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

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

The New York Times [9/20/2025 5:45 PM, Soumya Karlamangla, 143795K] reports Gov. Gavin Newsom of California signed legislation on Saturday that would prevent federal immigration agents from wearing masks in the state, a direct response to President Trump’s deportation crackdown in the Los Angeles region. The new law is believed to be the first such ban in the nation, though it is likely to be challenged in court before it can go into effect in January because it is unclear whether California can enforce such restrictions on federal law enforcement. The bill also applies to local law enforcement. In recent months, videos have spread across social media showing masked and armed immigration agents handcuffing immigrants in Southern California, drawing protests and criticism in the state. Democratic leaders and immigration activists have suggested that agents have acted with impunity, knowing that their identities were cloaked and that it would be harder to hold them accountable. “The impact of these policies all across this city, our state and nation are terrifying. It’s like a dystopian sci-fi movie — unmarked cars, people in masks, people quite literally disappearing,” Mr. Newsom said at a signing event on Saturday afternoon at a Los Angeles high school. “This is a disgrace. This is an outrage, what we’ve allowed to happen in this country.” It is extremely rare for police officers to wear masks in democratic nations. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents began wearing balaclavas and neck gaiters this year, in what might have been the first example of American law enforcement officers wearing masks. Before this year, state and local leaders had been passing more laws moving in the direction of greater transparency, such as requiring officers to wear body cameras at all times to record footage that could be used in court and seen by the public. But this week, Department of Homeland Security officials urged Mr. Newsom to veto the bill, which they said would increase harassment and assaults on officers. “Comparing them to ‘secret police’ — likening them to the Gestapo — is despicable,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the department, said in a statement. “Once again, sanctuary politicians are trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers.” California’s law was opposed by numerous law enforcement agencies, who argued that officers must have the choice to cover their faces to protect themselves and their families from retaliation. Limiting the ways officers can keep themselves safe will make it harder to recruit people to work in law enforcement, they said. But a number of Democratic-led states have proposed restricting masking by immigration agents. Lawmakers have introduced such bills in New York, Illinois and Massachusetts, among other states, though California is believed to be the only state where such a law has been passed and signed. California’s measure would bar law enforcement officers from wearing face coverings, such as ski masks, balaclavas and neck gaiters, that shield their identities. It does not apply to medical masks, clear plastic face shields, respirators, eye protection or other safety devices. Any violation of the law would be a misdemeanor. Los Angeles Times [9/20/2025 8:54 PM, Matthew Ormseth, Dakota Smith, and Laura J. Nelson, 12715K] reports Newsom framed the pieces of legislation as pushback against what he called the "secret police" of Trump and Stephen Miller, the White House advisor who has driven the second Trump administration’s surge of immigration enforcement in Democrat-led cities. Senate Bill 627 by Sens. The AP [9/20/2025 6:15 PM, Trân Nguyễn and Martha Bellisle, 37974K] reports “Our agents will continue to protect their identities,” he said. Tricia McLaughlin, Homeland Security assistant secretary for public affairs, called it “despicable and a flagrant attempt to endanger our officers.” “While our federal law enforcement officers are being assaulted by rioters and having rocks and Molotov cocktails thrown at them, a sanctuary politician is trying to outlaw officers wearing masks to protect themselves from being doxxed and targeted by known and suspected terrorist sympathizers,” she said via email. The Washington Post [9/20/2025 7:13 PM, Angie Orellana Hernandez, 29079K] reports that the Department of Homeland Security has maintained that using masks to shield ICE agents’ faces protects them against harassment and doxing. “To ICE — unmask. What are you afraid of?” Newsom said during a news conference in Los Angeles on Saturday. “You’re going to go out. You’re going to do enforcement. Provide an ID. Tell us which agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.” The mask ban was one of five bills Newsom, long suspected of harboring White House ambitions, signed Saturday to push back against President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. The legislation won’t take effect until Jan. 1, 2026, and it remains unclear whether the state can legally regulate federal agents. FOX News [9/20/2025 6:59 PM, Alexandra Koch, 40019K] reports that the ban comes after a series of immigration raids in Los Angeles, where federal agents were spotted wearing masks to protect their identities from being leaked. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin this week noted federal agents are already required to identify themselves and wear clothing that designates they are with ICE or Homeland Security markers during operations. "Another day, another sanctuary politician pulling a stunt in attempt to get their 15 minutes of fame while endangering DHS personnel and detainees," McLaughlin wrote. "The men and women of ICE put their lives on the line every day to arrest violent criminal illegal aliens to protect and defend the lives of American citizens.” The agency is experiencing a 1,000% surge in assaults against ICE officers, leading to concerns about their safety and their families’ safety, according to McLaughlin. Several states have introduced similar legislation, including Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, New York, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, according to a report from The Associated Press. It is unclear how the new California bill will be enforced.

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New York Post [9/20/2025 7:52 PM, Chris Harris, 43962K]
NPR [9/20/2025 6:02 PM, Gerardo Zavala, 34837K]
San Francisco Chronicle [9/20/2025 12:45 PM, Sara Libby, Sophia Bollag, 3790K]

FOX News [9/20/2025 5:29 PM, Staff, 40019K] reports Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s press office came under intense scrutiny Saturday after posting a remark on social media about Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem that was ultimately referred to the U.S. Secret Service for a threat assessment. In a cryptic X post on Saturday, Newsom’s press office claimed that Noem "have a bad day today," drawing swift criticism from conservatives such as DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin and Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, Bill Essayli. "Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today," the Governor Newsom Press Office posted to X. "You’re welcome, America.” Essayli responded that there is "zero tolerance" for threats — direct or implied — against government officials. "I’ve referred this matter to [the Secret Service] and requested a full threat assessment," he said. McLaughlin replied to the X post from Newsom’s office, calling it "ugly" and saying it read like a threat. "Your keyboard warrior team may hide behind their laptops and spew this kind of vitriol but you would never have the guts to say this to her face," McLaughlin said. Republican California Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez blasted the comment, telling Fox News Digital that such remarks increase the likelihood of future political violence. "Our Governor can’t keep his foot out of his mouth," Sanchez told Fox News Digital. Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News that the agency had received the Department of Justice’s communication, noting that it was not able to comment on "specific protective intelligence matters.” "However, the Secret Service must vigorously investigate any situation or individual, regardless of position or status, that could pose or be perceived as posing a threat to any of our protectees," Guglielmi said. "Especially in a politically charged climate, such as this.” Several hours after the initial X post, the governor’s press office followed up with news of a legislative package aimed at protecting immigrant communities and that would "hold Trump accountable" — seemingly the development they suggested would give Noem "a bad day.” Newsom appeared with community members and legislative leaders on Saturday to sign a series of bills intended to "protect Californians, respond to federal overreach and push back against Trump and Stephen Miller’s ‘secret police’ tactics in California," according to Newsom’s press office. This included a bill that prohibits most law enforcement — including federal immigration agents — from concealing their faces while carrying out official duties, the Associated Press reported. "We celebrate that diversity. It’s what makes California great. It’s what makes America great. It is under assault," Newsom said at a press conference in Los Angeles on Saturday. "This is the United States of America, and I’m really proud of the state of California and our state of mind that we’re pushing back against these authoritarian tendencies and actions of this administration.” DHS and Newsom’s press office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

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Breitbart [9/20/2025 6:11 PM, Jasmyn Jordan, 2608K]
The Hill [9/20/2025 5:42 PM, Ashleigh Fields, 12414K]
CNN [9/20/2025 5:28 PM, Kaanita Iyer, 23245K]

Politico [9/20/2025 3:19 PM, Lindsey Holden, 14810K] reports Gavin Newsom on Saturday signed five bills aimed at protecting the state’s large immigrant population from President Donald Trump’s mass deportation agenda — including a ban on face coverings for federal agents. California’s new laws will shield immigrants’ health care information, notify families of federal agents’ presence at schools and require officers to identify themselves. Several of the proposals came in response to an immigration crackdown that rattled Los Angeles this summer. The governor returned to this epicenter of Trump’s deportation raids to sign the legislation, a rebuke of the president’s aggressive immigration sweeps in a state where more than a quarter of residents — 10.6 million Californians — are foreign born. “What are you afraid of?” Newsom asked of federal agents during the event. “You’re going to go out and you’re going to do enforcement — provide an ID. Tell us which agency you represent. Provide us basic information that all local law enforcement is required to provide.” He acknowledged the likely legal challenge ahead, however, saying, “We’re going to test the theory.” The governor’s press office X account, which has gained notoriety for its provocative, Trump-mocking posts, drew swift blowback from federal officials for its preview of the event, which referenced the DHS secretary: “Kristi Noem is going to have a bad day today.” Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli responded that he had requested a threat assessment from the Secret Service. “We have zero tolerance for direct or implicit threats against government officials,” he wrote. Asked Saturday what his office meant with the “bad day” post, Newsom said the bills he signed “run in complete contrast to what [Noem’s] asserting and what she’s pushing.”

