get used to a very different, crime filled, LIFE,” he continued. post on Truth Social. “This is not what our Founders had in mind!!!” The president’s criticism comes less than two days after U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., an appointee of Trump, ruled that the AEA does not allow the commander-in-chief to quickly deport alleged Venezuelan gang members to a jail in El Salvador, extending an existing block. Rodriguez Jr. said in his ruling Thursday that the 18th century law can only be utilized when an “organized, armed force” is coming into the U.S., therefore rejecting the administration’s assertion that the law can be used against alleged members of the Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang. “The Proclamation makes no reference to and in no manner suggests that a threat exists of an organized, armed group of individuals entering the United States at the direction of Venezuela to conquer the country or assume control over a portion of the nation,” the judge wrote in a 36-page ruling. “Thus, the Proclamation’s language cannot be read as describing conduct that falls within the meaning of ‘invasion’ for purposes of the AEA,” he added. With just over 100 days since Trump returned to the White House, the administration’s reliance on AEA has been key the crackdown on illegal immigration. Earlier in the year, over 100 men were deported to a high-security prison in El Salvador, alleging that their tattoos were evidence of their gang affiliation. The Daily Wire [5/3/2025 11:26 AM, Nathan Gay, 4672K] reports that the ruling came from U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr., who determined Thursday that the 18th-century law can only be used when an "organized, armed force" threatens the United States, a standard he did not apply to multinational South American gangs. Rodriguez rejected the administration’s argument that the law could target alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang in his 36-page decision. The Alien Enemies Act, part of the four Alien and Sedition Acts signed by President John Adams in 1798, has rarely been invoked in modern times. Trump’s proclamation activating the centuries-old law in March represented a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategy, specifically targeting what the administration describes as transnational criminal organizations. The administration deported more than 100 men to a high-security prison in El Salvador using the AEA, citing their tattoos and other evidence as proof of gang affiliation. Continuing Trump’s aggressive immigration agenda, the administration has asked the Supreme Court to end deportation protections for over 600,000 Venezuelans currently covered under Temporary Protected Status, per the Hill. The case was brought by several Venezuelan nationals who claimed they were wrongfully targeted for deportation. Their attorneys argued that tattoos alone were insufficient evidence of gang affiliation and that many individuals were denied the opportunity to contest the allegations against them. White House officials confirmed that the Justice Department plans to appeal Rodriguez’s ruling while exploring other legal options to continue the deportation of individuals they identify as gang members. The administration has maintained that aggressive immigration enforcement remains central to its public safety agenda.

Breitbart [5/3/2025 12:23 PM, Amy Furr, 2923K] reports two Ukrainian nationals are accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday. In a social media post, Noem said, "In partnership with @DOGE, @ICEgov arrested two Ukrainian nationals for illegally VOTING in the 2024 election.” The DHS secretary then added, "Under President Donald Trump, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will face the consequences.” The news comes after an official with the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) said millions of migrants who were welcomed into the United States under former President Joe Biden (D) are on the nation’s voter rolls and some of them voted in the 2024 election, Breitbart News reported on April 7. "Most recently, DOGE chief Elon Musk said that potentially millions of illegal aliens who arrived in the U.S. under Biden have secured Social Security numbers," Breitbart News’s John Binder wrote. A few days before the presidential election in November, Breitbart News’s Neil Munro reported that the Center for Immigration Studies said the non-citizen population in America has exploded so much that it had the potential to swing 12 states to the Democrat candidate if they were allowed to vote. The outlet cited a report by the non-partisan center’s research chief, Steven Camarota: Census Bureau data collected earlier this year indicates that there are 23.2 million voting-age non-citizens in the country, roughly half of whom are illegal immigrants. Our analysis does show that in a dozen states … the non-citizen population in 2024 is potentially large enough to exceed the state winner’s margin in 2020. Of course, just because it is mathematically possible for non-citizens to decide a state’s presidential outcome does not mean it will actually happen, but it illustrates the potential seriousness of the non-citizen voting issue. Meanwhile, Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) explained during a recent interview with Breitbart News Daily that Democrats are still blocking efforts to keep non-citizens from voting, stating, "The bottom line is, only American citizens should vote in American elections. We ought to fix that. The SAVE Act’s one way to do it.”

Breitbart [5/3/2025 10:32 AM, Jeff Poor, 2923K] reports that, during an appearance on Saturday’s broadcast of FNC’s "Fox & Friends," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the mainstream media and congressional Democrats for embracing suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia. According to Noem, their defense of Abrego Garcia "revealed who they are.” "[T]he mainstream media, these congressman, these senators, the Democrat Party wrapping their arms around a known human smuggler, a wife beater, a violent criminal that was finally held accountable for his actions — the fact they went to the mat for this guy shows who they are, that they are people who don’t put America first, they don’t care about our citizens, protecting our communities. So, I’m glad the onion has been peeled back and their true motivations have been revealed. And this is one of the cases we’re getting off the streets. Since Trump has been in office the we’ve removed thousands and thousands of violent criminals, and people are safer today.”

FOX News [5/3/2025 9:25 AM, Staff, 46189K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem joins ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ to discuss the latest revelations surrounding deported migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia and to criticize Democratic lawmakers for backing his case. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Breitbart.com [5/3/2025 10:32 AM, Jeff Poor, 2923K] reports during an appearance on Saturday’s broadcast of FNC’s "Fox & Friends," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blasted the mainstream media and congressional Democrats for embracing suspected MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia. According to Noem, their defense of Abrego Garcia "revealed who they are."

SFGate [5/3/2025 10:01 AM, Chimene Keitner, 12335K] reports Trump administration officials have repeatedly claimed that judges who order the administration to take action to bring deported Venezuelans back from the El Salvador prison where the U.S. sent them are meddling in the conduct of foreign policy. "The foreign policy of the United States is conducted by President Donald J. Trump − not by a court − and no court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States," Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on April 14. His comments refer to cases including that of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a 29-year-old Salvadoran man who was deported to El Salvador on March 15, 2025, without any due process. The Trump administration says it will not bring him back to the U.S., despite a Supreme Court order to facilitate his return. A reporter on April 30 asked Rubio about whether he has been in touch with El Salvador regarding Abrego Garcia’s potential release from a maximum security prison there. "Well I would never tell you that and you know who else I would never tell? A judge. Because the conduct of our foreign policy belongs to the president," Rubio said. Rubio made a similar point on April 14, posting on X, "No court in the United States has a right to conduct the foreign policy of the United States. It’s that simple. End of story.” The legal cases of Abrego Garcia and other noncitizens deported to El Salvador are far from simple. Chimène Keitner, a scholar of international law and civil litigation, answers a few key questions about the power that U.S. judges actually have in these wrongful deportation cases. These wrongful deportation cases aren’t primarily about foreign policy, despite what Trump officials have said − they’re about the protection of individual rights, including the right to due process. The Trump administration is arguing that courts cannot grant relief to individuals challenging their deportation and detention if those individuals are sent to another country and imprisoned there. Under that argument, even a wrongfully detained and deported U.S. citizen would be out of luck. That can’t, in my understanding, be right. In Reid v. Covert, a foundational case from 1957, the Supreme Court made clear that the government cannot deprive U.S. citizens of due process by entering into an agreement with a foreign country. Now, noncitizens are being detained in El Salvador under arrangements concluded between Rubio and Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele in February 2025. So far, the relevant agreements have not been disclosed to Congress, arguably in violation of U.S. law. They also have not been disclosed to courts that have sought answers about relevant details.

USA Today [5/4/2025 5:02 AM, Will Carless. Eduardo Cuevas, Nick Penzenstadler, Michael Collins, 75858K] reports the tiny neighborhood of Los Nogales, with its pinkish-red bougainvilleas and a small knot of streets rising above El Salvador’s capital, seems cut off from the sprawling city below. Senda 3, a cul-de-sac at the heart of the neighborhood, dead-ends into bushes and trees. Houses are jammed together. Neighbors walk a few steps to makeshift tiendas, or shops, nestled inside front rooms behind plastic sheeting, or metal bars, or both. This is the street where Kilmar Abrego Garcia spent his early years. And the street he fled to come to America. He was a teenager when he left to build a new life in a new country. He’s 29 now and back in El Salvador, this time in prison, a father of three caught in a standoff among President Donald Trump, the courts, some members of Congress and the Salvadoran government. Abrego Garcia’s deportation – and the Trump administration’s refusal to return him to the United States, even though it admits he was sent back to El Salvador by mistake – has made him the most high-profile target of Trump’s campaign to expel millions of migrants who entered the United States illegally. The Justice Department insists Abrego Garcia is a member of a dangerous criminal gang. Abrego Garcia, who had lived in Maryland for years before he was deported, insists he is not. Regardless of who is right, Abrego Garcia’s story begins here, in Los Nogales, on Senda 3. The small terrace house he lived in with his parents and two siblings is still standing. His mother, Cecilia, referred to affectionately as "Cece" by old friends, made pupusas there with the help of her three young children every Friday, Saturday and Sunday and sold them to neighbors. A woman named Rocio, who is in her 30s and lives just two doors down, proudly showed off photos of Abrego Garcia, his sister and his older brother Cesar attending a birthday party in her home. At the time, San Salvador was the domain of violent gangs. Two rival gangs, MS-13 and Barrio 18, or the 18th Street gang, fought over turf block by block, running the Central American country’s murder rate in 2012 up among the highest in the world at 41 per 100,000 people, according to the United Nations. Los Nogales was neutral ground. "There was never trouble with gangs here," said a man who would only give his name as Jorge. "I’ve lived here for 20 years and never had a problem.” Jorge’s sentiments were echoed by almost a dozen of Abrego Garcia’s close neighbors, friends and neighborhood acquaintances interviewed by USA TODAY. The paper is identifying Jorge and other locals only by their first names because they fear reprisals from El Salvador’s increasingly authoritarian government.

Just the News [5/3/2025 10:45 AM, Nicolas Ballasy, 943K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem touted President Trump’s proposed budget for ending federal funding that went to non-governmental organizations that she argued "facilitated" illegal immigration throughout the Biden administration. "Under POTUS Trump’s budget proposal we are ENDING funding for radical NGOs that facilitated immigration. These NGOs spent hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars trafficking illegal aliens across the United States, including paying for cell phones, hotels, and flights," Noem wrote on X. "All while coaching illegal aliens on how to manipulate U.S. immigration regulations to remain in the U.S. and escape deportation. Their Biden-funded campaign to destroy our country ends today," she added.

CNN [5/3/2025 8:00 AM, Devan Cole, 22131K] reports the Trump administration’s removal to Honduras last week of three children who are US citizens underscores how its push to carry out a historic deportation campaign can result in extraordinary circumstances and violations of internal policies and due process rights intended to avoid such situations, legal experts say. The at-times slapdash approach has resulted in the government running up against the parental rights of some undocumented adults and the rights of their US citizen children, who enjoy all the same legal protections as other US citizens. The three young children from two families were removed to Honduras with their mothers who were deported within hours or days of the women attending routine meetings with officials in Louisiana as part of the Intensive Supervision Appearance Program. The Trump administration argues that US citizen children can always return to the US so their due process rights are different from those of noncitizens, and it has claimed that the mothers of the children recently deported wanted to keep their kids with them – something that has been disputed by the mothers. The deportations, however, experts told CNN, also run afoul of an internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement policy that lays out procedures to ensure situations like these are handled in a much more methodical and protracted way. "Right now, the emphasis is on numbers, numbers, numbers – deport as many people as possible. These are all mothers who had removal orders, so they’re easy to deport. You don’t have to go through a whole hearing process unless an immigration judge grants a petition to reopen the case. So the focus is on just getting them out the door," said Stacy Brustin, an expert on immigration and family law who serves as the director of the Immigration Law & Policy Initiative at Catholic Law. "This rushed process, however, tramples on the due process rights of all involved and directly violates ICE’s own policy directive.” "This directive makes clear that ICE must not rush deportation when the rights of parents and children are at stake, there has to be a considered process," she added. The judge has scheduled a hearing this month in "the interest of dispelling our strong suspicion that the Government just deported a U.S. citizen with no meaningful process.” Various Trump administration officials have claimed that the mothers said they wanted their US citizen children to go with them, including Trump’s border czar Tom Homan, who said earlier this week that the mothers made a "parental decision" to leave the country with the minors. Homan also said that that the administration would have faced criticism similar to the public outcry over the so-called zero tolerance policy from Trump’s first term that resulted in migrant families being separated while the government initiated criminal prosecutions of every adult who illegally crossed the border. "If we didn’t do it the story today would be, ‘Trump administration separating families again,’" Homan said. "No, we’re keeping families together.”

FOX News [5/3/2025 7:45 AM, Staff, 46189K] reports Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., taunted border czar Tom Homan at a town hall Saturday after he previously hinted at referring her to the Justice Department over helping illegal migrants. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

CNN [5/4/2025 5:00 AM, Lauren Mascarenhas, 22131K] reports the judge tasked with weighing in on the government’s reach into higher education in Harvard University’s recent lawsuit against the Trump administration is an experienced prosecutor and jurist with a history of taking on tough cases – including those involving both the Ivy League and the president. "95% of life is showing up," US District Court Allison Dale Burroughs quipped Monday morning inside a Boston courtroom where she is overseeing Harvard’s legal battle against the Trump administration over $2 billion in frozen federal funds. The hearing was supposed to be streamed on Zoom, but courthouse technology staff struggled to get it working. Burroughs sat for 15 minutes on the bench, noting "81 unhappy people" were waiting to get in. After the attorneys for each side said they were ready to proceed, she started the hearing sans-Zoom. Harvard has asked for an expedited final decision rather than an immediate order to restore the money, leaving $2 billion in federal grants and contracts the university says is critical to important research hanging in the balance. The university’s lawyers specifically asked in a court filing that Burroughs be assigned to this case, citing her involvement in a related case over federal research funding brought by the Association of American Universities, which includes Harvard. Burroughs "is a brilliant jurist and I think she’ll give everyone a fair shake," Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard, told CNN on Monday. "It looks like the parties are trying to advance this case as quickly as possible," Burroughs said Monday. At the 15-minute hearing, she scheduled oral arguments for July 21. CNN has reached out to the White House, Burroughs and Harvard University for comment.

FOX News [5/3/2025 8:36 PM, Brie Stimson, Bill Melugin, 46189K] reports the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) slammed New York Times Saturday over a story about a suspect who allegedly raped a corpse on a New York City subway, saying the reporters failed to mention the man was in the U.S. illegally. "New York Times refused to mention anywhere in its 400-word story on the monstrous rape of a corpse on the NYC subway that the depraved perpetrator is an ILLEGAL alien," Tricia McLaughlin, DHS assistant secretary for public affairs, wrote on X. "Why not report the facts, @nytimes?". Fox News Digital has reached out to New York Times for comment. Several other outlets also failed to report on Rojas’ immigration status, and the New York Post reported that his immigration status was unknown at the time of its story Tuesday about the incident. On Friday, the Post followed up with a separate story reporting that Rojas was in the U.S. illegally. DHS issued a news release announcing Rojas’ ICE detainer May 1, three days after the Times story, which does not appear to have been updated with his immigration status since Monday. The Times hasn’t written any additional stories about Rojas since. According to DHS, Rojas, who illegally entered the country multiple times dating back to 1998, was arrested in New York City and charged with rape and grand larceny for allegedly raping a corpse on a subway in Manhattan. A man who died of natural causes on the R train was slumped over in a seat, the NYPD told Fox News. Rojas allegedly rummaged through the man’s pockets and then had sex with the man’s dead body after looking around to see if anyone was watching, police say. Investigators are now looking into the possibility he could be linked to other crimes across the city. "With impunity, open-border policies have allowed violent criminal aliens to terrorize America’s towns and cities," McLaughlin said in a statement. "Under President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem’s leadership, ICE is working around the clock to remove the worst of the worst from our communities. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up.”

AP [5/3/2025 5:24 PM, Alanna Durkin Richer, 1814K] reports The Trump administration has reached a preliminary agreement to settle a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the family of Ashli Babbitt over her shooting by an officer during the U.S. Capitol riot, attorneys said on Friday. Lawyers for Babbitt’s estate and the Justice Department told a judge in Washington’s federal court that they have reached a settlement in principle, but the details are still being worked out and the final agreement has not yet been signed. The terms of the settlement have not been disclosed. Babbitt’s estate filed the $30 million lawsuit last year over her fatal shooting when she attempted to climb through the broken window of a barricaded door leading to the Speaker’s Lobby inside the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The Capitol Police officer who shot her was cleared of wrongdoing, by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, which concluded that he acted in self-defense and in the defense of members of Congress. The Capitol Police also cleared the officer. Babbitt, a 35-year-old Air Force veteran from San Diego, was unarmed when she was shot by the police lieutenant when she tried to climb through the door as others in the mob pressed to get into the lobby outside the House chamber. The lawsuit alleges that the officer, who was not in uniform, failed to de-escalate the situation and did not give her any warnings or commands before opening fire. It also alleges negligence on the part of Capitol Police. The lawsuit says the department "should have known" that the officer was "prone to behave in a dangerous or otherwise incompetent manner.” "Ashli posed no threat to the safety of anyone," the lawsuit said. The Capitol Police officer said in a televised interview that he fired as a "last resort." When he pulled the trigger, he said, he had no idea whether the person jumping through the window was armed. Capitol Police officials and an attorney for Babbitt’s estate didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment on Friday. President Donald Trump in January pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or ordered the dismissal of all of the cases of the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the riot.

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Los Angeles Times [5/3/2025 2:09 PM, Alanna Durkin Richer, 13342K] r

ABC News [5/3/2025 2:11 PM, Nadine El-Bawab and Emily Chang, 34586K] reports three corrections officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison were stabbed by inmates in a "premeditated" attack Friday, according to the Virginia Department of Corrections. A total of five officers were injured at the prison in western Virginia during the attack, according to the department. The officers were transported for medical care outside the facility. Three officers have been discharged, the Virginia DOC said. Two officers are in stable condition. The DOC alleged that five of the six perpetrators are "confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in this country illegally," according to a press release provided to ABC News. Each of the suspects have been convicted of violent crimes, including aggravated murder, first and second degree murder and rape, according to the DOC. The other inmate involved in the attack is a confirmed member of the Sureño 13 gang and from the U.S., serving a sentence for second degree murder. "Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place," said Virginia DOC Director Chad Dotson in a statement. "Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety for the more than 8.8 million people across the Commonwealth," Dotson said. "This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day. Our officers are heroes, and I commend the team at Wallens Ridge for their swift response." Dotson also included an "unofficial" statement saying, "our dedicated staff deserves a Director who makes it crystal clear that the safety of our officers is our highest priority, over literally anything else we’re doing," adding that "this will not stand." The attack is currently under investigation, and no further response will be provided until the investigation is complete, DOC officials said.

New York Post [5/3/2025 10:14 PM, Anna Young, 54903K] reports an MS-13 gangbanger will spend the next 17 years behind bars for orchestrating a transnational fentanyl trafficking ring while incarcerated at a Florida prison, according to federal prosecutors. Mario Clifford Rivera, 32, whose alias is "Chuky," was sentenced Wednesday for using the US Postal Service to smuggle more than three kilograms of the deadly drug across the border from Mexico into the Sunshine State, according to the the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Rivera’s legal status was not immediately clear. "Rivera’s 17-year federal prison sentence should serve as a warning to MS-13 and other terrorist gangs who seek to flood our communities with deadly poisons like fentanyl," US Attorney Hayden O’Byrne said in a statement. "Whether you operate on the streets or behind prison walls, we will identify your leaders and members, dismantle your networks, and hold you accountable using the full force of American law.” Prosecutors said Rivera, while out on bond in 2023, launched his narcotics operation and sold two kilograms of the lethal substance to a Florida buyer as he awaited the start of a three-year prison stint for throwing a deadly missile into an occupied car and aggravated assault. The gang member continued running his drug ring from behind bars, using contraband cell phones to direct his dealers on how to sell fentanyl and what prices to charge — all while ensuring he received his share of the profits, prosecutors said. He also instructed his crew to sell the drug for about $1,500 per ounce, court documents obtained by the Miami Herald showed. Prosecutors said the fentanyl landed in Florida after it was trafficked across the border wall from Mexico into California, then sent to Rivera and his associates by mail for distribution. "The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is committed to ensuring the U.S. Mail is not used as a tool to distribute dangerous drugs, like fentanyl, to our communities," Miami Division acting Inspector in Charge Steven L. Hodges said. "The sentence handed down should serve as a reminder that we remain steadfast with our law enforcement partners to bring those who engage in drug trafficking through the mail to justice.” Rivera pleaded guilty to drug trafficking in January. His federal sentence will begin once he completes his state term. President Trump designated MS-13, a notorious El Salvadoran gang, as a foreign terrorist organization when he declared a national emergency at the southern border earlier this year.

CBS News [5/4/2025 6:00 AM, Jack Fink, 51661K] reports Democrats across North Texas protested President Trump’s first 100 days in office during his second term. Demonstrations took place in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin and Denton counties. CBS News Texas asked Democrats in front of Denton City Hall Thursday about the policies that concern them most. Kevin Lutzke said, "Just simply becoming more authoritarian and the slowly hacking away at the Constitution. It’s not going to happen in one big executive order. It’s going to happen brick by brick by brick to dismantle this democracy. We have to watch everything they do.” Jake Sprague has a variety of concerns. "There are so many, social security, Medicare, abducting people off the streets, the border, there’s just multiple problems.” Randy Gardiner said, "I’m concerned about the tariffs and how small businesses are being sacrificed. Small businesses are closing, and he doesn’t seem to have any compassion for that.” CBS News Texas also spoke with grassroots conservatives in North Texas who are celebrating President Trump’s first 100 days during his second term. Tina Aviles said, "I think the number one thing that’s so important to me and so important to Americans across the country that we don’t really hear spoken about by the media is the level of transparency that we have with this presidency compared to the former presidency. I love what we’re seeing with the signs on the White House lawn (photos of violent criminals who will be deported), with numbers and facts being revealed by DOGE" (Department of Government Efficiency.) [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Times [5/3/2025 4:14 PM, Isabelle Taft, 145325K] reports the Trump administration sued Colorado and Denver on Friday, accusing the state, city and their leaders of impeding federal immigration actions, the latest salvo in the White House’s fight to compel local governments to help carry out deportations. The lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in Colorado and includes Gov. Jared Polis and Mayor Mike Johnston of Denver as defendants, specifically challenges state and city laws that restrict or prohibit cooperation with federal agencies. One state law prohibits officers from holding someone solely on the basis of a civil immigration detainer, a request that a detainee not be released. Other state laws prevent state and local officials from sharing information with federal immigration authorities and stop local jails from working with the federal government to house people detained for civil immigration violations. The lawsuit also challenges a Denver measure that bans the use of city resources to assist with immigration enforcement, and a 2017 executive order from the mayor that aimed to “establish Denver as a safe and welcoming city for all.” The lawsuit asks the court to rule the laws unconstitutional and prohibit their enforcement. “This is a suit to put an end to those disastrous policies and restore the supremacy of federal immigration law,” the lawsuit said. Many liberal-leaning states and cities have laws that keep local police departments mostly removed from immigration enforcement activity, as a way to build trust with immigrant communities. Democratic officials in several cities say that the policies help immigrants feel comfortable reporting crimes and interacting with health departments and schools. But the White House and other Republican officials say laws like these, in so-called sanctuary cities, give a safe haven to criminals and endanger residents. In a statement, the office of Mr. Polis, a Democrat, said that Colorado was not a sanctuary state and that it worked regularly with local, state and federal law enforcement. “If the courts say that any Colorado law is not valid, then we will follow the ruling,” the statement said. “We are not going to comment on the merits of the lawsuit.”

Axios [5/3/2025 4:48 PM, Alayna Alvarez, 13163K] reports Mayor Mike Johnston tells Axios Denver the Trump administration has "no grounds" to sue the city or state over its so-called "sanctuary" immigration policies — and says Denver won’t be intimidated. Colorado and its capital city are a national test case for how far the federal government can push cities and states to enforce immigration policy. Johnston’s defiant tone signals that Denver won’t fold quietly, if at all — even under legal fire and political pressure. "There is no law that Denver has broken," Johnston said in an interview with Axios Denver on Saturday. He resists the "sanctuary city" label, instead arguing that Denver strikes a careful balance — avoiding immigration status checks to protect civil liberties, staying within the bounds of federal law and cooperating with ICE, particularly with detainer requests. Johnston says Denver has complied with federal immigration authorities for years and draws sharp distinctions between his city and other cities and states that face similar legal action by the DOJ — including New York state as well as Illinois and Chicago — for not cooperating. Unlike those jurisdictions, Johnston explains, neither Denver nor Colorado shield immigration status from ICE because they never ask for it in the first place. "If [ICE] contacts us and says, ‘You have John Smith in custody — when is he being released?’ We notify them of the release date," Johnston says. "We’ve done that more than 1,200 times over the last decade." The U.S. Department of Justice on Friday sued Colorado and Denver in U.S. District Court, claiming its so-called "sanctuary" laws — which limit cooperation with ICE unless there’s a judicial warrant — are "disastrous policies" that interfere with federal enforcement and violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, per court records obtained by Axios Denver. The filing cites a viral 2024 video depicting alleged Tren de Aragua gang members storming apartments in Aurora. The gang’s U.S. "foothold," the suit claims, is "the direct byproduct" of Colorado’s immigration policies. The suit also names Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, Attorney General Phil Weiser, Johnston, the state Legislature, Denver City Council, the Denver Sheriff Department and Denver Sheriff Elias Diggins.