Reuters [9/20/2025 10:40 AM, Lucia Mutikani, 45746K] reports the U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Saturday warned California, New York and Illinois, so-called sanctuary states, to cooperate with the government in deporting undocumented immigrants released from prison after serving time for crimes. In a statement, Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said the department last week sent letters to the Democratic attorneys general of the three states, asking them to help the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency detain criminal illegal immigrants. Illinois and New York refused to inform ICE when undocumented criminal immigrants are released from jail or prison to be transferred to ICE custody for deportation. California did not respond to the letter. McLaughlin said ICE sent follow-up letters to the three states on Friday informing them the agency would seek assistance from the Department of Justice and other federal partners to ensure the states’ cooperation. The office of the Illinois attorney general refused to accept the letter, she said, adding that sanctuary state policies have impeded the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. McLaughlin said DHS had so far arrested more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants, 70% of whom apprehended by ICE had criminal charges or convictions. NewsMax [9/20/2025 1:31 PM, Jim Mishler, 4779K] reports DHS said Saturday that Illinois and New York have responded to a DHS request about the issue and told the government they won’t support lawful DHS immigration enforcement. The department said California did not respond. The issue is whether the states will continue to ignore Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainers. DHS said the refusal to honor ICE detainers has led to numerous murderers, rapists, and pedophiles being released back into California, New York, and Illinois communities. On Friday, ICE delivered follow-up correspondence to attorneys general in the three states, warning of stronger measures if the states don’t comply. The department said the Illinois attorney general’s office refused to accept the letter. "These dangerous sanctuary policies, often combined with cashless bail for serious crimes, allow criminal illegal aliens to be released back into American communities — threatening the American people’s lives and well-being," Assistant DHS Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. DHS said despite so-called sanctuary policies implemented in some states and cities, the department in recent months has arrested more than 400,000 illegal immigrants, of whom 280,000 have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

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Washington Times [9/20/2025 9:34 AM, Stephen Dinan, 964K]

New York Post [9/20/2025 8:16 PM, Anna Young, 43962K] reports the Department of Homeland Security reportedly warned three Democratic states that ignoring demands from the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement could trigger lawsuits and federal funding cuts. Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons sent letters on Sept. 10 to the attorneys general of New York, California and Illinois, demanding they confirm whether their states will honor detainers placed on thousands of illegal immigrants or release them from custody, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The federal agency said New York and Illinois refused to comply, while California did not respond. Lyons responded in fiery letters Thursday, accusing the sanctuary states of “obstructing immigration enforcement” and threatened to have the Justice Department take legal action and block federal aid, according to the message’s obtained by CBS News. “ICE will engage with the U.S. Department of Justice and other federal partners to pursue all appropriate measures against you,” Lyons wrote in his follow-up letter to Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. New York Attorney General Letitia James and California Attorney General Rob Bonta received similar warnings, the outlet reported.

Wall Street Journal [9/21/2025 5:00 AM, Katy Stech Ferek, 646K] reports Congressional Republicans have been some of the loudest cheerleaders of President Trump’s mass deportation agenda. But some lawmakers are now quietly asking the administration for help freeing detained immigrants in their districts. In recent months, Republicans in the House and Senate have intervened in cases where residents have been held in federal custody, according to the lawmakers as well as lawyers and advocacy groups involved with their release. One instance involved South Korean student Yeonsoo Go, who is in the U.S. on a religious worker visa. She was detained by immigration officials in the hallways outside of where she attended a court hearing related to her visa. Mary Rothwell Davis, a lawyer in her case, credited “the quiet diplomacy” of Rep. Mike Lawler (R., N.Y.) as instrumental in Go’s Aug. 4 release. She said Go was released only several days after Lawler’s staff were alerted by one of Davis’s colleagues at the Episcopal Diocese of New York. “We honestly don’t know what happened behind the scenes,” Davis said. Lawler said in a press release that his office worked closely with federal officials to secure Go’s release. He said her case “is yet another example of why we must fix our broken immigration system and make it easier for folks to come here and stay, the right way.” A representative for Lawler didn’t respond to a request for further comment. Asked about Republicans’ interventions in the cases cited in this article, Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said the agency “enforces federal immigration law without fear or favor. Period.” She said that “all of these illegal aliens are in violation of our country’s immigration laws and were rightfully arrested.” The interventions show how some congressional Republicans are grappling with the fallout from the administration’s actions—even while falling in line to support the policy. Democrats say the interventions show Trump’s policies are flawed. Lawler’s actions are like those of an “arsonist claiming credit for putting out a fire he started himself,” said Riya Vashi, a spokeswoman for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which funds Democratic challengers to Republican lawmakers.

The New York Times [9/20/2025 6:31 PM, Devlin Barrett, Glenn Thrush, Alan Feuer, Maggie Haberman, and Hamed Aleaziz, 153395K] reports Tom Homan, who was later named President Trump’s border czar, was recorded in September 2024 accepting a bag with $50,000 in cash in an undercover F.B.I. investigation, according to people familiar with the case, which was later shut down by Trump administration officials. The cash payment, which was made inside a bag from the food chain Cava, grew out of a long-running counterintelligence investigation that had not been targeting Mr. Homan, according to the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the case. Mr. Homan’s encounter with the undercover agents, recorded on audiotape, led him to be investigated for potential bribery and other crimes, after he apparently took the money and agreed to help the agents — who were posing as businessmen — secure future government contracts related to border security, the people said. After Mr. Trump took office this year, Justice Department officials shut down the case because of doubts about whether prosecutors could prove to a jury that Mr. Homan had agreed to do any specific acts in exchange for the money, and because he had not held an official government position at the time of the meeting with undercover agents, the people added. One person familiar with the case said the evidence gathered had not met all the necessary elements of relevant federal crimes, while another contended that the case was effectively ended prematurely, before such additional evidence could be gathered. Justice Department officials ultimately decided that the evidence against Mr. Homan was insufficient to support charges of wire fraud, bribery or conspiracy, the people said. Emil Bove III, a former senior Justice Department official and onetime personal attorney for Mr. Trump who is now a federal appeals court judge, expressed skepticism about the case as early as February, one person said. CNN [9/20/2025 10:40 PM, Isabelle D’Antonio, 662K] reports Abigail Jackson, a White House spokesperson, slammed the matter as a “blatantly political investigation” and called Homan “a career law enforcement officer and lifelong public servant.” “This blatantly political investigation, which found no evidence of illegal activity, is yet another example of how the Biden Department of Justice was using its resources to target President Trump’s allies rather than investigate real criminals and the millions of illegal aliens who flooded our country,” she said in a Saturday statement. USA Today [9/20/2025 9:21 PM, Francesca Chambers, 64151K] reports "This matter originated under the previous administration and was subjected to a full review by FBI agents and Justice Department prosecutors. They found no credible evidence of any criminal wrongdoing," a joint statement from FBI Director Kash Patel and Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. "The Department’s resources must remain focused on real threats to the American people, not baseless investigations. As a result, the investigation has been closed."

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Politico [9/20/2025 5:28 PM, Ben Johansen, 14810K]

FOX News [9/20/2025 9:21 PM, Sophia Compton, 40019K] reports U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned Friday that Chicago and Boston are at risk of losing federal support unless local leaders swiftly take steps to improve safety on their transit systems. In a Friday news release, Duffy condemned what he described as the two cities’ "failure" to protect riders and transit workers, citing a string of violent incidents on the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) — two of the nation’s largest transit systems. Among them were the assault of a 27-year CTA veteran who was punched and thrown onto the tracks, an elderly woman shoved off an MBTA bus, and a case in which a man used his belt to assault passengers, as noted in the Department of Transportation’s news release. "President Trump cares about our great cities and the hardworking Americans who inhabit them," Duffy said in a statement. "While local leaders seem intent on putting the needs of criminals first, we’re not waiting for the next Iryna. Chicago and Boston are on notice to take actions that enhance safety and reduce the crime affecting their riders and transit workers – or risk federal support. This is about standing up for American families who deserve a safe and clean transportation system.” In formal letters to CTA Acting President Nora Leerhsen and MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng, Duffy directed both agencies to submit written reports within 14 days detailing what steps have been taken to curb crime, stop fare evasion and improve cleanliness. The reports must also summarize funding sources for fiscal years 2025 and 2026 related to safety and security, including any funds from federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security. Duffy also criticized both cities’ cashless bail policies, which he said allow "deranged criminals to repeatedly terrorize public space.” Following the incident of the elderly woman who was shoved off of a Massachusetts bus and violently slammed to the ground, MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng said Thursday that safety is the agency’s top priority and stressed that such conduct would not be tolerated. He also reminded riders they can report concerns anonymously at any time through the See Say app. "Safety will always be at the forefront of everything we do, and I’m proud of the prompt response and investigation by the MBTA Transit Police that led to the arrest of this individual," Eng said in a statement. "The public deserves a safe transportation system, and I want them to know that this conduct will not be tolerated anywhere on our system.” The letters are the latest in Duffy’s push for transit agencies to curb fare evasion and improve safety. Earlier this year, he issued similar warnings to transit systems in Washington, New York, and Los Angeles, as noted in the news release. Last month, 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska was fatally attacked on a North Carolina light-rail train — a case that sparked national outrage. The CTA and MBTA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

AP [9/20/2025 10:01 AM, Matt Brown and Stephen Groves, 37974K] reports as House Speaker Mike Johnson gathered lawmakers this week to mourn Charlie Kirk, he summed up the grief felt by many on Capitol Hill — and the pervasive fear. "For so many of us, it has felt as if the ground was shaken," said Johnson, R-La. The killing of Kirk, the prominent conservative activist and Turning Point USA founder, has unnerved lawmakers in both parties, amplifying their long-standing concerns about safety in a heated political climate where threats against political rivals and calls to violence have become frighteningly common. Responding to those concerns, Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., on Thursday night engineered unanimous passage of a measure that will allow senators to use money designated for their offices and staff for security purposes. Members of the House are pushing for increased security funding as well. It’s all part of significant shift for lawmakers who increasingly feel that their engagement in public life requires the same kinds of security precautions long reserved for the president and members of the Cabinet. "If you go back several years ago, people were like, ‘Yeah, I understand there’s a risk.’ But now it’s different. Our families are coming to us and saying, ‘OK, what are we gonna do?’ Our staff are coming to us and saying, ‘What are we gonna do?’" said Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla.

Daily Caller [9/20/2025 11:04 AM, Nathan Neuman, 985K] reports President Trump announced Friday in a post on Truth Social that he ordered a third military strike targeting a drug-trafficking vessel operating in the U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility, killing all three male "narcoterrorists" onboard. The strike conducted is the third of its kind just in the last month, as the administration ramps up its efforts to curb drug trafficking from Venezuela to the United States. In February, the Trump administration designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Cartel de los Soles, the Sinaloa Cartel, and others as foreign terrorist organizations. In response to the deployment of U.S. forces, Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, whose government has connections to the Cartel de los Soles, made thinly veiled threats against America. In August, Maduro said he would defend "[our] seas, our skies and our lands" and called the deployment an "outlandish, bizarre threat of a declining empire."