Breitbart [5/4/2025 6:24 AM, Staff, 2923K] reports a federal official said a mayor in western Mexico was arrested as part of a probe into a suspected drug cartel training camp, where forced recruits were allegedly tortured or killed if they refused to cooperate. The Jalisco New Generation Cartel, a powerful drug trafficking group, allegedly used the ranch in Jalisco state to train newly recruited gunmen, senior officials have said. The discovery of human bones and clothing at the ranch in the city of Teuchitlan in March — what Human Rights Watch has called an "apparent mass killing site" — caused shock in a country where murders and kidnappings are daily occurrences. Teuchitlan Mayor Jose Murguia Santiago was arrested as part of an investigation by government prosecutors into probable omissions or complicity of authorities with the cartel, a federal source told AFP on Saturday. The source requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. Murguia was arrested late Saturday afternoon, according to federal arrest records. The Guerreros Buscadores collective, a group dedicated to locating missing relatives, has described the Teuchitlan ranch as an "extermination center" with "clandestine crematoriums" where forced recruits were thought to have been held by the cartel. Security Minister Omar Garcia Harfuch told reporters in late March that there was "no evidence that it was an extermination camp.” But he also said that an alleged recruiter — who was arrested — said that cartel members tortured and killed recruits who refused to cooperate or tried to flee. The attorney general’s office, which has denied executions were systematically carried out, took over the investigation after a complaint from Guerreros Buscadores. The group found buried bones, clothing, shoes and other objects at the ranch, which went unnoticed during a search in September by authorities who raided it following reports of gunfire. According to the Jalisco state prosecutor’s office, 10 people were arrested, two captives freed and a dead body found along with skeletal remains in September. Besides Mayor Murguia, about a dozen others have been arrested in the case, including a police chief from a neighboring municipality and two of his officers. More than 127,000 people are registered as missing in Mexico, most of them since 2006 when the government declared war on drug trafficking groups. By state, Jalisco has the highest number of missing persons cases, with more than 15,000.

Washington Post [5/4/2025 5:00 AM, Sarah Blaskey, Samantha Schmidt, Silvia Foster-Frau, Ana Vanessa Herrero, Arelis R. Hernández, María Luisa Paúl and Karen DeYoung, 31735K] reports the message from Secretary of State Marco Rubio to El Salvador’s Foreign Ministry outlined an audacious plan: The United States would be sending as many as 500 Venezuelan gang members to the Central American nation, and it planned to do so within 24 hours. The March 13 communication was part of secretive negotiations with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele and served as Rubio’s formal notice that the Trump administration was sending the Venezuelans to be imprisoned there for a year “or until a determination concerning their long-term disposition is made,” documents show. Detainees at the megaprison have no access to lawyers or contact with their families. A Washington Post investigation shows how officials raced to execute the plan, rounding up some of the men at their homes the same day Rubio’s message went out. And they pressed forward with the removals, even as Venezuela agreed to accept deportation flights, in a high-stakes bid to show power and deter migrants from attempting to cross the border illegally. The Post examined immigration and court records, and conducted interviews with attorneys, friends and family members, to piece together information about more than 50 of the men believed to be imprisoned at the Terrorism Confinement Center, the megaprison often referred to by its Spanish acronym, CECOT. The review shows that despite the administration’s claims, many of the immigrants sent to El Salvador had entered the United States legally and were actively complying with U.S. immigration rules. At least two of the men imprisoned in El Salvador had been approved by the State Department to resettle as refugees in the U.S. after extensive vetting by federal law enforcement authorities, documents show. At least four had protections against removal through temporary protected status, often called TPS, granted to those fleeing Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis, according to attorneys for the men or records shared with The Post. Others had been active members of Venezuela’s opposition and had open asylum claims. On March 15, a day later than Rubio’s message anticipated, the U.S. sent more than 260 migrants, including 23 Salvadorans, to El Salvador. Many had no deportation orders. President Donald Trump invoked the wartime powers of the Alien Enemies Act against the Venezuela-based gang known as Tren de Aragua to remove over 100 of the migrants without giving them a chance to contest their removals. The first flights were over international waters when a federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration to turn them around. Instead, they flew to Honduras, where they waited on the tarmac for four hours. Bukele would not allow them to land in El Salvador until the international airport there was closed to commercial traffic for the night, around 10 p.m., according to a U.S. official and an airport administrator. Like others interviewed for this article, they spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss internal matters. Rubio has said that the U.S. had to send the Venezuelans to El Salvador that day because their own country would not take back alleged gang members. But records reviewed by The Post show that two deportation flights to Venezuela were also scheduled to leave that weekend carrying dozens of alleged criminals, including at least one man Rubio has publicly accused of gang membership.

New York Times [5/4/2025 1:00 AM, Nelson Rauda Zablah, 145325K] reports that, in May 2020, during the height of Covid, El Salvador was under a military-enforced lockdown. At a news conference, I asked President Nayib Bukele a straightforward question about meeting with the business community about reopening the economy. Mr. Bukele bristled and criticized the founder of El Faro, the news outlet where I work. Afterward, I received death threats from Mr. Bukele’s supporters. One that still stands out was written on Twitter by someone outside the country: “I want to go back to El Salvador so badly and shoot you 3 times in the head so you stop being a fool.” The reaction was typical of a certain strain of Mr. Bukele’s followers, who treat criticism of the president as an unforgivable sin. After six years, he is still wildly popular, with a national approval rating of over 80 percent. Much of the diaspora is devoted to him as well. While the idealized version of him — an efficient, eloquent leader who has reduced crime in the country and is committed to fighting corruption — sounds great, the reality is that he is a mercurial and unrestrained politician who controls every institution at the expense of the country’s democracy. Now he has become President Trump’s jailer, welcoming deportees from the United States to be imprisoned in El Salvador’s brutal prison system. Venezuelan and American families, whose loved ones have been sent to these prisons, are now going through what many families here have gone through since Mr. Bukele came to power — feeling the terrifying arbitrariness of his regime, his self-interested way of ruling, his cruelty. Many are now realizing what some of us have warned people about for years: that even if Mr. Bukele has ironically called himself the “coolest dictator in the world,” he’s a dictator nonetheless. The so-called Bukele model of national security is built on thousands of cases like that of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, the Salvadoran immigrant who was improperly expelled to El Salvador in March. In 2022, Mr. Bukele declared a state of exception — still in effect — to weaken the country’s powerful gangs and lower the soaring crime and murder rate. It has also eroded Salvadorans’ constitutional rights, and thousands of people with no criminal records have been arrested in a sweeping operation that eventually dismantled the gangs’ territorial control and drastically reduced homicides.

Politico [5/3/2025 12:00 PM, James Kirchick, 11599K] reports the arrests and pending deportations of permanent residents and student visa-holders for purely expressive activity related to the Israel-Hamas war constitutes a dark chapter in the history of the United States. The images of masked federal agents apprehending people in broad daylight, the holding of prisoners incommunicado, and the bullying swagger of Trump administration officials justifying such brutish behavior are more befitting a subtropical junta than the greatest democracy in the world. The case of Rumeysa Ozturk is particularly disturbing. A Turkish national and graduate student at Tufts University, Ozturk was on her way to a friend’s house to break the Ramadan fast when a group of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested her. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Ozturk had partaken “in activities in support of Hamas” which it has yet to specify. Unlike the reportedly 4,000 foreign students whose visas have been revoked for acts including arson, assault, and driving under the influence, she has not been charged with a crime. The administration has provided no evidence that Ozturk participated in the occupation of campus buildings, the disruption of classes or any other activity that impeded the functioning of the university — all suitable grounds for expulsion and the revocation of a student visa. The extent of her “activities in support of Hamas” appears limited to co-writing an op-ed criticizing the university’s stance on the Israel-Hamas war. In defending its actions, the Trump administration is citing a 2005 amendment to a 73-year-old law giving the secretary of State the power to deport anyone whose continued presence in the United States would have potentially “serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Whatever adverse consequences Ozturk may have on American foreign policy, the consequences of her being targeted for deportation based on nothing more than her words are far worse. Now, every immigrant and visa holder, no matter their status, must be especially vigilant when discussing American politics, international affairs — conceivably any subject — in a way that upsets the government. This is obviously bad for immigrants, many of whom fled societies where expressing an unpopular viewpoint can land one in prison, or worse. But it’s also bad for American citizens, living in a country where the government feels ever more emboldened to clamp down on free expression.

Breitbart.com [5/3/2025 12:23 PM, Amy Furr, 2923K] reports two Ukrainian nationals are accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Tuesday. In a social media post, Noem said, "In partnership with @DOGE, @ICEgov arrested two Ukrainian nationals for illegally VOTING in the 2024 election." The DHS secretary then added, "Under President Donald Trump, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will face the consequences."

The Hill [5/3/2025 8:57 AM, Filip Timotija, 12829K] reports Columbia University student and pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi called his recent release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention a "victory for democracy." Mahdawi recounted the day he was detained by federal immigration authorities in mid-April while he was at a naturalization interview to become a U.S. citizen. He was released from detention on Wednesday after U.S. District Judge Geoffrey Crawford said it was in the public’s interest for the student, a green card holder, to be freed. He was being held in the Northwest State Correctional Facility in St. Albans, Vt. Mahdawi is the first international student to be released from custody amid President Trump’s crackdown on immigration and perceived retribution for pro-Palestinian demonstrations on college campuses. The White House has looked to deport him and other protestors, arguing they are actively undermining U.S. foreign policy.

Univision [5/3/2025 7:21 AM, Patricia Vélez Santiago, 5325K] reports the Trump administration and four organizations that sought to temporarily block an agreement between Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) presented their arguments to a Washington, D.C., judge and are now awaiting her decision. On the one hand, the organizations believe the preliminary deal will violate the strict Internal Revenue Code, which protects taxpayers’ personal information, especially that of undocumented immigrants targeted by the government, and that the court should halt its implementation while it thoroughly reviews it. On the other hand, the Department of Justice (DOJ) affirms that ICE will abide by the law when asking the IRS to share data on undocumented immigrants under criminal investigation because they have a final deportation order or under some other non-tax-related criminal statute. Any ruling by Judge Dabney Friedrich, who in April declined to bar ICE agents from conducting raids on places of worship, will likely be announced after May 5. Friedrich gave the parties until that date to respond to a request by American Oversight to have the court release some key sealed documents in that case, such as the memorandum for a preliminary agreement between ICE and the IRS that government lawyers submitted with portions redacted.