New York Times [9/20/2025 2:00 PM, Eric Schmitt, 143795K] reports the U.S. military strikes this month on three boats that Trump administration officials have asserted were smuggling drugs in the Caribbean Sea have cast a spotlight on the sizable naval armada and aerial fleet of spy aircraft the Pentagon has dispatched to the region in what it says is a counternarcotics and counterterrorism mission. Military officials, diplomats and analysts say a main purpose of the force is to ratchet up pressure on Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro, as top figures in the Trump administration call him an illegitimate leader and accuse him of directing the actions of criminal gangs and drug cartels. Administration officials refuse to say what U.S. military action might come next. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, said recently that the administration was “prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”

National Review [9/20/2025 6:30 AM, Andrew C. McCarthy, 109K] reports earlier this week, President Trump announced that U.S. armed forces have now employed lethal force against three seafaring vessels off the coast of Venezuela. Only two attacks had been public before his remarks. The president maintains that all of the boats were in the act of transporting illegal drugs to the United States. The first strike a couple of weeks ago is said to have killed eleven people whom Trump alleges were Tren de Aragua (TdA) gang members. On Monday, the president used a Truth Social post to inform the public that, earlier in the day, "on my orders, U.S. military forces conducted a SECOND kinetic strike against positively identified, extraordinarily violent drug trafficking cartels and narcoterrorists." He added, "The strike occurred while these confirmed narcoterrorists from Venezuela were in international waters transporting illegal narcotics . . . headed to the U.S." He didn’t say who had done the positive identifying and confirming. The next day, asked at a press availability about those two attacks, the president clarified, "We knocked off actually three boats, not two, but you saw two." He provided no further details about the third incident. After the first attack, I asked whether we were at war with Venezuela. Obviously, Congress has not declared war or authorized the use of military force. Indeed, with the exception of a few Democrats who instinctively opposed Trump’s every move, lawmakers haven’t come out from under their desks even to weigh in on the president’s deployment of significant military assets in the Caribbean, much less our forces’ execution of lethal attacks. We have nothing but the president’s say-so that the targets were narco-terrorists in the act of shipping drugs. Even assuming he is correct, Trump has offered no justification under the Constitution and the laws of war for his actions.

Bloomberg [9/20/2025 9:32 AM, Patricia Lopez, 19085K] reports President Donald Trump is taking yet another gamble on immigration, betting that he can force companies to compete for skilled American engineers and tech workers rather than hire foreign workers through the popular H-1B visa program. Employers won’t like it — but reform of the program is long overdue. The overhaul, signed by the president Friday night, escalates the price of entry to $100,000 per worker, to be paid by the company. And the costs don’t stop there. Trump also wants a revision of prevailing wage rules to ensure that visa-holders get paid the same as Americans — a change that should further discourage companies from importing foreign labor. The plan — which may face legal challenges — preserves H-1B visas as a last resort in fields where talent is scarce, but tilts the playing field toward American workers, answering critics in and out of MAGA who complain that companies are addicted to hiring cheaper foreign workers. Tech companies, which have relied on H-1Bs for years, could be the biggest losers under the new rules. Some tech titans are already complaining that “if the US ceases to attract the best talent, it drastically reduces its ability to innovate and grow the economy,” as Deedy Das, a partner at Menlo Ventures, put it on X. (An earlier White House discussion of reforming H-1Bs faltered after criticism from, among others, tech billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. Notably, they’ve now departed the administration.) Nevertheless, Trump is correct, as he said in his proclamation, that H-1Bs had been “deliberately exploited” and that “systemic abuses” have created large-scale replacement of skilled American labor with lower-paid workers. American STEM graduates, led to believe their degrees would result in plentiful opportunities and well-paid jobs, are instead scrounging for work. The unemployment rates for physics, computer science and chemistry majors are far worse than those of college graduates overall — and nearly double those of “what are you going to do with that degree?” graduates of art history and performing arts programs. Enough H-1B abuses have been documented to demonstrate the need for change. The system is supposed to help companies find specialized talent. But investigations by Bloomberg News have detailed how technology, finance and telecom companies game the system to hire IT workers at lower pay and with lower attrition rates (workers on visas find it much harder to change jobs).

The Hill [9/20/2025 11:00 AM, Tom Little, 12414K] reports flooding is not a terrorist organization, a rival economic superpower or a shadowy network of hackers — things we usually think of as national security threats. It’s a natural disaster, one which has the power to kill thousands of U.S. citizens and devastate the nation’s economy through the destruction of major metropolitan areas. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, floods are the No.1 natural disaster in the United States. The Senate Joint Economic Committee estimates that floods cost the U.S. economy between $179.8 and $496 billion each year — more than 1 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. What is particularly troubling is that most of these disasters have occurred since the turn of the century. Unfortunately, flooding has become enmeshed in the political tug-of-war. All the while, efforts to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure and the economic viability of many of our major metropolitan areas that are prone to flooding remain at risk. Identifying flooding as a national security threat is the first step. Without such a federal call to action, we are destined to continue the current cycle of economy-draining disaster and recovery in which our nation is currently entrenched.

Telemundo47 [9/20/2025 10:30 AM, Staff, 131K] reports the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) on Friday ordered the deportation of Salvadoran journalist Mario Guevara, who has been held in an immigration jail in Georgia for three months after being detained while covering a protest against the Trump administration. The board’s decision contradicts an immigration judge’s previous ruling ordering Guevara’s release. Guevara’s attorneys had turned to the BIA because Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had refused to comply with the immigration judge’s order, arguing that the Salvadoran national poses a danger to the community, specifically because he livestreams and reports on law enforcement activities and immigration raids. Instead, the board reopened the reporter’s 13-year-old immigration case and ordered him to return to El Salvador. The journalist was arrested on three misdemeanor charges on June 14 in Doraville, northeast of the Atlanta metropolitan area, while covering a "No Kings" protest, despite being fully identified as a member of the press when covering the event for his channel, MG News. The reporter was also charged in neighboring Gwinnett County with reckless driving and other misdemeanor charges stemming from a May incident. The charges in both locations were dismissed, but his deportation case has continued. The ACLU filed an emergency motion with the federal court on Friday to halt Guevara’s deportation to El Salvador.

CBS 4 New Orleans [9/20/2025 11:50 PM, Athina Morris] reports nineteen ICE detainees at Angola State Prison have entered the fourth day of a hunger strike to protest conditions at the newly reopened facility known as “Louisiana Lockup,” TheAdvocate.com reported. According to a press release obtained by the newspaper, advocacy groups Southeast Dignity Not Detention Coalition (SEDND) and the National Immigration Project (NIPNLG) say they’ve heard that detainees aren’t getting basic items like toothbrushes, toilet paper, or shampoo. They also say detainees with chronic physical or mental health conditions are not receiving their medications. ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said the facility would have a law library and spaces for detainees to meet with their lawyers, but NIPNLG says those facilities aren’t actually there, according to The Advocate. Earlier this month, Gov. Jeff Landry said the facility was housing 51 ICE detainees and could hold more than 400. He said the building—formerly used for problem inmates but later abandoned—had been renovated, climate-controlled, and was intended to hold the “worst of the worst” undocumented immigrants. The facility is being operated through an agreement between ICE, the Louisiana Department of Corrections, and GOHSEP. Only men are being held there, and Landry said they’d have no interaction with the general prison population. In addition to basic necessities and health care, the detainees are demanding regular visits from ICE officials to hear and address their concerns.

Chicago Tribune [9/20/2025 3:57 PM, Deanese Williams-Harris, 5352K] reports at least a half a dozen people were detained in a sting by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents Saturday morning after two vehicles were pulled over during immigration stops in Elgin. The first vehicle, a red sedan, was cornered by immigration officials Saturday morning near Liberty and Hastings streets, where it was stopped. The second vehicle, a white van carrying the Luis Hardwood Flooring business logo, was pulled over near a school administration building in Elgin. Owner Luis Valdez, 42, was taken into custody while returning from work, his 18-year-old daughter, Jazmine, shared during a phone interview. Her father phoned her about three blocks from their Elgin home, and his daughters ran to the scene in pajamas. "My father came to Elgin 25 years ago to make a better future for us," she said. "He’s a good man.” The daughter said the family was concerned when they heard about President Donald Trump’s plans for immigration stings, but now it has happened. Her sister, Jaquelin, was busy on the phone trying to locate their father, helping their 43-year-old mother. "It’s a cold world right now." Jazmine said. "My sister is figuring out what we can do.” The detainments were the latest example of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement surge in the Chicago area, which has appeared to escalate throughout the past week. The Muniz family was keeping safe by limiting their time in public. Elena Muniz, who is part of a watch group that monitors immigration movement in Elgin, has been helping warn those endangered of being rounded up. One man was arrested at a gas station pumping gas, Muniz said. "They are barricading people after scouting them out," Muniz said. "I try to be present to record. I warn people don’t say anything or sign documents.” Muniz said the immigration arrests were becoming aggressive, even rehashing instances when agents laughed during arrest. "People are scared to leave their homes. I had to take a mother’s child to school because she was afraid.” One light in the darkness, Muniz said, is the showing of support in the Elgin community. "People are showing up to help.” Officials with ICE could not be immediately reached for comment.