FOX News [5/3/2025 5:43 PM, Alexandra Koch, Jake Gibson, 46189K] reports four Mexican nationals illegally living in the U.S. have been charged in an alleged international human smuggling conspiracy that brought hundreds of illegal immigrants each week across the Canadian border to the U.S. for profit. Edgar Sanchez-Solis, 23, Ignacio Diaz-Perez, 35, Samuel Diaz-Perez, 26, and Salvador Diaz-Diaz, 32, were charged with conspiracy to bring aliens to the U.S. and 25 counts of bringing aliens illegally to the U.S. for profit, according to a news release from the Justice Department. All four men were arrested at various locations across the U.S. and detained, according to the release. Ignacio Diaz-Perez and Salvador Diaz-Diaz had previously been deported from the U.S. According to court documents, the four men were part of an illegal immigrant smuggling organization that operated for the last two years in Mexico, Canada and the U.S. In exchange for money, the men allegedly conspired with others to smuggle hundreds of people per week from Mexico, Central America and South America through Canada, into northern New York state, according to documents. They would then be taken further into the U.S. The illegal immigrants or their family members paid thousands of dollars to be smuggled across the northern border, authorities alleged. "These individuals acted in blatant disregard of our nation’s laws, allegedly smuggling hundreds of aliens into the United States for thousands of dollars each," said Erin Keegan, special agent in charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Buffalo. On multiple occasions, members of the smuggling organization led local and federal law enforcement officers on high-speed car chases along the U.S. northern border, creating a "grave" public safety risk, according to court documents. In April 2023, smugglers allegedly fled the Burke Border Patrol Station’s sector at a high speed after setting off a border sensor. Border agents say they found the smugglers were transporting seven illegal adults and three illegal children. In another incident, in August 2023, a vehicle carrying illegal immigrants that was fleeing from Border Patrol traveled into Plattsburgh, New York, according to court documents. It traveled erratically, passed vehicles in a congested traffic area, ran a red light and struck a vehicle at an intersection. The driver and six illegal immigrants fled the crash site on foot but were eventually caught. "As alleged, these defendants illegally entered this country and then sought to smuggle hundreds of aliens per week to the United States from Mexico, Central America and South America through the Canadian border," said Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "The defendants instructed smuggled aliens to make testimonial videos touting the enterprise’s services. In reality, the defendants imperiled their human cargo and innocent American lives when they repeatedly engaged in life-threatening conduct, including multiple high-speed getaways from law enforcement.” The case was part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and other transnational criminal organizations and protect U.S. communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

Reported similarly:
AP [5/3/2025 11:12 PM, Jake Offenhartz, 2296K]

CBS Austin [5/3/2025 9:00 AM, Staff, 602K] reports a man, who was previously deported from the U.S., is sitting in a jail cell after he was found to have child pornography. Marlon Jefferson Fajardo Paiz was booked on 20 counts of possession of child pornography after detectives from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) that an account on WhatsApp had transmitted child sexual abuse material. Through an investigation, Marion County detectives were able to determine that Farjardo Paiz. 32, was the user of the WhatsApp account and found child porn being transmitted by that account. The sheriff’s office says on April 24, MCSO detectives, along with the MCSO SWAT Team, located Farjardo Paiz in Ocala. Through a search of the suspect’s phone, they found 20 files of child porn. When questioned, he told detectives that he enjoyed the material because he was intoxicated. Further investigation found that Farjardo Paiz was previously deported and that he was somehow able to reenter the U.S. Fajardo Paiz was taken to the Marion County Jail, where he is being held on a $200,000 bond. Deputies say due to the nature of the crime, he may have victimized a child. Detectives if anyone has been victimized by him, they are asked to contact Detective Osthed at (352) 351-4710.

Detroit Free Press [5/4/2025 6:01 AM, Dave Boucher, 4124K] reports federal prosecutors filed more deportation cases in President Donald Trump’s first 100 days than in the past two years combined, according to a Free Press analysis. Local federal prosecutors are stepping up immigration cases in light of a Trump mandate to emphasize targeting immigrants who lack legal authorization to be in the U.S. Prosecutors did not cite any violent criminal record in most of the 112 immigration cases reviewed by the Free Press. A father of two U.S. citizens, sent to Mexico in the middle of his deportation case — a move his lawyer says clearly violates the Constitution. A man wanted in connection with a brutal 2022 homicide in Chile, pulled over driving a silver Toyota in Inkster. A confused driver from Honduras, apprehended at the Ambassador Bridge after he mistakenly turned onto the road to Canada. These are some of the more than 120 people ensnarled in a new onslaught of immigration criminal cases filed by federal prosecutors in Detroit this year — an increase over previous years that corresponds with President Donald Trump’s return to power. Federal prosecutors say they’ve charged 124 people with immigration related crimes since the start of the year. That’s more than they brought in the past two years combined. The Free Press analyzed 112 of these cases, all filed since Trump took office. Almost every person involved is charged with illegally returning to the U.S. after previous deportations, a felony. But most cases do not cite criminal histories involving violence or drugs. "The president made it clear that securing our borders is a number one priority," said Gina Balaya, a spokeswoman for the local U.S. Attorney’s Office. "Since January 20, 2025, the Department of Justice is playing a critical role in Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from perpetrators of violent crime.” This uptick in cases locally is both noteworthy and foreseeable, said Sabrina Balgamwalla, director of the Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic at the Wayne State University Law School. The federal government is determined to get anyone they can to leave, through prosecutions or threats, she said. Balgamwalla felt this personally. A longtime immigration lawyer and U.S. citizen, she is among many to incorrectly receive an email from the federal government wrongly suggesting her right to remain in the country is expiring. No one should be surprised, she said. She’s predicted this for years. "I feel like a little bit of a Cassandra, unfortunately. Just, the erosion of due process of non-citizens over the years," she said, alluding to the Greek mythological character who no one trusted despite her ability to foretell the future. "This has really become about executive mercy. Even the quality of the mercy seems to have been been watered down.”

Tampa Free Press [5/3/2025 9:45 AM, Hailey Gomez, 76K] reports during the week marking President Donald Trump’s first 100 days in office, ICE agents carried out a series of high-profile arrests of migrants with criminal records, according to a document first shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation. Starting the week of his 100-day mark, booking photos of illegal migrants with convictions or pending charges were displayed along the White House north lawn’s perimeter. Throughout the week, ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) made major arrests across the country, with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) releasing details and photos of five of their most significant cases. “Every single day I receive a report on my desk of the murderers, rapists, child abusers, and other sickos that our ICE enforcement agents are arresting around the country,” DHS Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on a social media post while showing additional arrests. “Under President Trump, we have arrested over 150,000 aliens—including more than 600 members of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang. If you are here illegally and break the law, we will hunt you down, arrest you and lock you up.” ERO Detroit arrested Ludwig Ivan Castaneda-Gonzalez, a 33-year-old Mexican national, this week in Holland, Michigan. According to DHS, Castaneda-Gonzalez’s criminal history includes a conviction for criminal sexual conduct involving a person aged 13 to 15, which encompasses all sex offenses under Michigan law.

CBS News [5/3/2025 12:42 PM, Mackenzie Lofgren, 51661K] reports a judge has ruled that detained University of Minnesota student Dogukan Gunaydin cannot be deported by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The judge made the ruling on Monday, more than two weeks after a bond hearing. The 28-year-old Turkish citizen is an MBA student at the Carlson School of Management in Minneapolis and was detained by ICE in March. Homeland Security officials say Gunaydin’s visa was revoked due to a 2023 DWI arrest in Minneapolis. In his ruling, the judge wrote, "Respondents shall not remove, transfer or otherwise facilitate the removal of Gundaydin from the District of Minnesota," and, "no other person or agency shall remove, transfer or otherwise facilitate the removal of Gunadyin from the District of Minnesota on Respondent’s behalf.” The judge also granted Gundaydin a temporary restraining order, which could be extended if he shows good cause. Requests from Gunaydin’s attorney, Hannah Brown, to reinstate his student status, and to immediately release him from detention were denied by the judge. Police dash cam video of the 2023 arrest shows Gunaydin saying he feared deportation after officers told him a breathalyzer test showed he was three times over the legal limit. "I should not have done this," Gunaydin said in the dash cam video. "I just don’t want this to be the reason that I go back to the third-world country, that I just f****** die from a terrorist organization.” Court records show that in March 2024, when Gunaydin petitioned to enter a guilty plea, he stated, "I understand that if I am not a citizen of the United States, my plea of guilty may result in deportation, exclusion from admission to the United States, or denial of naturalization as a United States citizen.” Brown argued during the hearing that he has expressed remorse for the DWI, understands the seriousness of his arrest, and even sold his car as a form of personal punishment so he couldn’t drive anymore.

FOX News [5/3/2025 10:19 PM, Alexandra Koch, Bill Melugin, 46189K] reports authorities revealed that three men recently arrested by the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in connection with a home invasion, murder and robbery in Woodland Hills are illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe. The suspects, Georgian nationals Paata Kochyashvili, 38, Zaza Otarashvili, 46, and Besiki Khutsishvili, 52, are each charged with murder. Their bail is set at $2 million. Fox News learned all three men were in the U.S. illegally and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) placed detainers on them. LAPD officers responded to a home in Woodland Hills just before 1 a.m. on April 26 for a death investigation. Aleksandre Modebadze, 47, was found with a head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles City Fire paramedics, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. Homicide detectives alleged the three men entered the house, held Modebadze captive, and fatally beat him, according to the report. Hours after the alleged murder, the FBI helped find and arrest the men. One suspect was near Sepulveda and Burbank boulevards in Van Nuys, and the other two suspects were arrested in Glendale. ICE did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

AP [5/4/2025 12:06 AM, Makiya Seminera, 34586K] reports that, on summer break from a Ph.D. program, an international student at University of California, San Diego, was planning a trip with a few friends to Hawaii. But after seeing international students across the United States stripped of their legal status, the student decided against it. Any travel, even inside the U.S., just didn’t seem worth the risk. “I probably am going to skip that to ... have as few interactions with governments as possible,” said the student, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of being targeted. International students weighing travel to see family, take a vacation or conduct research are thinking twice because of the Trump administration’s crackdown, which has added to a sense of vulnerability. Even before students suddenly began losing permission to study in the U.S., some colleges were encouraging international students and faculty to postpone travel, citing government efforts to deport students involved in pro-Palestinian activism. As the scale of the status terminations emerged in recent weeks, more schools have cautioned against non-essential travel abroad for international students. University of California, Berkeley, for one, issued an advisory last week saying upcoming international travel was risky due to “strict vetting and enforcement.” At least 1,220 students at 187 colleges, universities and university systems have had their visas revoked or legal status terminated since late March, according to an Associated Press review of university statements, correspondence with school officials and court records. The number of affected students appears far higher, though. At least 4,736 international students’ visa records were terminated in a government database that maintains their legal status, according to an April 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement response to inquiries from Congress. Suddenly at risk for deportation, some students went into hiding while others left the country on their own. Many of the students said they had only minor infractions on their records or didn’t know why their records were removed.

USA Today [5/3/2025 8:30 AM, Sara Chernikoff and Jennifer Borresen, 75858K] reports that, after thousands of international students had their visas revoked in April, the Trump administration reversed course, saying it is restoring the student visa registrations of potentially thousands of foreign students in the United States. The Justice Department announced the decision in a filing April 25 in U.S. district court in Massachusetts, where a lawsuit had been filed in response to the terminations. Data from Inside Higher Ed shows at least 280 colleges and universities reported more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status altered by the State Department. Universities reported some students being forced to leave the United States immediately, in many cases after discovering their visas were canceled in the federal Student Exchange and Visitor Information System (SEVIS) or via an unexpected text or email. Universities and the government use the database to track foreign students, and students rely on it for their authorization to remain in the country. The terminations sparked more than 100 lawsuits. NAFSA, the Association of International Educators, has tallied roughly 1,400 revocations. Erasing records from SEVIS is different from revoking visas, USA TODAY has reported. These records allow international students to stay in the United States legally and attend classes. As of the 2023-2024 school year, an estimated 1.1 million international students study in the United States. USA TODAY reporters looked at which universities host the most international students and where the concentration of student visas were revoked. A database tracking total student visa terminations found that more than 1,800 international students and recent graduates had their legal status changed. The data is based on public reports and direct correspondence compiled by Inside Higher Ed. The number could be even higher − the database notes that several universities did not indicate the amount of visas that had been revoked. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in April that he revoked at least 300 visas from students. And at Colorado State University, officials said six students there lost their visas. It was unclear whether the students have the right to appeal their visa revocations, USA TODAY reported in April.

Politico [5/3/2025 12:38 PM, Carmen Paun, 2100K] reports the Trump administration has removed Romania from the list of countries whose citizens can travel to the U.S. without a visa. The decision was taken by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. State Department, the DHS said late Friday. “DHS decided that Romania’s designation should be rescinded in order to protect the integrity of the [visa waiver program] and to ensure border and immigration security,” the department said in a statement. U.S. Vice President JD Vance criticized Romania in February for canceling last year’s presidential round over allegations of illegal campaigning and Russian interference after little-known ultranationalist Călin Georgescu won the first round. While the DHS did not tie Romania’s visa waiver removal to the canceled election, some perceived it as such. Hard-right presidential candidate George Simion, who has styled himself as a Trumpist, predicted that the visa requirement for Romanians to travel to the U.S. will be withdrawn again soon, “as soon as we go back to democracy.” Simion, who is expected to win the first round of the do-over vote on Sunday, was in Washington last month, where he met with DHS officials. The DHS said Romania “may be reconsidered” for the visa waiver program “in the future should they meet the statutory eligibility criteria,” according to its statement. The Romanian foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday that it regrets the U.S. decision, given that Romania complies with all the requirements for its citizens to be able to travel to the U.S. without a visa. Those include having low visa refusal rates, issuing electronic passports that are machine-readable, and increasing counterterrorism, law enforcement and immigration enforcement cooperation with the U.S.

CNN [5/3/2025 8:41 PM, Julia Vargas Jones, Dalia Faheid and Norma Galeana, 908K] reports a Guatemalan woman who had just given birth at an Arizona hospital was swiftly taken into US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody before being released on Saturday as she faces deportation proceedings. The woman, who attorneys identified only by her first name, Erika, had been wandering in the Arizona desert alone for two days while eight months pregnant before being detained by US Customs and Border Protection agents on Monday, her attorney Luis Campos told CNN. She had crossed into the United States from Mexico between ports of entry near Tres Bellotas Ranch, about 74 miles southwest of Tucson, Arizona, according to a CBP spokesperson. Erika then gave birth at Tucson Medical Center on Wednesday night, two days after she was taken into custody, with federal agents posted outside of her hospital room. President Donald Trump launched a flurry of immigration policies when he took office in January, to make good on campaign promises to remove undocumented immigrants from the country and slow legal immigration. Those efforts have included targeting foreign students, undocumented workers and those crossing the Southern border. Amid the immigration crackdown, the Trump administration also reversed a longstanding policy directing immigration agents to sensitive locations such as churches, schools and hospitals, and recently left mothers to be deported with their children who are US citizens. Campos tells CNN he had not been able to speak with Erika for days and was denied access to the hospital, which he said violated her Fifth Amendment right to counsel. He said he also was not allowed to attain her signature on a G-28 form, which is used to notify immigration authorities when an attorney is representing a client in an immigration case, he said. "There was no regard for due process," Campos said. Erika initially faced expedited removal – a process allowing federal agents to quickly deport individuals – before eventually being issued a Notice to Appear on Friday, allowing her to appear before an immigration judge, according to Campos. He says the pressure on the federal authorities from the local community was immense. "They shifted their position, and they did it under pressure," Campos told CNN, who will be meeting his client, now free in Phoenix. A Customs and Border Patrol spokesperson said the woman crossed into the US from Mexico illegally. Before she was issued a Notice to Appear, she had no statutory right to an attorney in immigration proceedings, the CBP spokesperson said. Once the notice was issued, she was given the opportunity to speak with her attorney, the spokesperson said. "At all times, agents followed the law and adhered to CBP procedures," the spokesperson said. "No entitlements were denied.”

Reuters [5/3/2025 6:09 PM, Andrew Hay, 41523K] reports a Guatemalan migrant who crossed the US border eight months pregnant and gave birth in Arizona has avoided fast-track deportation after intervention by the state’s governor, her lawyer and a federal official said on Saturday. The 24-year-old woman gained public attention after lawyer Luis Campos said federal agents denied him access to her in a Tucson hospital after she gave birth on Wednesday and told him she was set for rapid removal after entering the country illegally. The case raised concerns about the treatment of mothers and infants caught in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown, prompting Democratic Governor Katie Hobbs to contact federal officials, according to local media. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the woman had been placed in normal deportation proceedings following her discharge from hospital and given the right to contact an attorney. "The woman was transferred to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations with a court date to appear before an immigration judge," said a CBP spokesman. "The child remains with the mother.” U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Campos said the woman, who he identified only as "Erika," fled a "violent situation" in Guatemala, according to her mother who requested that he represent her. He talked to the woman on Friday and she said she walked for two days in the desert before being apprehended about 50 miles (80 km) south of Tucson. She has the right to express fear of returning to Guatemala and request asylum, he added. "I’m hoping to get news either today or tomorrow that she’s been released," said Campos, adding that Phoenix immigration lawyers had offered him their help at the request of Hobbs. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A Hobbs spokesperson told local media her office contacted federal and local officials regarding the welfare of the woman and newborn. "Governor Hobbs has been clear in her opposition to inhumane immigration enforcement practices," the spokesperson said, according to 13News. The CBP spokesman said agents followed the law and adhered to CBP procedures at all times in relation to the woman.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [5/3/2025 7:33 PM, Staff, 2454K]

San Diego Union Tribune [5/3/2025 8:00 AM, Alexandra Mendoza, 1682K] reports passenger traffic at Tijuana International Airport has more than doubled since the opening of the Cross Border Xpress pedestrian bridge in Otay Mesa nearly a decade ago. Given that pace, both the airport and the binational terminal announced major investments this past week to further expand their facilities over the next five years. CBX expects to invest $100 million by 2029 as part of a plan that includes an expanded arrivals terminal, a ground transportation center and a hotel, CEO Jorge Goytortúa announced Wednesday during this year’s Tianguis Turístico — Mexico’s largest tourism convention being held in Baja California. Goytortúa said that they are still in the process of developing a timeline for the projects, which are in the design and permit stage. "We have experienced double-digit growth every year since CBX opened," said Carlos Salgado, director of the Tijuana International Airport. The Tijuana airport went from handling 4.8 million passengers in 2015 to 12.5 million in 2024, and the growth appears to be continuing this year. The CBX, which allows ticketed passengers to cross the border between Otay Mesa and the Tijuana airport via an enclosed pedestrian bridge, began operating in December 2015. CBX projects 4.7 million passengers by the end of 2025. It is estimated that more than 38% of California residents who visit Mexico cross the border at CBX, according to Goytortúa. Mexico, the United States and Canada will host the FIFA World Cup next year. Los Angeles is expected to host several games, including the U.S. men’s national team’s opening match. Los Angeles will also host the 2028 Summer Olympics. Goytortúa said that events of this magnitude, which promise a large number of visitors to California and Mexico, "is something that encourages us.” "By identifying the traffic we are going to have, it certainly pushes us to speed up certain investments," he said. The hotel project is still in the early stages, and studies are being conducted. Goytortúa said it would be built within the terminal’s property. South of the border, Tijuana airport officials also unveiled one of their largest investments to date. Over the next five years, the Tijuana airport will spend nearly $500 million to increase its facility by 47%, along with new boarding gates, a new passenger screening area and an extension of the pedestrian bridge. Construction is expected to start early next year, Salgado, the Tijuana airport director, said. The "historic investment" is over two times that of the last expansion project, which included a new processing building for CBX passengers. The Tijuana International Airport is one of twelve Mexican airports managed by the Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacífico. It now offers 38 destinations, of which 35 are domestic and three are international — one to Phoenix and two to Beijing and Shenzhen, China.

NBC News [5/3/2025 8:25 AM, Annie Palmer, 44742K] reports Chinese bargain retailer Temu changed its business model in the U.S. as the Trump administration’s new rules on low-value shipments took effect Friday. In recent days, Temu has abruptly shifted its website and app to only display listings for products shipped from U.S.-based warehouses. Items shipped directly from China, which previously blanketed the site, are now labeled as out of stock. Temu made a name for itself in the U.S. as a destination for ultra-discounted items shipped direct from China, such as $5 sneakers and $1.50 garlic presses. It’s been able to keep prices low because of the so-called de minimis rule, which has allowed items worth $800 or less to enter the country duty-free since 2016. The loophole expired Friday at 12:01 a.m. EDT as a result of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in April. Trump briefly suspended the de minimis rule in February before reinstating the provision days later as customs officials struggled to process and collect tariffs on a mountain of low-value packages. The end of de minimis, as well as Trump’s new 145% tariffs on China, has forced Temu to raise prices, suspend its aggressive online advertising push and now alter the selection of goods available to American shoppers to circumvent higher levies. A Temu spokesperson confirmed to CNBC that all sales in the U.S. are now handled by local sellers and said they are fulfilled "from within the country." Temu said pricing for U.S. shoppers "remains unchanged.” "Temu has been actively recruiting U.S. sellers to join the platform," the spokesperson said. "The move is designed to help local merchants reach more customers and grow their businesses.” Before the change, shoppers who attempted to purchase Temu products shipped from China were confronted with "import charges" of between 130% and 150%. The fees often cost more than the individual item and more than doubled the price of many orders. Temu advertises that local products have "no import charges" and "no extra charges upon delivery.” The company, which is owned by Chinese e-commerce giant PDD Holdings, has gradually built up its inventory in the U.S. over the past year in anticipation of escalating trade tensions and the removal of de minimis. Shein, which has also benefited from the loophole, moved to raise prices last week. The fast-fashion retailer added a banner at checkout that says, "Tariffs are included in the price you pay. You’ll never have to pay extra at delivery.”

ABC News [5/3/2025 1:00 PM, Staff, 34586K] reports TSA acting administrator Adam Stahl delivers everything you need to know ahead of the May 7th deadline to get a Real ID. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [5/3/2025 8:56 AM, Bridget Brown] reports the deadline to get a REAL ID is fast approaching after years of postponements and delays. Starting May 7, your license or identification card will need to be REAL ID-compliant to fly domestically in the U.S. If you don’t have a REAL ID by the deadline and you’re planning to board a domestic flight, you will need to bring your passport or another TSA-approved form of identification when you travel. Otherwise, you could face "delays, additional screening and the possibility of not being permitted into the security checkpoint," warns TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein. However, TSA spokesperson Dan Velez told the AP that the agency does not intend to delay the REAL ID deadline again. As of late April, 81% of travelers at TSA checkpoints were presenting acceptable identification, including a state-issued REAL ID, according to DHS.

FOX News [5/3/2025 5:20 PM, Staff, 46189K] reports Fox News correspondent CB Cotton joins ‘Fox Report’ to give the latest on the REAL ID requirement for domestic flights that takes effect on May 7. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [5/4/2025 4:00 AM, Ashley J. DiMella, 46189K] reports that, with the deadline for REAL ID approaching in less than a week, some states — and some people — may be more prepared than others. Americans have been speaking out about their experiences as they try to obtain a REAL ID. In some cases, people have chosen not to get the new form of identification. The REAL ID requirement takes effect May 7, when Americans must have the new identification in order to fly domestically. DMVs across the country are reportedly working to meet demand, with some implementing Saturday REAL ID events and extended appointment hours during the week. The New Jersey Department of Motor Vehicles (NJDMV) website has shown "0 appointments available" on various days during the past weeks for REAL ID services on its site. In a last-minute push, Gov. Phil Murphy (D) and the NJMVC announced the launch of "REAL ID Tuesdays" recently. The initiative will add 5,200 bi-weekly appointments before federal enforcement begins on May 7. New Jersey does have one of the highest numbers of residents who are passport holders, a TSA spokesperson shared. TSA Acting Administrator Adam Stahl told Fox News Digital in an interview, "We are extremely prepared." (See the video at the top of this article.). "Every single state is in a different kind of area of progress for REAL ID compliance, but we are working aggressively with states, directly outreaching and connecting with them to ensure that they’re prepared for this," said Stahl. In Nebraska, the state has a total of 1,551,554 driver’s license and ID holders, with 1,545,300 people holding REAL IDs — leaving just 6,254 with a non-compliant driver’s license, the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles director, Rhonda Lahm, told Fox News Digital. "Every airport is unique and different and they have different dynamics, configurations, wait times.” Local lawmakers and Secretary of State Shenna Bellows in Maine recently requested a phased-in approach pushing for travelers to receive a warning if they don’t have their REAL ID. "We’re issuing roughly 112 REAL IDs per hour across all of our branches, but we know as of April 1 only 27% of Mainers have that REAL ID," Bellows said in a Thursday press conference, according to News Center Maine. Stahl said the enforcement of REAL ID is "a whole society effort.” "We are working in close conjunction with every single airport… Every airport is unique and different and they have different dynamics, configurations, wait times. And so we’re working extremely closely with them.” Maryland and the District of Columbia reported that 99% of eligible residents are compliant, according to Axios. Kentucky state senators have raised concerns about the rush to obtain the new IDs, requesting an extension to the deadline. Twenty-eight state senators have penned a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem urging an extension of the May 7 deadline. "Despite significant progress, Kentucky is simply not fully prepared for complete implementation ... It has also resulted in limited appointment availability and long wait times at many regional offices across the state," wrote the legislators. Stahl said he has seen that states "are really focused on enrollment.” "They’ve been incredibly supportive and helpful, expanding enrollment hours into the weekends and unconventional hours, to ensure we’re accommodating an increased surge in compliance," he said. Stahl cautioned that if travelers do not have a REAL ID or other acceptable IDs such as a valid passport, they "may be susceptible for additional wait times.” He added that in "some rare circumstances, [they may] be denied boarding." [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Axios [5/3/2025 6:00 PM, Kelly Tyko, 13163K] reports brace yourself if you’re flying in the coming days and weeks for long lines and delays at the airport. Wednesday, May 7 is the first day a Real ID compliant license — or another acceptable document — is needed to board a commercial aircraft in the U.S. The new identification requirement also applies when visiting military bases and secure federal buildings like courthouses. A Real ID is a state-issued driver’s license or identification card that meets federal security standards. Compliant IDs are typically marked with a star in the upper right corner, though the specific design may vary by state. May 7 is the enforcement deadline for Real ID after years of delays. "Secretary Noem and the Trump administration are enforcing the 2005 REAL ID Act and regulations on May 7, as directed by Congress and the American people," Adam Stahl, TSA senior official, said in an April news release. 81% of travelers at TSA checkpoints present an acceptable identification including a state-issued Real ID, according to TSA’s statement. Congress passed the Real ID Act in 2005 after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, seeking to beef up security surrounding IDs used at airports. The law was scheduled to be enforced in 2008 but has been delayed many times. All states were compliant for issuing Real IDs in 2020 but many states were in compliance earlier. In 2022, the enforcement deadline was extended to May 2025. Department of Homeland Security says at a minimum you must provide documentation that shows your full legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, two proofs of address of principal address and lawful status. Find your states’ requirements and how to get a Real ID on this DHS page. Passport, enhanced license are Real ID alternatives There are other forms of acceptable identification to show at the airport checkpoint in order to travel. Enhanced Driver’s Licenses (EDL) issued by Washington, Michigan, Minnesota, New York and Vermont are also considered acceptable alternatives. U.S. passport or passport card and DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)