The Hill [9/20/2025 1:47 PM, Filip Timotija, 12414K] reports federal law enforcement officers and protestors opposing the Trump administration’s ramped up immigration enforcement in Chicago clashed Friday near the Windy City. Some of the demonstrators made attempts to prevent government vehicles from departing a detention facility in Broadview, Ill., where migrants are held for processing. Federal agents responded by firing pepper balls and tear gas as tensions escalated. The administration kickstarted its immigration mission in the Chicago area, dubbed "Operation Midway Blitz," this month, looking to detain and deport those who are in the country illegally. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) sought to pin blame on the protestors for the escalation. DHS said more than 100 protestors "surrounded" the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) processing center, saying the demonstrators "assaulted law enforcement, threw tear gas cans, slashed tires of cars, blocked the entrance of the building and trespassed on private property." At least three people were arrested, according to DHS, which added that local police "refused" to answer "multiple" calls for help. So far, ICE’s operations in Chicago, which have been opposed by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) and other Democrats in the state, have led to nearly 550 arrests, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said on Friday.

AP [9/20/2025 11:19 AM, Rebecca Santana, 27036K] reports it was 3:30 a.m. when 10 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers gathered in a parking lot in the Chicago suburbs for a briefing about a suspect they were hoping to arrest. They went over a description of the person, made sure their radios were on the same channel and discussed where the closest hospital was in case something went wrong. “Let’s plan on not being there,” said one of the officers, before they climbed into their vehicles and headed out. Across the city and surrounding suburbs, other teams were fanning out in support of “ Operation Midway Blitz.” It has unleashed President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda on a city and state that has had some of the strongest laws preventing local officials from cooperating with immigration enforcement. ICE launched the operation on Sept. 8, drawing concern from activists and immigrant communities fearful of the large-scale arrests or aggressive tactics used in other cities targeted by the Republican president. They say there has been a noticeable uptick in immigration enforcement agents, although a military deployment to Chicago has yet to materialize. The Associated Press went on a ride-along with ICE in a Chicago suburb — much of the recent focus — to see how that operation is unfolding. A voice came over the radio: “He got into the car. I’m not sure if that’s the target.” Someone matching the description of the man that ICE was searching for walked out of the house, got into a car and drove away from the tree-lined street. Unsure whether this was their target, the officers followed. A few minutes later, with the car approaching the freeway, the voice over the radio said: “He’s got the physical description. We just can’t see the face good.” “Do it,” said Marcos Charles, the acting head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. Agents in multiple vehicles soon overtook the car and boxed it in. After talking to the man, they realized he was not the person being sought for but that he was in the United States illegally, so they took him into custody. Eventually, a little after dawn broke on the one- and two-story brick houses, the man they were looking for came out of the house and got into a car. ICE officers closed in. The man got out of the car and was arrested. ICE said both men were in the country illegally and had criminal records. Charles called it a “successful operation.” “There was no safety issues on the part of our officers, nor the individuals that we arrested. And it went smoothly,” he said. Activists and critics of ICE say that’s increasingly not the norm in immigration operations. They point to videos showing ICE agents smashing windows to apprehend suspects, a chaotic showdown outside a popular Italian restaurant in San Diego, and arrests like that of a Tufts University student in March by masked agents outside her apartment in Somerville, Massachusetts, as neighbors watched. Charles said ICE is using an “appropriate” amount of force and that agents are responding to suspects who increasingly are not following commands.

Chicago Tribune [9/20/2025 7:47 PM, Steve Sadin, 5352K] reports scores of people marched ¾ of a mile from downtown North Chicago to an entrance of Naval Station Great Lakes, then walked seven times around a circle symbolizing the Biblical Walls of Jericho and back, protesting the Trump administration’s “Midway Blitz.” Representatives of seven congregations representing multiple faiths offered a prayer before each marching rotation and Rabbi Ike Serotta of Makom Solel Lakeside in Highland Park blew the ram’s horn trumpet, or shofar, symbolizing the blasts that helped bring down the walls of Jericho. “We’re here to abolish ICE on our Jericho walk,” the Rev. Beth Johnson of the Unitarian Church of Hinsdale said. “Each time we walk around, we will hear the sound of the shofar. On the seventh blast, we will bring the walls down. Bringing those walls down brought people together.” Johnson and Serotta were among the faith and community organizers who led the march and prayer service of more than 250 people protesting the actions during the first two weeks of the Trump administration’s Midway Blitz on Saturday in North Chicago. Organized by Arise Chicago, a workers’ rights organization and Mano a Mano Family Resource Center in Lake County, the combination march, prayer service and protest brought people of faith together to fight what they consider the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s abuse with prayer and peace. “This is a call to action,” Mano a Mano executive director Dulce Ortiz said. “We will be here for you,” she added, referring to people who encountered ICE agents, whether they were illegally in the U.S. or legal citizens. The Rev. Brendan Curran, a Catholic priest from Chicago, said ICE grabs people before they have any idea if they are in the country illegally. He spoke about a woman whose car was surrounded by ICE agents after taking her children to school. “They asked for proof she was documented,” Curran said. “They just look for someone who is Brown or speaks Spanish. It’s racial profiling. Why should it be this way in our country? There has to be a better way.” Serotta said he was participating in part because a vast majority of Americans came to the United States seeking refuge in some form. He sees the people ICE is arresting as refugees, as members of his family once were. “My ancestors were refugees,” Serotta said. “Unfortunately, some did not come soon enough and were killed in the Holocaust. The people I encounter are seeking asylum. They are going through the legal process.” The Rev. Amy Heinrich of the First Presbyterian Church of Libertyville was another participant who said she was there to make a difference. She believes bringing clergy and the other members of the group will hopefully make a difference. “I’m here to demonstrate my faith, my compassion, prayerfully and peacefully, to temper some of what is going on in our community,” Heinrich said. Before the march began, the crowd gathered in downtown North Chicago for prayer and inspiration. Cynthia Rodriguez with Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, said everyone must be vigilant. “We have to look out for one another,” Rodriguez said. “Every day, we see people confronted by ICE.”

Breitbart [9/20/2025 2:04 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2608K] reports a protest against an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in suburban Chicago Friday turned into a full blown melee engulfed in clouds of tear gas as pepper balls and rubber bullets were fired to clear its entrance. The demonstration took place at the Broadview ICE facility about 12 miles west of downtown Chicago. It quickly devolved into a battle with federal agents in tactical gear when a gate opened and a white SUV tried to exit the facility. Also in the protest crowd estimated at some 100 demonstrators was Evanston, Illinois Mayor Daniel Biss, who later accused ICE of intimidation of "peaceful" protestors. However, video appears to show a different story as a man dressed in a Captain America shield charged agents and threw tear gas back at them. At least three people were arrested and the tires of a federal vehicle were slashed, according to one report. Immigration enforcement officials have reportedly arrested nearly 550 people as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration called "Operation Midway Blitz" which began two weeks ago. "Every arrest is a testament to DHS and its law enforcement’s dedication to enforcing the laws of our nation," DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told CBS News. "We will not be deterred by sanctuary politicians or violent rioters."

Chicago Tribune [9/20/2025 4:39 PM, Kate Perez, 5352K] reports tears collected in Maryori Urbina-Contreras’ eyes as she stood outside Chicago’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services building, an American flag grasped tightly in her hand. The 24-year-old blotted her eyes before turning to enter the building where her citizenship test awaited. The test was a long time coming for Urbina-Contreras, who arrived in the U.S. in 2014 from Honduras after experiencing and witnessing gang violence in her hometown of Tegucigalpa. At age 13, Urbina-Contreras left Honduras without telling anyone and with $20. She sought to find her mom, who had left when she was just 8 months old and wound up in Waukegan. The trip took Urbina-Contreras a month as she traveled the 1,900 miles through Guatemala and Mexico on her own by foot, bus and car, even rafting across the Rio Grande. More than 10 years later, Urbina-Contreras is still weaving her way through the immigration process. She was granted asylum in 2018 after telling the judge she dreamed of being a nurse, and then received permanent residency in 2021. Recently, a letter arrived notifying her that she could take her citizenship test on Saturday morning after applying for naturalization last July. Those years culminated in a dream come true for Urbina-Contreras, who passed her citizenship test this weekend after hours of studying American facts with her younger sister. Her tears of nervousness turned to tears of joy as she appeared through a set of double doors, fist-pumping the air as she declared, "I passed.” She then made her way to two others: her 16-year-old sister, Valeria Ruiz, who quizzed her older sister relentlessly, and humanitarian advocate and pastor Julie Contreras, who has known the family for over a decade. Urbina-Contreras’s achievement comes at a time of strife for many immigrants across the country, particularly in the Chicago area. An influx of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived in the city earlier this month in what President Donald Trump’s administration is calling "Operation Midway Blitz.” The timing of the naturalization is not lost on Urbina-Contreras, who said she was initially fearful of taking the exam when she got the letter and worried that she would be arrested. However, after reassurances from her family, attorneys, citizenship officials, and pastor Contreras, she felt ready. Urbina-Contreras was not only doing for herself but also for other refugees and the wider Latino community, who she said is "sometimes just trying to work harder and be better.” The surge of immigration enforcement has produced arrests and agent sightings all over the Chicagoland area, including detainments in communities stretching from Elgin to Little Village. The presence of the enforcement has drawn controversy from politicians and community members alike, including after a man was shot and killed by an ICE agent during a traffic stop in Franklin Park. It’s unclear how many arrests have been made and how long the agency might stay in the area. It is believed that the Department of Homeland Security is using North Chicago’s Great Lakes Naval Base as its operational home for the time being. Protests have broken out across the suburbs and city, including one put on by high school students outside the Trump tower, the naval base and the ICE processing facility in Broadview, where officials deployed tear gas on protestors Friday.

Breitbart [9/20/2025 10:25 PM, Staff, 2608K] reports that, these days, Martina Grifaldo begins her mornings by posting a special Facebook message for her immigrant community. "May everyone who goes out today make it home safely," Grifaldo writes in Spanish to her 171,000 followers. The Facebook page, managed with fellow activist Francisco Mendoza, aims to warn migrants where possible raids are happening in real time using photos and videos submitted by community members. Since President Donald Trump began his immigration crackdown after returning to power in January, federal authorities have increased their detention of undocumented migrants, asylum seekers, and even those with Latino features who have US citizenship or permanent residency. Social media has flooded with pictures and videos of these arrests, some of which turn violent, despite uproar from civil rights groups. Several times a week, Grifaldo, 62, goes out on patrol before the crack of dawn to monitor areas where immigration authorities usually operate in Houston, the fourth most populous city in the United States and the largest in the southern US state of Texas. "We start around 5:30 or 6 am with a ‘good morning’ message, and people send each other blessings. Then we ask: how are the roads?" said Grifaldo, director of the nonprofit Alianza Latina Internacional. US Immigration raids are carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, with images of frozen water becoming synonymous with migrant detentions. A common roadside warning sign, "Beware of ice on roads," now carries a double meaning for Latino communities. "In our posts, we put a picture of an ice cube next to an image of a police officer, and we ask the public to help report" where they are, Grifaldo explained. Through their own observations and submissions from followers, Grifaldo and her collaborator Mendoza share information about raids taking place in the city. On several occasions, ICE agents carrying out raids did not identify themselves, did not wear official uniforms, and did not even show arrest warrants. This makes Grifaldo and Mendoza suspect that the raids are sometimes carried out by bounty hunters, though federal immigration officials have denied employing such methods.

New York Times [9/20/2025 9:22 PM, Adeel Hassan and Aishvarya Kavi, 153395K] reports President Trump continued his sweeping crackdown on immigration on Friday, turning his focus to a visa program for skilled foreign workers. He signed a proclamation that adds a $100,000 fee for new applicants for H-1B visas that allow foreign workers like software engineers a chance to be employed in the United States. The H-1B visa is designed to help companies fill openings for which American workers with similar abilities cannot be found. But immigration hard-liners and far-right activists have long argued that the visa allows companies to replace American workers with foreign ones. The issue has divided even Mr. Trump’s supporters, and the president’s own stance on the program has shifted over time. Ahead of the new proclamation’s signing in the Oval Office on Friday, Howard Lutnick, the secretary of commerce, laid out the rationale for the fee that the administration is attaching to what he called the “most abused visa.” “The whole idea is, no more will these big tech companies or other companies train foreign workers,” Mr. Lutnick said. “They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee — so it’s just not economic. If you’re going to train somebody, you’re going to train one of the recent graduates from one of the great universities across our land.” The fee is likely to face legal challenges. It is slated to go into effect Sept. 21 and will only be required for new applicants, according to a memo on Saturday from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

New York Times [9/20/2025 6:45 PM, Madeleine Ngo, Lauren Hirsch, and Pranav Baskar, 153395K] reports Wall Street banks and tech companies big and small were scrambling on Saturday to figure out how their tens of thousands of employees would be affected by President Trump’s proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee for visas granted to skilled foreign workers. The change set off immediate confusion over the exact rules and how they would be enforced. Shortly after Mr. Trump signed the proclamation on Friday, employees at Microsoft, Amazon and JPMorgan received notices advising those with H-1B visas who were outside the United States to return before the new rules take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time on Sunday. The Trump administration sought to address the confusion on Saturday by saying that the fee would only apply to new applicants, and renewals or current visa holders would not be affected. In a post on social media, the White House said the change would “not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the U.S.” Still, many executives, general counsels and human resources departments, as well as their immigration lawyers, said they were coming down on the side of caution this weekend. Several companies and attorneys had already urged workers to return to the United States as soon as possible. Many kept their eyes glued on the White House social media accounts for any pertinent clarification.

FOX Business [9/20/2025 1:30 PM, Rachel Wolf and Sophia Compton, 9194K] Video: HERE reports President Donald Trump signed a proclamation on Friday that imposes a $100,000 one-time fee on H-1B visas, changing how foreign workers get hired within the U.S. "The whole idea is no more will these big tech companies or other big companies train foreign workers. They have to pay the government $100,000, then they have to pay the employee, so it’s just not [economical]," Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told reporters on Friday as Trump signed the order. "All of the big companies are on board.” The $100,000 charge — a one-time fee applying only to new H-1B petitions — will take effect in the next lottery cycle. It does not apply to renewals or current visa holders, and those already on H-1B visas will not be required to pay the amount when re-entering the country, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clarified in an X post Saturday afternoon. In addition to the fee, Trump also rolled out a "gold card," which will give wealthy individuals a pathway to citizenship. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [9/20/2025 4:04 PM, Victor Nava and Rich Calder, 43962K] reports President Donald Trump’s new $100,000 fee for high-skill H-1B visas only applies to new applicants, a White House official told The Post Saturday, as companies that heavily rely on foreign workers scrambled to respond to the changes. The order, which takes effect Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET, bars H-1B workers from entering the United States after that, unless their sponsoring employer pays the fee. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick initially said Friday when Trump signed the executive order the $100,000 fee would be annual – not one-time – but cautioned details were still being ironed out. The White House official clarified the terms to The Post the next day, saying the fee is one-time and will only apply to new visa applications — not renewals and current H-1B holders. Companies and immigrants lawyers have been urging workers on the visas to stay in the country or try to get back before the deadline, according to multiple reports.

Reported similarly:
Axios [9/20/2025 12:27 PM, Ben Berkowitz, 14595K]

CNN [9/20/2025 5:37 PM, Auzinea Bacon, 662K] reports President Donald Trump’s latest effort to overhaul America’s legal immigration system — raising the annual fee on H-1B visa applicants from $215 to $100,000 — could deal a major blow to some US industries that rely on skilled foreign workers. During a signing at the Oval Office Friday, Trump argued that America needs "great workers" and that the newly imposed fee "pretty much ensures that that’s what’s going to happen." Administration officials also claimed the hefty fee would incentivize companies to hire American workers. "The company needs to decide … is the person valuable enough to have a $100,000-a-year payment to the government, or they should head home and go hire an American?" Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said at the signing. "That’s the point of immigration: Hire Americans and make sure the people coming in are the top, top people.” Of the 85,000 H-1B visas granted annually, another 20,000 are reserved for people with advanced degrees from American higher education institutions. But Trump’s allies have been divided on how to tackle the visa program. Vivek Ramaswamy and Elon Musk, whom Trump chose to lead the administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, have defended companies that use the work visa and depend on foreign workers to operate. Steve Bannon, a top strategist in Trump’s first term, blasted H-1B visas on his "War Room" podcast in December 2024 as a "scam" by Silicon Valley titans, who are about "taking American jobs and bringing over what essentially become indentured servants at lower wages.” The $100,000 visa fee, which takes effect Sunday at 12:01 a.m. ET, will apply only to new H-1B applications, according to the White House. The rule expires a year later, on September 21, 2026, unless it’s extended. "This is NOT an annual fee. It’s a one-time fee that applies only to the petition," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted to X on Saturday, adding that it does not apply to renewals or current visa holders. Google and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, advised visa holders to reconsider international travel plans and to consider returns to the United States by Saturday night, if necessary, according to emails viewed by CNN. But Leavitt clarified Saturday afternoon that any current H-1B holders who are outside the United States will not be charged $100,000 to reenter. Most H-1B petitions approved during fiscal 2024 — which spanned from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024 — were for computer-related roles (64%), according to a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) report. The next largest occupation was in the field of architecture, engineering and surveying (10%). The third-most-approved petitions were for education-related jobs (6%), according to USCIS.

NPR [9/20/2025 5:56 PM, Maria Aspan, 34837K] reports President Trump’s latest executive order on immigration will sharply curtail a visa program used by hundreds of thousands of people currently living in the United States. It also threatens some operations of the big tech companies that have tried hard to curry favor with Trump this year, raising the question of how much return those companies are getting on that ongoing investment. The president on Friday signed an executive order adding a $100,000 fee for high-skilled workers to enter the country through the H-1B visa program. It’s a steep and dramatic overhaul for a program that many large companies have used to hire thousands of software engineers and other highly-specialized workers. Now some of those companies are warning their workers to remain in the United States — or to scramble to return by midnight tonight. "We realize this is short notice but returning soon is advisable and you should make every effort possible to clear U.S. customs before 12:00 a.m. EDT (9:00 p.m. PDT) on Sunday, September 21, 2025," Amazon wrote to employees this weekend, according to an internal memo published by Business Insider and also reported by Reuters. (Spokespeople for Amazon did not respond to NPR’s requests for comment on Saturday.)

Reuters [9/21/2025 4:17 AM, Aditya Soni and Echo Wang, 45746K] reports panic, confusion, and anger reigned as workers on H-1B visas from India and China were forced to abandon travel plans and rush back to the U.S. after President Donald Trump imposed new visa fees, in line with his wide-ranging immigration crackdown. Tech companies and banks sent urgent memos to employees, advising them to return before a deadline of 12:01 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time Sunday (4:01 am GMT), and telling them not to leave the country. A White House official on Saturday clarified that the order applied only to new applicants and not holders of existing visas or those seeking renewals, addressing some of the confusion over who would be affected by the order. But Trump’s proclamation a day before had already set off alarm bells in Silicon Valley.