CBS Austin [5/3/2025 11:13 AM, Staff, 602K] reports the New Hampshire Department of Motor Vehicles is working with the TSA to resolve reported issues involving Real I.D.s. There have been reports that the TSA’s authentication system at airport security checkpoints is having trouble verifying the state’s new license design. That’s led to some delays while IDs are manually reviewed. The state says the issue is related to the TSA’s system, not the IDs themselves, and that the IDs are in fact valid. The TSA says it’s working to fully integrate New Hampshire’s new design into its nationwide system. The deadline to have a Real ID is next Wednesday. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

(B) Good Morning America [5/3/2025 7:58 AM, Staff] reports that the TSA says it is working to fix an issue impacting New Hampshire residents using new state driver’s licenses at airports. State officials say they have recently been contacted by people who said that their new ID cannot be verified by TSA scanning systems at airports, but these licenses can still be verified manually. A spokesperson for the TSA says that the issue has been resolved at Manchester’s airport but it is not clear when it will be resolved nationally.

ABC News [5/3/2025 12:36 PM, Nadine El-Bawab and Kyle Reiman, 34586K] reports over 25 million Americans are under threat for damaging winds, large hail, and tornadoes on Saturday. The long stretch of disruptive severe weather and flash flooding across portions of the central and eastern United States will be shifting east Saturday. Severe weather activity will quickly wind down just before midnight, but the flash flooding threat will linger around through the overnight with any of the heavier downpours that set up. Some of these areas have already seen a lot of rain from the past week, making the ground very saturated. This will make flash flooding easier with any heavy rainfall that happens early next week.

CBS New York [5/3/2025 9:40 AM, Jesse Zanger, 51661K] reports the wildfire near Hackettstown in Warren County, N.J. has been 100% contained, authorities said Saturday. The fire burned about 100 acres and damaged two outbuildings, according to New Jersey Forest Fire Service. No evacuations were necessary. Nearby Route 46 has reopened, along with Tannery and Russling roads. Fire crews will remain on the scene for several days to address additional areas of concern. The rounds of rain headed our way is expected to help. Smoke from the fire is anticipated to remain in the area until significant rain falls, possibly this afternoon and evening. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. Fire crews dropped water from nearby fish hatchery ponds to battle the blaze. Elsewhere in New Jersey, firefighters are continuing to battle the Jones Road Wildfire in Ocean County. At last update, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said it was approximately 80% contained after burning 15,300 acres. Two teens face arson charges related to that fire. Joseph Kling, 19, is due back in court Monday, when a judge is expected to decide whether he can be released from jail ahead of trial.

CBS News [5/3/2025 11:59 PM, Faris Tanyos, 51661K] reports a 5.4-magnitude earthquake shook a rural area of West Texas and southeastern New Mexico Saturday night. The U.S. Geological Survey reports that the earthquake occurred at 7:47 p.m. local time, with an epicenter in West Texas, about 35 miles south of Whites City, New Mexico. It was initially measured at a magnitude of 5.3 before being upgraded to 5.4. Whites City is a small resort town located near Carlsbad Caverns National Park, just north of the Texas border and about 95 miles south of Roswell, New Mexico. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 3.9 miles. Jennifer Armendariz, an emergency manager for Eddy County, New Mexico, which includes Whites City, told CBS News in an email that "although" the earthquake "was felt by many residents," there were "no calls into either dispatch or my office for damage at this time.” As of 9:45 p.m., the USGS’ Felt Report feature had received nearly 1,500 public responses. The large quake was followed in the region by two smaller 2.9-magnitude aftershocks. On the morning of April 14, a 5.2-magnitude earthquake hit San Diego County and was widely felt across Southern California and northern Mexico. Seismologists said the earthquake was likely associated with a branch of the San Andreas Fault system.

Reported similarly:
Telemundo [5/3/2025 11:19 PM, Staff, 2454K]

Los Angeles Times [5/4/2025 6:00 AM, Tony Briscoe, Noah Haggerty and Hayley Smith, 13342K] reports the Eaton and Palisades fires released mountains of hazardous material as flames chewed through old homes layered with lead paint and asbestos, kitchen cabinets filled with cleaning solutions, and cars, microwaves and other electronic devices filled with heavy metals. In the wake of the fires, federal officials broke from the decades-long tradition of testing soil in wildfire burn areas in California to determine whether and when it is safe for people to come home. But testing conducted by the Los Angeles Times revealed levels of arsenic, lead and mercury that exceeded safety standards on a number of residential properties in the burn zone — including parcels that have already been marked as clean by federal officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Reporters from The Times fanned out across Altadena and Pacific Palisades to obtain soil samples from 20 properties cleared by the Army Corps, as well as 20 homes that survived the fires. The samples were carefully collected, stored and transported to BSK Associates, a state-certified laboratory in Fresno, to be tested for 17 toxic metals. The state uses health-based cleanup goals to identify hazardous concentrations for each of those metals (measured in milligrams of contaminant per kilogram of soil) that recovery workers must remediate. The numbers come from the state and federal environmental protection agencies and are based on the risk of exposure — or how likely a soil contaminant is to enter your body through the skin, inhalation or ingestion — and the risk of negative health effects from that exposure. Antimony (Sb) is used for hardening lead in batteries, as a flame retardant, and in the production of some semiconductors. Short term, inhaling antimony can cause eye irritation or a skin rash known as antimony spots. Long-term exposure can result in lung inflammation, chronic bronchitis and chronic emphysema. Arsenic (As) is a common element found in soil, water and air. It is also found in some paints, pesticides and batteries, and was once prominently used in treated wood for outdoor structures such as decks, sheds and picnic tables, though that application is no longer recommended. It is a known carcinogen. Ingesting high levels of arsenic can be fatal, while exposure to lower levels can cause nausea, vomiting, decreased production of red and white blood cells, abnormal heart rhythm, damage to blood vessels and other serious health issues. Skin contact with arsenic can cause redness and swelling. Arsenic has been known to bind with wildfire ash and soot. Barium (Ba) is commonly used as a contrast agent in X-ray procedures and is also used as a pigment in fireworks, among other applications. The Environmental Protection Agency does not consider it a carcinogen; however, exposure to barium can cause gastrointestinal irritation, cardiovascular effects, kidney damage and respiratory problems.

Los Angeles Times [5/4/2025 6:00 AM, Tony Briscoe, 13342K] reports that, on the heels of the Eaton and Palisades fires, among the most destructive urban wildfires in U.S. history, federal and state disaster agencies have refused to pay for soil testing to ensure fire-related contamination no longer remains in thousands of now-empty dirt lots across Los Angeles County. Without this long-established precautionary measure, tens of thousands of wildfire survivors are poised to rebuild and eventually return home, not knowing if unhealthy levels of heavy metals are hidden in the soil on their properties. That leaves homeowners with a daunting choice: Pay for testing and potentially additional soil removal themselves, or live with the possibility of lingering contamination. How concerned should homeowners be? The Los Angeles Times set out to answer that question by launching its own soil-testing initiative, modeled after the state’s sampling methodology used in previous wildfires. Journalists fanned out across Altadena and Pacific Palisades to obtain soil samples from 20 properties cleared by federal cleanup crews and 20 homes that survived; the samples were transported to a state-certified laboratory where they were tested for 17 toxic metals. Two of the ten Army Corps-remediated homesites in Altadena still had toxic heavy metals in excess of California standards for residential properties — including one where lead levels were more than three times higher than the state benchmark. The findings are the first evidence that — by skipping comprehensive soil sampling — federal contractors are leaving toxic contamination behind. Testing also revealed elevated levels of arsenic, lead and mercury in the yards of three homes that survived the Eaton fire — although these homeowners did not have the benefit of a federal cleanup. These results — along with historical data from previous fires — suggest that there could be more than a thousand ostensibly remediated properties still containing toxic substances in the regions ravaged by the fires in January. Prolonged exposure to lead — a potent neurotoxin — raises the risk of irreversibly stunting cognitive development in children and inflicting serious kidney damage in adults. Mercury is a neurotoxin and can impair respiratory, kidney and mental health at high levels of exposure. Arsenic is also a known carcinogen — and ingesting high levels can be fatal.

New York Post [5/3/2025 8:22 AM, Georgia Worrell, 54903K] reports a pixie-faced Maine high school teacher called for the US Secret Service to "take out" those who support President Trump — and said that "Trump and his cronies need to die," in a string of unhinged social media posts this week. In the same post, she added that she was "not talking about assassinating a president" because a president is "a person duly elected by the American people" – whereas Trump is leading "a fascist dictatorship." In a Facebook post less than 24 hours later, St. Germain doubled down. As of Friday, St. Germain was still listed on the staff directory on the school’s website.

Yahoo News [5/3/2025 8:20 PM, Hannah Leyva, 59943K] reports the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service and Sector North Carolina are asking for the public’s help finding a person who has made “multiple false distress calls” coming from the Wilmington area along North Carolina’s coast. The false calls are “believed to have originated from the Leland and Brunswick areas,” which are just south across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington. The UCSG said the calls consist of someone “calling out for help with various locations and descriptions of their vessel or nature of distress.” They sent a six-second sample of one of the calls, in which you can hear a person yelling, “Mayday mayday mayday! Boat down, boat down! I repeat, can anybody hear me? Mayday mayday mayday!” According to the USCG, at least seven hoax calls have been made since Dec. 21, 2024 over VHF channel 16. That channel, the UCSG said, should only be used for hailing and distress calls, and knowingly transmitting false ones is a federal crime that could result in civil and criminal penalties that could include up to 10 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines as well as the cost of the search.

FOX 7 Miami [5/3/2025 6:54 PM, Samantha Sosa and Rubén Rosario, 864K] reports first responders from multiple agencies came to the rescue of nearly three dozen people after a yacht began to take on water off the coast of Miami Beach. Cellphone video posted to social media shows the partially submerged vessel off Monument Island, late Saturday afternoon. According to Miami Beach Police, Marine Patrol units responded to reports of a compromised vessel near Star Island, at around 5:05 p.m. Officers initiated rescue efforts upon their arrival at the scene with help from the U.S. Coast Guard, Miami Beach Ocean Rescue, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue and City of Miami Fire Rescue. The Coast Guard said all 32 people on board were safely taken off the boat. Some went into a good Samaritan’s boat, and some went with law enforcement. Police said everyone who was on board is accounted for and were checked out by Miami Beach Fire Rescue units. No injuries were reported. As for the yacht, ir remains unknown why it sank. Coast Guard officials said it was pushed out of the channel and did not pose a hazard to other boaters.

Hoodline [5/3/2025 11:30 AM, Livi Miller] reports the U.S. Coast Guard recently made headlines with the offloading of a substantial cache of illicit drugs. The USCG Cutter Venturous’ crew brought ashore about 5,300 pounds of cocaine and marijuana, valued at an estimated $14.1 million, near Miami Beach. This haul resulted from a series of four interdictions in the Caribbean Sea, as reported by the U.S. Coast Guard’s News Room and verified by an additional report from CBS12. Commander Karen Kutkiewicz, the commanding officer of Venturous, commented on the efforts saying, “Stopping harmful and illicit narcotics from reaching our shores and entering our communities is a team effort” and that “It takes the combined efforts of our joint force DoD, DHS, and international partners to combat transnational criminal organizations.” This statement was obtained by both the U.S. Coast Guard’s News Room and CBS12. A range of assets and multinational crews contributed to the operation, including the US Coast Guard Cutter Diligence and the Royal Netherlands Navy ship HNLMS Groningen, among others detailed in the reports. The interdictions are part of a complex and coordinated effort to curb the flow of illegal narcotics. JIATF-South in Key West is primarily responsible for the detection and monitoring of illicit drug transit by air and sea. These operations are vital as they hand over control for interdiction and apprehension to the U.S. Coast Guard, specifically under the authority of the Seventh Coast Guard District. The base for these operations is located in Miami, as the crew from USCGC Venturous successfully demonstrated with their latest interdictions.

Reported similarly:
The Gleaner [5/3/2025 6:06 PM, Staff, 558K]

(B) CBS Saturday Morning [4/3/2025 9:16 AM, Staff] reports that it is a race to stop a growing environmental threat off Louisiana’s Gulf Coast. On oil well ruptured last week. The Coast Guard warns more than 100,000 gallons of oil may be released into the water and surrounding marshland. It is unclear what set off the spill. The Coast Guard said the well had been capped nearly ten years ago.

Yahoo News [5/3/2025 5:46 PM, Staff, 59943K] reports a 54-year-old man was airlifted from the Norwegian Bliss cruise ship near Cape Flattery on Friday, The U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest posted on X. The man was experiencing stroke-like symptoms and the Coast Guard crew, based out of Air Station Port Angeles, medevac’d the man and he was brought to Olympic Medical Center, the Coast Guard said.

FOX News [5/3/2025 10:00 AM, Kurt Knutsson, 46189K] reports healthcare seems to be the favorite target of attackers this year. Connecticut’s largest healthcare system, Yale New Haven Health, has now revealed that a data breach affected more than 5.5 million people. The information leaked included patient names, dates of birth, postal and email addresses, phone numbers and more. According to a legally mandated disclosure with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Yale New Haven Health experienced a cyberattack on March 8 that allowed malicious hackers to obtain copies of patients’ personally identifiable information as well as some healthcare-related data. It includes five acute-care hospitals, a medical foundation, and a network of outpatient facilities and multispecialty centers across Connecticut, New York and Rhode Island. Reportedly, the number of affected individuals may still change as investigations continue. Importantly, electronic medical record systems and treatment information were not accessed, and no financial account, payment or employee HR information was involved.

Washington Examiner [5/3/2025 9:11 AM, Staff, 2296K] reports the greatest number of antisemitic attacks were reported last year, 9,354, according to an annual report published by the Anti-Defamation League. The majority of incidents, 64%, occurred in 10 states, eight of which are led by Democrats, the Center Square reported. According to the ADL’s Audit of Antisemitic Incidents in 2024, New York state led the U.S. with the greatest number of incidents, 1,437, accounting for 15% of the national total. California ranked second with 1,344 incidents. The ADL tracks incidents targeting Jewish- or Israeli-Americans or Jewish institutions and houses of worship; categories include harassment, vandalism and assault. Last year, New York "reached levels unprecedented in recent history, with assaults increasing by 52% in 2024 and a staggering 583% over the past five years," the ADL states. New York, which has the largest Jewish population in the U.S., accounted for nearly one-third of all antisemitic assaults nationwide. Additionally, "the targeting of Orthodox Jews has become particularly concerning, with Brooklyn alone – home to numerous Orthodox Jewish communities – accounting for 39% of all assaults in the state," the report notes, reflecting "a dangerous pattern of escalating violence against visibly Jewish individuals.” Similar to a pattern nationwide, the majority of incidents, 58%, were related to Israel. Notably, incidents were higher in Democratic-run states due to higher education institution policies that allowed pro-Hamas rioters to take over college campuses with little to no consequences for attacks against Jewish students. In New York, antisemitism on college campuses surged over the year by 163%, with 66% occurring on college campuses in New York City. Among them, 27% occurred at Columbia University and Barnard College alone. "More incidents occurred at colleges and universities in New York than in any other state. Columbia University became the epicenter of campus antisemitism during the spring 2024 encampments, when Jewish students reported being harassed, intimidated and denied access to campus facilities," the ADL said. "Similar incidents at New York University further contributed to New York’s position as the national leader in campus antisemitism.” On his ninth day in office, President Donald Trump issued an executive order to combat antisemitism. After the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel, Trump said an "unprecedented wave of vile anti-Semitic discrimination, vandalism, and violence [was unleashed] against our citizens, especially in our schools and on our campuses. Jewish students have faced an unrelenting barrage of discrimination; denial of access to campus common areas and facilities, including libraries and classrooms; and intimidation, harassment, and physical threats and assault.” His administration began targeting higher education institutions being investigated by Congress where some of the worst violence occurred, including Columbia University, Harvard and others. This includes withholding billions of dollars-worth of taxpayer-funded grants to higher education institutions unless they implement policies that prohibit antisemitism, pro-Hamas riots and the targeting of Jewish students on their campuses.

Daily Wire [5/3/2025 7:21 AM, Virginia Kruta, 4672K] reports President Donald Trump may tap White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to serve as his next National Security Adviser, Axios reported on Friday. Miller, who currently serves as the Trump administration’s Homeland Security adviser, is one of the few key players who has been with the president through his entire first term in office and into the second - and Axios cited five sources who suggested Miller was a likely choice to move into the position vacated by former Congressman (R-FL) and Green Beret veteran Mike Waltz. One obvious reason for the move would be the fact that Trump trusts Miller to advance his agenda - and Axios cited one source who noted that Miller was already known within the administration for his efficiency, having ensured that the White House Homeland Security Council runs "like clockwork." The source also noted that despite having a smaller staff, Miller’s HSC is "infinitely more effective than the NSC [National Security Council]." Other sources noted that Miller’s ability to work well with Secretary of State Marco Rubio - who currently is doing multiple jobs within the administration including taking up the National Security Adviser role until Waltz’s permanent replacement is found - could be a key factor as well. "Marco and Stephen have worked really closely on immigration and it might be a perfect match," one said. Another added, "Given how well he’s worked with Marco, many see him as the perfect person to restore the role of the NSA to a staff-level policy role that reports to the chief of staff, instead of some inflated Cabinet position." The speculation regarding Miller comes after President Trump delivered a surprise staffing shake-up on Thursday, announcing after rumors swirled all day that Waltz had been fired that he instead planned to appoint the former Florida Congressman to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Washington Examiner [5/4/2025 6:00 AM, Ramsey Touchberry, 2296K] reports President Donald Trump added yet another twist to the monthslong saga to fill the role of. United Nations ambassador, forcing Republicans to relive the Signalgate controversy as they usher Mike Waltz’s nomination through the Senate. Democrats on the Foreign Relations Committee, the panel weighing Waltz’s nomination, are expected to heavily litigate his judgment after he mistakenly added the Atlantic’s editor-in-chief to a Signal group chat detailing sensitive military plans. Trump removed Waltz from his post as national security adviser on Thursday, which was viewed as a firing prompted by the controversy. However, the president simultaneously named Waltz ambassador to the U.N. Waltz’s deputy, Alexon Wong, is also reportedly being removed. The move capped off weeks of uncertainty and drama surrounding the ambassadorship, the only unfilled position of Trump’s 22-member Cabinet. He previously nominated and then pulled Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) from consideration due to concerns over Republicans’ slim House majority. Stefanik has since returned to a post in House leadership as she eyes a run for governor of New York. Waltz, a former House member, has enjoyed support from within the party, and on Thursday, Republicans suggested he would have no trouble filling the vacancy. "I think most Republicans in the Senate know Mike and like him and have confidence in him," Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), an adviser to GOP leadership and Foreign Relations Committee member, told the Washington Examiner. "Obviously, the president still has confidence in him in order to put him in this key role.” However, Waltz’s involvement in the Signal debacle, in which Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared sensitive information about impending strikes in Yemen, promises to bog the party down in negative confirmation hearing headlines. News of Waltz’s nomination caught Republican senators off guard as they departed the Capitol following the final Senate vote of the week on Thursday. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who was informed by reporters of the nomination, quipped that perhaps Stefanik should switch with Waltz and become national security adviser. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is temporarily filling the role. "Poor Elise Stefanik," Hawley said. Cornyn said it was important to "get to the bottom" of the Signal security lapse, but he added that he prefers the Department of Defense’s inspector general to continue handling the investigation. Hawley also projected confidence in Waltz when asked about his prospects: "Unless there’s something I’m really missing here, I think [Waltz] would be perfectly fine.” Lawmakers are increasingly anxious to fill the U.N. post, which has been vacant for three months in Trump’s second term. Senators on both sides of the aisle have, in recent days, felt a pressing need to confirm an ambassador as Trump clashes over trade and tries to broker an end to foreign conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war. "Clearly, the sooner the better," said Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), another Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee. "The U.N. has a lot of challenges in terms of terrible policies that we see coming out of the U.N., and the sooner we have a strong leader … the better off America is going to be. And the world, frankly.”

FOX Business [5/3/2025 6:32 PM, Jasmine Baehr, 10702K] reports a prominent Chinese businessman in New York was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison for illegally acting as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Quanzhong An, a permanent U.S. resident and influential figure in Queens’ Chinese business community, pleaded guilty in March to participating in a yearslong campaign to pressure a Chinese expatriate, identified in DOJ filings as "John Doe-1" and reported by The Wall Street Journal to be Liu Shenxiang, into returning to China under duress. The case centers on Operation Fox Hunt, a global initiative launched under Chinese leader Xi Jinping, which Beijing claims is aimed at rooting out corruption and repatriating fugitives. U.S. officials, including the FBI and DOJ, have repeatedly criticized the program as a vehicle for transnational repression, used to intimidate political dissidents, silence critics and circumvent international legal norms. According to DOJ court documents, An coordinated an effort to harass and surveil Liu, a former executive at a state-owned enterprise in Shandong province who fled China in 2000 and later settled in the U.S. Chinese authorities have accused Liu of financial crimes and placed him on a list of the 100 most-wanted economic fugitives. The U.S. has taken no position on the veracity of those charges. Prosecutors say An acted at the direction of Chinese officials, helping them locate Liu and deliver threatening messages. He told Liu’s family that if Liu returned to China, criminal charges would be dropped, but if he remained in the U.S., he could expect relentless legal pressure and personal harassment. The WSJ reported Chinese operatives even published Liu’s New York address and attempted to confront his family in person. The Justice Department said An not only arranged for Liu’s relatives to travel from China to pressure him, but also watched Liu’s home and involved his daughter, An Guangyang, who was sentenced to two days in jail for unrelated visa violations. An was ordered to pay nearly $1.3 million in restitution to Liu, forfeit more than $5 million in assets and now faces possible deportation. Despite being the head of the Chinese Business Association of New York and other cultural groups in Flushing, Queens, An never registered as a foreign agent as required under U.S. law. He maintained deep ties to the Chinese government, including political advisory roles in Shandong province, even as he invested millions in New York real estate.

Wall Street Journal [5/3/2025 12:00 PM, James T. Areddy, 646K] reports Liu Shenxiang spent years living in the U.S., defying Chinese authorities’ claims that he was a criminal fugitive who misappropriated money from his employer. Then, after China stepped up the pressure by publishing his New York City address, an esteemed member of the city’s Chinese business community plunged in to help Beijing by pushing Liu to surrender. Now the businessman, An Quanzhong, is headed to a federal penitentiary for acting as China’s agent in a harassment campaign and could face deportation. He has paid almost $1.3 million in restitution to Liu, who remains in the U.S. What linked the two men, both from China’s Shandong province and permanent residents of the U.S., was the deep distrust between the U.S. and China: The U.S. mostly ignores China’s criminal allegations, for instance taking no position on Beijing’s claim that Liu is a criminal or a fugitive. In response, China has pursued unusual strategies to enforce its laws on American soil. The clash between the two countries’ legal systems is evident in a separate case making its way through a federal court in New York, in which China is alleged to have managed what prosecutors called a police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown. China’s government says the outpost handled administrative matters like driver-license renewals. In other prosecutions, China has been accused of deploying pressure tactics against its political opponents in the U.S. Recently, the Justice Department charged a Chinese national and a British national with orchestrating a scheme to use violence against a California activist critical of Chinese leader Xi Jinping around the time of his 2023 visit to the U.S. China has said it acts lawfully. For Liu and An, the outcome was a flipped script, winning an alleged fugitive the protection of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and leaving a community stalwart in disgrace.