Washington Post [9/20/2025 5:11 PM, Victoria Craw, Vivian Ho, and Azi Paybarah, 29079K] reports President Donald Trump’s announcement that a $100,000 fee will be required for new applicants approved for H1-B visas has sparked uncertainty among companies and concern among would-be temporary workers. The fee, and related entry restrictions, take effect at 12:01 a.m. Sunday. H-1B visas are intended to help U.S.-based employers temporarily hire highly skilled workers of “distinguished merit and ability,” and when they “cannot otherwise obtain” that skilled workforce domestically, according to the Labor Department. A White House spokesperson said Saturday that it applies only to new visas, not renewals or current visa holders, and will apply to the next lottery cycle. The statement, however, contradicted some of what officials, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, said on Friday in announcing the plan, contributing to the confusion over the new rules. “President Trump promised to put American workers first, and this commonsense action does just that by discouraging companies from spamming the system and driving down wages,” White House spokesman Taylor Rogers said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It also gives certainty to American businesses who actually want to bring high-skilled workers to our great country but have been trampled on by abuses of the system.” Immigration experts and corporate executives who reviewed the proclamation told The Post that the wording of the directive was vague, which prompted companies to issue warnings to employees holding H-1B visas to immediately limit travel plans. A White House spokesperson defended the language of the proclamation, saying that it indicated it applied only to first-time applicants who submitted a “petition.” Many companies feared their employees on existing H-1B visas could be barred from entering the country if they did not pay the $100,000 fee. The administration on Saturday had not released additional guidance to address companies’ concerns, adding to the confusion. When asked Friday to explain whom this new fee would affect, Lutnick told reporters in the Oval Office, “Renewals, first-times” and later added, “valuable people only for America. Stop the nonsense.” The proclamation has also led to panic among some visa holders and immigration lawyers.

Politico [9/20/2025 9:39 PM, Myah Ward and Giselle Ruhiyyih Ewing, 14810K] reports President Donald Trump’s new $100,000 fee for high-skill visa holders only applies to new applicants — not current visa holders who may be on travel outside of the U.S. — according to the White House. The president’s H-1B announcement on Friday immediately spurred chaos, with companies and immigration lawyers warning travelers to return to the U.S. before midnight on Sunday, when the new policy is scheduled to kick in. The White House said Saturday that corporate lawyers and “others with agendas are creating a lot of FAKE NEWS” around the proclamation, and said it does not apply to anyone with a current visa, and only affects future applicants in the February lottery who are outside of the U.S. A White House official, granted anonymity to discuss the policy, pointed to language in the proclamation that says “aliens whose petitions are accompanied or supplemented by a payment of $100,000” — meaning the payment is only required for new filings, not current visa holders. “It does not apply to anyone who participated in the 2025 lottery,” the White House said on X post-publication. “The Proclamation does not impact the ability of any current visa holder to travel to/from the U.S.” In a separate post clarifying the proclamation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote that the $100,000 payment would be applicable “only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.” Leavitt also noted that “H-1B visa holders can leave and re-enter the country to the same extent as they normally would; whatever ability they have to do that is not impacted by yesterday’s proclamation.” USCIS and Customs and Border Protection also issued additional guidance clarifying the policy Saturday night.

Breitbart [9/20/2025 10:03 AM, Neil Munro, 2608K] reports President Donald Trump issued a proclamation accusing U.S. companies of sidelining skilled American graduates in favor of cheaper, mixed-skill, imported visa workers. The proclamation says 2.5 million visa workers now hold one-in-four tech jobs that would otherwise be held by American graduates. The new pro-American policy — if implemented — will likely be welcomed by millions of American professionals, many of whom have been sidelined as foreign-born hiring managers quietly sell the jobs to kickback-paying Indian graduates, via online markets that are obscured by Indian languages and laws, by corporate support, and by tacit federal agreement. Those agency tasks will be difficult to implement because lawyers for H-1B companies immediately found loopholes in the President’s proclamation.

Telemundo [9/20/2025 11:00 AM, Staff, 2782K] reports the Donald Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to issue an emergency order to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) from more than 300,000 Venezuelan migrants, after lower courts blocked the Republican president’s plan. The emergency relief lawsuit filed Friday comes after a federal judge in the Northern District of California and an appeals court ruled that the Department of Homeland Security’s effort to deport these migrants was "arbitrary and capricious" and should be blocked. This is the second time this year that the Trump administration has filed an emergency appeal before the Supreme Court to withdraw protections for a group of Venezuelan migrants.

Univision [9/20/2025 3:42 PM, Staff, 4932K] reports a new ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed an appeal filed by the Department of Homeland Security on Tuesday, following Judge Chen’s decision not to grant a motion suspending TPS protection for thousands of Venezuelans. "The decision is, ‘we uphold the effects of the California district judge’s decision,’ TPS recipients retain all their rights," said immigration lawyer Angel Alvarez. The lawyer explains that following Judge Chen’s decision in early September in favor of TPS, two appeals have been filed by the Trump administration. The first, which was denied, requested the suspension of protection until the second appeal was decided, which directly concerns the cancellation of TPS and, according to lawyers, could take months. "The appeal on the merits of the case will take months, even years, so this is to suspend the effects of this decision on the merits until the appeal is resolved," the lawyer added. While the litigation continues, pro-immigrant organizations and the national TPS alliance have reported that in recent days, despite the decision to maintain TPS for Venezuela until October 2026, there are reports of beneficiaries who have not been allowed to obtain a new driver’s license or extend their work permits. "Beyond the fact that many government officials do not want to follow the law, they have to follow the orders given by the courts in this country," said Adelys Ferro of the Venezuelan American Caucus. For his part, attorney Angel Alvarez noted that "we hope that, with this ratification by the appeals court, the path to renewing licenses and work permits will be made easier." In total, 600,000 Venezuelans are protected under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The battle in the courts will continue until there is a final ruling on TPS. The Trump administration still has one avenue left, which is the Supreme Court, where it can request the suspension of protection while the TPS appeal is being resolved.

USA Today [9/20/2025 4:31 PM, Eduardo Cuevas, 64151K] reports the special visa now facing a $100,000 fee by President Donald Trump has long been favored by Silicon Valley to attract tech workers. On Sept. 19, Trump declared that the H-1B nonimmigrant visa program has been "deliberately exploited" to replace American workers with lower paid and less-skilled labor. To address this, Trump said he’s introducing a $100,000 application fee for companies applying for a H-1B visa, with discretion from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to exempt workers. Research shows visa workers complement American workers due to different skillsets. While Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has said all of the "big companies are on board," H-1Bs are vital to the nation’s tech industry, and Trump’s fee will likely face legal challenges. Here’s what to know about the H-1B visa.

AP [9/20/2025 2:14 PM, Barbara Ortutay and Seung Min Kim] reports the Indian government expressed concern Saturday about President Donald Trump’s latest push to upend American immigration policy, dramatically raising the fee for visas that bring tech workers from India and other countries to the United States. The president on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas — meant for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find hard to fill. He also rolled out a $1 million "gold card" visa for wealthy individuals, moves that face near-certain legal challenges amid widespread criticism he is sidestepping Congress. If the moves survive legal muster, they will deliver staggering price increases. The visa fee for skilled workers would jump from $215. India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Saturday that Trump’s plan "was being studied by all concerned, including by Indian industry.″ The ministry warned that "this measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the U.S. authorities.″

Reuters [9/20/2025 11:49 AM, Shivam Patel. Sarita Chaganti Singh, 20690K] reports India said on Saturday that the Trump administration’s move to increase U.S. H-1B visa fees to $100,000 per year was likely to have humanitarian consequences, warning of potential disruptions for families. India was the largest beneficiary of the U.S. H-1B skilled worker visas last year, accounting for 71% of approved applications. Companies will now have to pay the new $100,000 per year fee, which is set to take effect from Saturday midnight. (0400 GMT on Sunday). The move, announced on Friday, could further strain ties between India and the U.S., which hit their lowest point in decades after President Donald Trump last month doubled tariffs on imports from India to as much as 50%, partly due to New Delhi’s purchases of Russian oil. "This measure is likely to have humanitarian consequences by way of the disruption caused for families. Government hopes that these disruptions can be addressed suitably by the U.S. authorities," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India’s Foreign Ministry, said in a statement. Under the current system, entering the lottery for the visa requires a small fee and, if approved, subsequent fees can amount to several thousand dollars - just a fraction of the new price. Trump has embarked on a wide-ranging immigration crackdown since taking office, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration. The step to reshape the H-1B visa programme, used heavily by the tech sector, represents his administration’s effort to rework temporary employment visas. Jaiswal said the full implications of the fee increase were being studied by "all concerned". He said both United States and India benefited from skilled worker mobility and their contribution to innovation, wealth creation and economic growth. "Policy makers will therefore assess recent steps taking into account mutual benefits, which include strong people-to-people ties between the two countries," he said. The significant hike in visa application fee could disrupt the global operations of Indian technology services companies that deploy skilled professionals to the United States, India’s IT industry body Nasscom said earlier in the day. U.S. companies such as Amazon and Microsoft have responded to the new fee structure announcement by advising employees holding H-1B visas to remain in the U.S.

San Diego Union Tribune [9/20/2025 9:20 AM, Staff, 1648K] reports an increasing number of immigrants without legal status — even some who have lived here for decades — are finding it easier to seek opportunities in other countries than to stay in the U.S. amid threats of detention and deportation. Immigration arrests fell in August compared with July and have not been close to a stated administration goal of 3,000 a day. It’s hard to document how many immigrants might be choosing to leave under pressure from the Trump administration. Thousands have shown a new interest in leaving on social media, in court and through a new government app offering a plane ticket and $1,000 for those without legal immigration status. Trump officials have touted a drop in the immigrant population this year as a sign of success, but researchers say fear of responding to surveys may play a role in the data. The Department of Homeland Security has a cellphone app — called CBP Home — that offers a plane ticket and $1,000 to "illegal aliens" wishing to leave. The department told Stateline, in a statement attributed only to a senior official, that "tens of thousands of illegal aliens have utilized the CBP Home app" but did not provide further detail. Thousands more people have accepted voluntary departure rather than fight immigration court cases and take a chance on arrest and detention. The Pew Research Center found that the overall immigrant population dropped from a record 53.3 million in January to 51.9 million in June, though the change could be due partly to a heightened fear of responding to surveys among immigrants.

USA Today [9/20/2025 9:45 AM, Sarah D. Wire, 64151K] reports a year after Hurricane Helene killed more than 240 people across seven states, the town hall and the fire department in Canton, North Carolina are still operating out of temporary facilities. Some businesses and homes haven’t been rebuilt, and surrounding towns are struggling after being nearly "wiped off the Earth," said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. But his town and many others still haven’t received federal money and support they were promised months ago. Smathers, a Democrat, said he has sat in meeting after meeting without getting a straight answer about why that funding has not arrived. Still, he strongly opposes President Donald Trump’s plans to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency and pass on to states and local governments more of the responsibilities and costs of responding to natural disasters. For decades state and local officials have joined ordinary Americans in complaining that FEMA’s response to natural disasters is too slow and complicated. More than a half dozen state and local elected officials told USA TODAY that taking on FEMA’s responsibilities is not something they are prepared to do, although some praised the idea of giving states more control over disaster response.

The New York Times [9/20/2025 11:38 AM, Chris Hippensteel, 143795K] reports Secret Service agents detained an armed man overnight who they said was posing as a law enforcement officer at the site of Charlie Kirk’s scheduled memorial service this weekend, a spokesman for the agency said. The man arrested had firearms and knives and was observed “exhibiting suspicious behavior” at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., when agents approached him, Anthony Guglielmi, chief of communications for the Secret Service, said in a statement. The individual, Mr. Guglielmi said, falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement and was then taken into custody. The identity of the man was not released, and it was unclear where exactly he was on the grounds, and whether he was being charged. The Secret Service and local law enforcement are investigating what the individual was doing at the stadium, Mr. Guglielmi said. Because of the high anticipated turnout and the dignitaries attending, the Department of Homeland Security has designated the memorial a top-level security event, similar to the Super Bowl or the New York Marathon. CBS News [9/20/2025 2:38 PM, Cara Tabachnick, 45245K] reports that the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) told CBS News in a statement that a man was "observed exhibiting suspicious behavior" at the NFL-sized State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Secret Service agents approached the man, who told agents that he was a member of law enforcement and was armed. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said the man, identified as Joshua Runkles, was not a member of law enforcement. Runkles, 42, was booked into the Maricopa County Jail for impersonating a law enforcement officer and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place, officials said. Runkles has since been released on bond, according to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Two law enforcement sources told CBS News that Runkles was working as a private security officer for an influencer who is attending Sunday’s memorial service. Runkles first claimed to be working with the Secret Service on a detail when he was confronted by law enforcement. He presented credentials identifying himself as a deputy sheriff from out of town, sources said. "The U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement are investigating the circumstances as to why he was at the location," the USSS statement said. President Trump and Vice President JD Vance, along with several administration officials, are scheduled to speak on Sunday at the memorial for the 31-year-old co-founder of Turning Point USA. His widow, Erika Kirk, who was named Turning Point USA’s new CEO, is also scheduled to speak. Several Christian musicians are also expected to perform with additional names to be announced, according to the program. A senior Department of Homeland Security official said the memorial service has been designated as a Special Event Assessment Rating (SEAR) Level 1 event. That designation is used for "significant events with national and//or international importance that require extensive federal interagency support," like the Super Bowl. The New York Post [9/20/2025 2:24 PM, Georgia Worrell, 43962K] reports Runkles, 42, told Secret Service agents he was at the site to provide private security and handed them "inactive law enforcement credentials," the official reportedly told the outlet. He was taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and booked into Maricopa County Jail on charges of impersonating a law enforcement officer, which is a felony in Arizona, and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place, which is a misdemeanor, according to Bart Graves, a spokesperson for the state public safety department. He has since been released on bond, but an investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium, Graves told The Post. The amount of the bond was unclear. Runkles allegedly made it inside the stadium "prior to the setup of any secure perimeter," Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News Digital. A US Department of Homeland Security official previously told The Post they designated the funeral a level-1 "special event assessment rating." Federal agencies were already "tracking several threats of unknown credibility" ahead of the funeral, ABC News reported.

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The Hill [9/20/2025 6:39 PM, Filip Timotija, 12414K] reports an armed man who was detained on Friday at the memorial venue in Arizona for the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk was charged on Saturday with impersonating a law enforcement officer. Authorities identified the man as Joshua Runkles, 42, who was taken into custody at the State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz., after "exhibiting suspicious behavior," a spokesman for the Arizona Department of Public Safety said. Runkles was initially approached by the Secret Service. He then allegedly "falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement and stated that he was armed.” Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer, a felony, and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place, a misdemeanor, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said. Runkles was booked into the Maricopa County Jail, but was since released on bond. "An investigation is ongoing to determine his intent and purpose at the stadium," an Arizona Department of Public Safety spokesman said.

NBC News [9/20/2025 6:52 PM, Matt Lavietes, 43603K] reports an armed man allegedly posing as law enforcement was detained at an Arizona stadium where a memorial service for Charlie Kirk is set to take place on Sunday, the Secret Service said. The man, identified by the Arizona Department of Public Safety as Joshua Runkles, 42, entered State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Friday and was "exhibiting suspicious" behavior, a Secret Service spokesperson said in a statement Saturday. The spokesperson added that the man was posing as law enforcement and was armed. "The individual is not a member of authorized law enforcement working the event and is currently in custody," the spokesperson said. "The U.S. Secret Service and local law enforcement are investigating the circumstances as to why he was at the location." Runkles was charged with impersonating a law enforcement officer and carrying a weapon into a prohibited place. He was released on bond from Maricopa County Jail, the department added, and could not be immediately reached for comment. Andrew Kolvet, Turning Point USA spokesperson and the executive producer of The Charlie Kirk Show, said in a post on X that the person was doing advanced security for a guest who was planning to attend the memorial service. "We do not believe this person was attempting anything nefarious, however the advance was not done in proper coordination with the TPUSA security team or US Secret Service," he said. "Also important to note that this was before the site had been fully sealed and locked down. Every precaution is being taken to ensure everyone’s safety."

Breitbart [9/20/2025 12:42 PM, Lowell Cauffiel, 2608K] reports the apprehension of an armed man at the stadium site of Charlie Kirk’s memorial as well as reported threats against key speakers scheduled at the high-profile event Sunday is sparking fresh fears of political violence. The individual detained was carrying a gun and a knife when he was detained at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Friday and falsely claimed to be a member of law enforcement, numerous outlets have reported. A memo obtained by ABC News revealed that authorities are "tracking several threats of unknown credibility" against people expected at the event — specifically President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and members of the Kirk family. Violent extremists and unaffiliated lone offenders may view the memorial service or related events as attractive attack targets due to the attendance of these individuals, other senior US government officials, state and local government officials, and political activists and due to major international media attention. Local law enforcement in Glendale and the U.S. Secret Service are investigating the individual, who was observed acting suspiciously at State Farm Stadium, Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi told Fox News Digital Saturday. Authorities have not released the identity of the man they say was armed with a gun and a knife and presented "inactive law enforcement credentials," according to several reports. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has designated the memorial with a Special Event Assessment Rating Level 1, or SEAR-1, the kind reserved for events like the Super Bowl.

DailySignal [9/20/2025 1:00 PM, Susan Crabtree, 668K] reports amid a fiery national debate over political violence and free speech, the Secret Service faces one of its biggest tests yet in securing Charlie Kirk’s massive funeral in Arizona this weekend. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and numerous dignitaries, conservative figures, prominent reporters, television anchors, and up to 100,000 members of the public are expected to attend the tribute to Kirk’s life this Sunday at State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals, in Glendale. But the massive Arizona memorial service honoring Kirk, the assassinated conservative activist and organizer known for his influence with young people across the country and the world, poses a serious challenge for law enforcement and the Secret Service, an agency already facing manpower strains and pressure as it strives to repair its reputation to execute a zero-fail mission. It’s also a difficult moment for the Secret Service, which has faced serious retention issues since the assassination attempts, with a recent Department of Homeland Security Department Office of the Inspector General’s report exposing the agency as seriously understaffed when it comes to counter snipers—73% below mission requirements. A large contingent of top-flight Secret Service agents traveled to the United Kingdom with Trump and first lady Melania this week for an official state visit. And the United Nations General Assembly will be in full swing next week in New York City, where the Secret Service is charged with securing more than 100 visiting foreign dignitaries at hotels and events around Manhattan. Meanwhile, the agency must also maintain security teams around all Cabinet secretaries and former presidents. The Department of Homeland Security has designated the Kirk funeral as a Special Event Assessment Rating 1 event with the same level of security as the Super Bowl or the Boston Marathon. The Secret Service agent in charge of the Phoenix Field Office will serve as the federal coordinator for the service, working side by side with local partners.

Washington Post [9/21/2025 5:00 AM, Cat Zakrzewski, Yvonne Wingett Sanchez, and Derek Hawkins, 32099K] reports with security on the level of a Super Bowl and a speaker lineup on par with a state funeral, conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s service will combine memorial with political rally, requiring an unprecedented level of resources. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and five members of the Cabinet will deliver remarks at the event Sunday. The White House will send two government planes of staff. More than 200,000 people have responded online that they wanted tickets to the event at the 63,000-seat State Farm Stadium, and organizers have prepared overflow seating in a nearby arena even as they are unsure how many will turn out. Law enforcement agencies have prepared extensive security measures to address the risks of a rare gathering with much of the presidential line of succession present inside an NFL stadium. Five hundred to 800 Secret Service officers have been deployed to the Phoenix area to help secure the event, according a local official briefed on the figure by law enforcement, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss security plans. The Department of Homeland Security has given the memorial its highest security designation, which is typically reserved for Super Bowls. “This designation is reserved for events of the highest national significance and enables the federal government to provide the full range of law enforcement and security resources necessary to support local officials in ensuring a safe and successful event,” said a DHS senior official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the security plans. The extensive, high-level attendance, rivaling the list for the funeral of a former president, is especially notable given that Kirk was not only a private citizen but a figure who, until his killing, was not well known to a large swath of Americans.