Axios [5/3/2025 9:19 PM, Barak Ravid, 13163K] reports Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is planning to travel to Israel ahead of President Trump’s trip to the Middle East, two Israeli officials tell Axios. This would be Hegseth’s first trip to Israel since taking his role. It comes at a time when the U.S. and Israeli governments are divided over the possibility of military strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, and with the war in Gaza and the U.S. military campaign in Yemen ongoing. Hegseth will arrive in Israel on May 12 and meet with his counterpart Israel Katz and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hegseth will then travel to Saudi Arabia to join Trump’s trip to the Gulf. Trump will also visit Qatar and the UAE but is not currently expected to visit Israel. A Pentagon official declined to comment on Hegseth’s travel plans. Israeli defense officials and pro-Israel organizations in Washington have been concerned that many of Trump’s picks for Pentagon roles appear skeptical of U.S. military involvement in the Middle East, particularly when it comes to Iran. Netanyahu and his advisers have been making the case to U.S. counterparts for a military option on Iran.

Washington Post [5/4/2025 3:14 AM, Claire Parker, Karen DeYoung, Gerry Shih and Cate Brown, 31735K] reports Israel is planning to take control of — and severely restrict — the distribution of humanitarian aid inside the Gaza Strip, using private American security contractors, as a condition for lifting its two-month blockade of supplies into the enclave, according to current and former Israeli officials, aid workers and other individuals with knowledge of the plan. Details are expected to be finalized at a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet Sunday. The plan has support from Israel’s government and security establishment, and is expected to be put into motion before the end of the month, possibly as soon as President Donald Trump’s visit to the region in mid-May. Trump, who promised he would bring a quick end to the Gaza crisis, is known to have grown increasingly frustrated with the ongoing war and the extent to which it is undermining his broader goals for the region. But the plan has been roundly rejected by the United Nations and dozens of international aid organizations, who say it runs counter to humanitarian principles, is logistically unworkable and could put Palestinian civilians and staffers in harm’s way. At stake are the lives of some 2 million Palestinians in Gaza, which is expected to run out of food in the coming weeks amid escalating Israeli military attacks. The Israel Defense Forces referred questions to "the political echelon." The prime minister’s office declined to comment. Elements of the plan were described in interviews with more than a dozen people familiar with it, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive discussions. Israeli military officials presented the take-it-or-leave-it proposition to senior representatives of the United Nations and international aid groups in Tel Aviv on Friday in what appeared to be a last-ditch attempt to get reluctant organizations on board. Israel would permit about 60 trucks carrying basic humanitarian food and household items to enter Gaza each day — a tenth of the volume it allowed under the six-week ceasefire that ended in early March. Trucks would be inspected by the IDF at the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel into southern Gaza. Once inside the enclave, they would travel to Israel-designated distribution hubs in the south under the protection of U.S. security contractors. The contractors would also provide security in and around the hubs; all direct distribution and contact with Palestinians would be performed by nongovernmental humanitarian aid workers. The plan would initially restrict distribution to up to six hubs to serve the densely populated strip that has been mostly flattened by Israeli bombs during more than 18 months of war. If the model worked, it could be expanded to north and central Gaza, according to one person with knowledge of Israel’s thinking. Each hub would serve 5,000 to 6,000 households. Representatives of those households would pick up a 44-pound parcel of food and hygiene items every two weeks, according to one international aid worker. Another person briefed said aid would be picked up weekly. Facial recognition technology is to be used to identify visitors to the hubs.

Washington Post [5/4/2025 5:00 AM, Alex Horton, Imogen Piper, Cate Brown and Evan Hill, 31735K] reports a U.S. airstrike in Yemen on Monday appears to have killed at least three dozen people in a Houthi-run compound that human rights researchers say has been used for years as a detention center and at times for military purposes, according to images of the aftermath reviewed by Washington Post. Houthi rebels say at least 68 people were killed and dozens more were injured in what they said was a U.S. strike on a prison holding African migrants. The Post’s analysis of visuals found at least 38 people who appeared to be dead and 32 injured, numbers that are almost certainly an undercount given the limited available imagery. It is not clear from the videos who among the dead are civilians; no military equipment or garb is visible in any visuals reviewed by The Post. Visuals could be located from only one of the two buildings that were destroyed in the attack. The Houthis have targeted American military forces in the Red Sea, as well as commercial vessels and Israeli military sites to protest the ongoing war in Gaza, which has killed many thousands of civilians. In mid-March, the Trump campaign launched "Operation Rough Rider," targeting Houthi rebel leadership and infrastructure. Central Command, which oversees U.S. operations in the Middle East, has not said what it was targeting in the recent strike but is "aware of the claims of civilian casualties" and is assessing them, a defense official has said. The U.S. military has said its Yemen operations are executed with "detailed and comprehensive intelligence" to minimize risk to civilians. The current functions of the compound in northwest Yemen could not be independently determined. The United Nations has described it as having once included a military barracks and more recently as a migrant detention center. One human rights researcher told The Post that it ceased serving military purposes a decade ago, while another said it is used by the Houthis for other purposes and "the migrants are only a front.” Analysts and current and former U.S. officials said the strike appears to add to mounting evidence that the Trump administration has not prioritized minimizing civilian casualties in its ongoing air campaign against the Houthis. The Defense Department is moving to dismantle efforts focused on reducing civilian harm in U.S. military operations, The Post has reported, so commanders can focus more on "lethality" when conducting military strikes. "This strike in particular and the campaign in Yemen in general clearly show a higher tolerance for civilian casualties than previously seen in Yemen and even in the wars against ISIS," a U.S. official familiar with the campaign said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing operations. The same official confirmed that Monday’s strike was carried out by the United States. The videos provide a graphic view of the carnage. "I’m dying now," one man tells the person filming the video, his body pinned between two slabs of concrete. Dozens of people are crushed by debris, their limbs protruding from the dust. Some are dismembered in the blast. Other remains are likely buried or in parts of the building not visible in the imagery.

Washington Post [5/4/2025 5:00 AM, Christian Shepherd, 31735K] reports the Philippines, among the countries in Southeast Asia, has the most contentious relationship with China: It is embroiled in a protracted and high-stakes territorial dispute with Beijing in the South China Sea, and has accused Chinese state-sponsored groups of trying to interfere in this month’s midterm elections. But these tensions, and associated national security concerns, have not stopped the Philippines from turning to China for the renewable energy infrastructure it needs for its development — not least because Chinese-made green tech is much cheaper than American and European offerings. "The Chinese offer was so much lower than their European counterparts, so for us that was an awakening," said Gerry P. Magbanua, president of Manila-based renewable power company Alternergy, recounting the bids he received to build two wind farms in the Philippines. This was true even before Donald Trump took office. But Beijing’s effort to dominate Southeast Asia — both in green tech and as the regional superpower — has received a welcome boost from Trump’s decision to slash climate financing intended to propel the transition to renewable energy at the same time that he threatens the region with tariffs. "China doesn’t need to do anything to win," said Samantha Custer, director of policy analysis at AidData, a research group at William & Mary, a university in Virginia. Beijing has persistently tried to "sow seeds of doubt that the U.S. is not a reliable economic and security partner, and unfortunately people are now seeing the U.S. reinforce those doubts," Custer said. Chinese leader Xi Jinping sought to capitalize on this last month when he traveled through Vietnam, Malaysia and Cambodia — which are facing American tariffs of 46, 47 and 49 percent, respectively — promising to deliver "green development" across the region through clean energy infrastructure deals. China has in recent years taken a commanding global lead in green tech manufacturing: It makes and uses more solar panels, wind turbines and electric vehicles than the rest of the world combined, and can produce them at a lower cost than its rivals. Developing countries need massive amounts of renewable power if they hope to grow their economies without worsening climate change, and China is fast becoming their go-to supplier. Chinese energy investment and construction deals in countries that have signed up to Xi’s signature trade and infrastructure policy, the Belt and Road Initiative, neared $40 billion last year and a record $11.8 billion of that went toward green energy, according to analysis from Griffith University in Australia. Beijing is now using its green tech credentials to score points against climate-skeptic Trump. After Xi’s tour of Southeast Asia, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared that "some" countries — meaning the U.S. — are raising the costs of renewables for the world, while Beijing "works with all parties to use ‘green’ means to empower development.” The Trump administration is trying to stop China from using Southeast Asia as a manufacturing and export hub for its green tech headed to the United States. Last month, the Department of Commerce imposed tariffs of up to 3,500 percent on Chinese solar panel manufacturers based in the three countries Xi visited, plus Thailand, after ruling they were receiving subsidies from the Chinese government.

Wall Street Journal [5/4/2025 12:06 AM, Niharika Mandhana and Timothy W. Martin, 646K] reports when Gen. Ronald Clark took charge of the U.S. Army in the Pacific in November, his boss in the region, Adm. Samuel Paparo, had a stark security assessment for him: The situation had worsened since Clark was last posted in the Indo-Pacific, three years earlier. Six months into the new job, Clark agrees. China’s “aggressive behavior” has made the environment more dangerous, he said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. “These are extraordinary times,” said the commander, who has spent 37 years in the military and oversees 106,000 personnel. “Some of the things that you see our opponents and adversaries undertaking are things that really leave you speechless at times.” Case in point: China’s rehearsals of a potential blockade of Taiwan, he said. Five years ago, Clark said, he wouldn’t have thought Beijing would consider such a maneuver. “Now it’s commonplace that the PLA would make a move like that,” he said, referring to the People’s Liberation Army, as China’s military is called. China claims Taiwan as its territory and doesn’t rule out the use of force to seize it. One of the ways in which it could try to squeeze the democratically governed island into submission is to encircle it and cut it off from the rest of the world. Since 2022, Beijing has launched a series of military exercises that simulate such a blockade. It has also intensified its near-daily “gray zone” pressure around Taiwan using combat aircraft, warships, coast-guard vessels, drones and more. The commander of U.S. Army Pacific—whose area of operations stretches from Hollywood to Bollywood and polar bears to penguins, he quipped—is taking notes. “It gives us an opportunity to really understand how they would go about something like a blockade or potentially a cross-strait invasion, which as we all know is exceptionally difficult,” he said, referring to a potential Chinese amphibious attack to capture Taiwan.

AP [5/4/2025 3:10 AM, Mari Yamaguchi, 48304K] reports Japan and China have accused each other of violating the airspace around the Japanese-controlled East China Sea islands, which Beijing also claims. The latest territorial flap came as both appeared to have warmer ties while seeking to mitigate damages from the U.S. tariff war. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it lodged a “very severe protest” with Beijing after a Chinese helicopter took off from one of China’s four coast guard boats, which had entered Japan’s territorial waters around the Senkaku islands. The helicopter violated Japanese airspace for about 15 minutes on Saturday, the ministry said. The statement called the incident an “intrusion ... into Japan’s territorial airspace” and urged the Chinese government to ensure preventive measures. Japan’s Self-Defense Force scrambled fighter jets in response, according to the Defense Ministry. China also protested to Tokyo over a Japanese civilian aircraft violating its airspace around the islands, saying it was “strongly dissatisfied” about Japan’s “severe violation of China’s sovereignty,” according to a statement by the Chinese embassy in Japan late Saturday. China Coast Guard said it “immediately took necessary control measures against it in accordance with the law” and dispatched a ship-borne helicopter to warn and drive away the Japanese aircraft. Japanese officials are investigating a possible connection between the Chinese coast guard helicopter’s airspace intrusion and the small Japanese civilian aircraft flying in the area around the same time. China routinely sends coast guard vessels and aircraft into waters and airspace surrounding the islands, which China calls the Diaoyu, to harass Japanese vessels in the area, forcing Japan to quickly mobilize its jets. Saturday’s intrusion was the first by China since a Chinese reconnaissance aircraft violated the Japanese airspace off the southern prefecture of Nagasaki in August. Chinese aircraft have also violated the Japanese airspace around the Senkaku twice in the past.

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