New York Post [9/20/2025 9:35 AM, Georgia Worrell, 43962K] reports Super Bowl-level security will surround the president and 100,000 red, white and blue-clad mourners who gather Sunday at the memorial service for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, according to federal law enforcement agencies. US Department of Homeland Security officials told The Post they designated Sunday’s "Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk" memorial service at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. a level-1 "special event assessment rating." Federal agencies were already "tracking several threats of unknown credibility" ahead of the funeral, which will also be attended by Vice President JD Vance, ABC News reported. At the public outpouring of grief and support, the US Secret Service will coordinate all security measures, according to William Mack, the special agent in charge of the Phoenix field office, who said Secret Service teams "are already on the ground in Phoenix and Glendale, working side-by-side with state, local, and federal partners. Santiago said the department is also coordinating with the Phoenix Police Department, the FBI and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. At least several hundred officers will be in and around the stadium, he added.

New York Post [9/20/2025 2:41 PM, Victor Nava, 43962K] reports "Two planes full" of Trump administration officials and staff will travel with the president to attend Charlie Kirk’s funeral, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt revealed Saturday. The immense interest in celebrating the life of the slain Turning Point USA founder underscores how deeply Kirk impacted leaders in the nation’s capital, she said. "We’re actually taking two planes full of white House staff," Leavitt told Fox News. "That just speaks to how many people [Kirk] touched at the highest levels of our government. And he will surely be honored and remembered tomorrow." The memorial service for Kirk – "Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk" – will be held Sunday at 11 a.m. local time at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. The event is expected to draw 100,000 mourners and will include remarks from President Trump and many other high-level government officials. "The president, the vice president, the speaker of the House – we have Cabinet secretaries who will be speaking," Leavitt said of the memorial service, which has been given the highest-level security designation by the Department of Homeland Security.

Reuters [9/21/2025 6:03 AM, Nathan Layne, Nandita Bose, and Joseph Ax, 45746K] reports a memorial service for Charlie Kirk on Sunday is expected to draw a massive crowd at a football stadium in Arizona, where President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance and other prominent MAGA allies will pay tribute to the slain conservative activist. Organizers said they expected to fill State Farm Stadium in Glendale, which has a capacity of more than 73,000, and had arranged for overflow space at a nearby arena, according to Andrew Kolvet, a spokesman for Kirk’s advocacy group, Turning Point USA. Security will be extremely tight, given Trump’s attendance as well as the ongoing political turmoil in the aftermath of Kirk’s death. A senior Department of Homeland Security official said the service had been given the agency’s highest level security rating, reserved for "events of the highest national significance" such as the Super Bowl. The roster of speakers at Sunday’s service, titled “Building a Legacy: Remembering Charlie Kirk,” demonstrates Kirk’s influence as the leader of the country’s biggest conservative youth organization. In addition to Trump and Vance, who was personally close to Kirk, senior administration officials including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert Kennedy will address the crowd. Kirk’s widow, Erika, who was elected as Turning Point’s chief executive last week, is also scheduled to speak.

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Breitbart [9/21/2025 2:10 AM, Staff, 2608K]

NBC News [9/20/2025 3:04 PM, Gary Grumbach and Mirna Alsharif, 43603K] reports lawyers for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson last year, filed a 114-page motion Friday night arguing federal prosecutors should be precluded from treating this as a death penalty case and that the indictment against him should be dismissed. Earlier this week, a New York state judge dismissed state terrorism charges against Mangione, but kept the second-degree murder charges. The 27-year-old also still faces federal charges and other state charges in Pennsylvania, all of which he has pleaded not guilty to. On Dec. 4, a masked gunman shot and killed Thompson, 50, on the streets of midtown Manhattan, hours before he was set to speak at UnitedHealth Group’s investor conference. Mangione, 27, was arrested after a dayslong manhunt and charged with a slew of federal and state charges in connection with the killing. In April, Attorney General Pam Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty.

Reported similarly:
Washington Post [9/20/2025 5:23 PM, Mark Berman, 29079K]

NewsMax [9/20/2025 2:31 PM, Jim Thomas, 4779K] reports so far, federal investigators have found no evidence linking the man accused of killing conservative leader Charlie Kirk to left-wing groups, complicating efforts to bring federal charges in a case that has sparked political outrage and vows of a crackdown from President Donald Trump’s administration, NBC News reported. Three unnamed sources familiar with the probe told NBC News that investigators have yet to connect 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, the alleged shooter, to any organized left-wing networks. "Thus far, there is no evidence connecting the suspect with any left-wing groups," a source with knowledge of the federal investigation told NBC News. "Every indication so far is that this was one guy who did one really bad thing because he found Kirk’s ideology personally offensive.”

The Hill [9/20/2025 5:00 PM, Alex Gangitano, 12414K] reports the Trump administration is aiming to use any levers of power it has to respond to Charlie Kirk’s killing, in part to send a message to political opponents. ABC taking comedian Jimmy Kimmel off the air for his comments on Kirk this week is just one major highlight of the administration’s enormous pressure on ideological opponents it aims to punish. Meanwhile, the Justice Department is trying to find a way to bring federal charges against Kirk’s suspected shooter, Tyler Robinson, and the White House is weighing a policy response to combat political violence, mulling over routes Trump can take to respond to Kirk’s killing. An official said the White House is "exploring a wide variety of options to put pen to paper to address left-wing political violence and the network of organizations that fuel and fund it," adding that specifics continue to be discussed. Trump is steering the response through his own rhetoric over the last few days, insisting that the "radical left" is responsible. Top officials have made clear they would use Kirk’s death to target left-wing groups, with Vice President Vance at one point suggesting they would be dismantled. The president suggested on Thursday late-night shows in particular should not be allowed to overwhelmingly be critical of him when asked about Kimmel’s indefinite leave. "They’re 97 percent against; they give me only bad press….I would think maybe their license should be taken away," Trump said, adding that the decision would ultimately be left up to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chair Brendan Carr.

Bloomberg [9/20/2025 4:41 PM, Maya Averbuch, 19085K] reports Argentine leader Javier Milei announced plans to meet President Donald Trump in New York on Tuesday after hinting his country is in negotiations to halt a market selloff and avoid a debt crisis. The meeting with the US president will reflect “the solid bilateral relationship” between the two countries and a shared commitment to deepening strategic ties, the presidential office in Buenos Aires said in a statement. The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment. Argentina is seeking to stay on track to meet about $9.5 billion in debt payments due next year and halt a slide in the peso, pouring $1.1 billion into the currency market over three days this week to prevent a devaluation that would derail the president’s stabilization plan. Asked on Friday whether he expects help from the US Treasury, Milei said Argentina has been working on strategies to ensure it can meet debt payments next year. “Those negotiations take time and and we don’t make announcements until it’s confirmed,” Milei said in a television interview, without mentioning the Treasury Department. “But we are working very hard, we’re very advanced, and it’s a matter of time too.”

AP [9/21/2025 6:19 PM, Staff, 37974K] reports the Taliban government on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left the sprawling military facility in the Taliban hands. It is unclear what conversations the U.S. has had with Afghan officials about returning to the country. But Trump hinted that the Taliban, who have struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal rifts and rival militant groups since their return to power in 2021, could be open to allowing the U.S. military back. The chief Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, rejected Trump’s assertions and urged the U.S. to adopt a policy of “realism and rationality.” Afghanistan had an economy-oriented foreign policy and sought constructive relations with all states on the basis of mutual and shared interests, Mujahid posted on X. It had been consistently communicated to the U.S. in all bilateral negotiations that Afghanistan’s independence and territorial integrity were of the utmost importance, he said. “It should be recalled that, under the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that ‘it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs,’” he said. The U.S. needed to remain faithful to its commitments, he added. Mujahid did not reply to questions from The Associated Press about conversations with the Trump administration regarding Bagram and why Trump believed the U.S. could retake it.

AP [9/20/2025 2:51 PM, Emma Burrows, 37974K] reports Russian pilots ignored signals from Italian jets responding from NATO’s Baltic Air Policing Mission when they violated Estonian airspace, a senior Estonian military official said Saturday. The 12-minute incursion was the latest test of the alliance’s ability to respond to Russian airborne threats after around 20 Russian drones entered Polish airspace on Sept. 10. Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday denied its aircraft flew into Estonia’s airspace, after Tallinn reported three fighter jets crossed into its territory on Friday without permission. Estonian officials dismissed the denial, saying the violation was confirmed by radar and visual contact and suggested it could be a tactic to draw Western resources away from Ukraine. The Russian MIG-31 fighters entered Estonian airspace between 9:58 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. local time Friday in the area of Vaindloo, a small island located in the Gulf of Finland in the Baltic Sea, the Estonian military said. A ministry statement said it was the fourth airspace violation by Russia this year. It still "needs to be confirmed," if the border violation was deliberate or not, Col. Ants Kiviselg, the commander of Estonia’s Military Intelligence Center, told The Associated Press. Regardless, he said, the Russian jets "must have known that they are in (Estonian) airspace.” The Russian pilots didn’t pose a "military threat," Kiviselg said.

NBC News [9/20/2025 3:43 PM, Alexandra Marquez and Lindsey Pipia, 43603K] reports White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Saturday revealed further details of a deal reached between the U.S. and China over control of the popular social media platform TikTok, sharing that six Americans will sit on the seven-seat board that will control the company and that the U.S. would control the app’s algorithm. "This deal does put America first," Leavitt told Fox News on Saturday. "And let me just be very clear. This deal means that TikTok will be majority-owned by Americans in the United States. There will be seven seats on the board that controls the app in the United States, and six of those seats will be Americans.” She added that the data and privacy aspects of the platform will be in the hands of Oracle, the software and cloud computing company co-founded by Larry Ellison. Leavitt also said the U.S. would maintain control of the app’s algorithm, which curates what users see on the app. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about who the six American board members would be and who would control the platform’s algorithm in the U.S. A representative for TikTok also did not immediately respond to questions about the deal. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]