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

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

The AP [4/13/2026 9:04 PM, Staff, 2238K] reports the U.S. military said it carried out another strike Monday on a boat accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing two people. The campaign of attacks on vessels that the Trump administration says are trafficking drugs in Latin American waters has persisted for more than seven months and continues even as the military has been preoccupied for more than six weeks with the Iran war. It was the second day in a row that U.S. Southern Command announced a strike on social media. It said Sunday that it blew up two boats in the eastern Pacific on Saturday, killing a total of five people and leaving one survivor. It was not immediately clear what happened to that person. With the latest attack Monday, at least 170 people have been killed in the boat strikes since the effort began in early September, months ahead of the U.S. raid in January that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He was brought to New York to face drug trafficking charges and has pleaded not guilty. U.S. Southern Command repeated previous statements by saying it had targeted the alleged drug traffickers along known smuggling routes. The military did not provide evidence that the vessel was ferrying drugs. It posted a video on X showing a small boat floating in the water before a huge blast hits it and smoke is seen pouring from the vessel. President Donald Trump has said the U.S. is in “armed conflict” with cartels in Latin America and has justified the attacks as a necessary escalation to stem the flow of drugs into the United States and fatal overdoses claiming American lives. But his administration has offered little evidence to support its claims of killing “narcoterrorists.” Trump on Monday appeared to reference the tactic of boat strikes in Latin America while issuing new threats against Tehran as a blockade of Iranian ports took effect. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. FOX News [4/13/2026 9:13 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K] reports that the strike comes two days after SOUTHCOM conducted similar operations against two other suspected vessels operated by designated groups. Officials said intelligence confirmed those vessels were traveling along known drug trafficking routes in the Eastern Pacific and were actively engaged in narcotics operations. Two men were killed in the first strike and three in the second, while one individual survived the initial attack. SOUTHCOM said it immediately called on the U.S. Coast Guard to conduct search and rescue operations for the lone survivor. No U.S. forces were injured in either operation. The operations are part of a broader U.S. military effort to disrupt cartel-linked trafficking networks at sea, with officials increasingly describing such groups using terrorism-related designations. The strikes were carried out under Joint Task Force Southern Spear, an ongoing mission focused on targeting transnational criminal organizations operating along key maritime drug routes in the region. The Eastern Pacific remains a major corridor for narcotics trafficking, where cartels frequently rely on small, fast-moving vessels to transport drugs north toward the U.S. and Central America. The use of the term "Designated Terrorist Organizations" reflects a more aggressive posture by the Trump administration, which has expanded the use of military force against suspected narcotics traffickers beyond traditional law enforcement approaches. [Editorial note: consult video at source link] Breitbart [4/13/2026 10:56 PM, Staff, 2238K] reports tthat the U.S. military has been conducting what it calls "lethal kinetic strikes" targeting alleged drug-trafficking boats since Sept. 2 as part of President Donald Trump’s anti-drug trafficking agenda. Since returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump has designated 10 drug cartels and gangs a terrorist organizations and has defended the use of the military by claiming the United States is in "armed conflict" with them. Democrats, human rights organizations and United Nations experts have repeatedly condemned the strikes as unlawful or extrajudicial killings, arguing the Trump administration is using the military to conduct what are ostensibly law enforcement operations and then executing suspects without due process. In early November, about a month after the U.S. conducted its first strike, a group of U.N. experts condemned the attacks as "unlawful killings carried out by order of a government, without judicial or legal process allowing due process of law.” President Gustavo Petro of Colombia has separately accused the U.S. government of murdering a fisherman in one of the U.S. military’s early strikes. Monday’s attack was the fifth publicly acknowledged attack on boats in the eastern Pacific and the Caribbean since the U.S.-Israel war against Iran began on Feb. 28.

Reported similarly:
Reuters [4/13/2026 7:26 PM, Staff, 38315K]
CBS News [4/13/2026 8:21 PM, Joe Walsh, 51110K]
NBC News [4/13/2026 8:29 PM, Mosheh Gains and Dennis Romero, 42967K]

CBS News [4/13/2026 3:58 PM, Nicole Sganga, 51110K] reports the Department of Homeland Security has ordered thousands of furloughed employees back to work, according to internal emails obtained by CBS News, even as most of the agency technically remains shut down and unfunded by Congress. The directive, which was issued to employees at DHS agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, marks a significant shift in how the administration is managing the funding lapse, effectively blurring long-standing distinctions between furloughed employees and those who remain on the job during a government shutdown. A separate internal message to FEMA personnel states more bluntly: "All FEMA employees will be placed in exempt status and are expected to report in person to their normal duty station." DHS acknowledged in its notice to employees that it is relying on limited funding streams.

Washington Examiner [4/13/2026 6:26 PM, Emily Hallas, 1147K] reports Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is seeking to bring back his agency’s "entire" workforce after thousands were furloughed due to the partial government shutdown. The shutdown, now the longest in history, is still ongoing, meaning many federal workers haven’t received paychecks for weeks. But the Department of Homeland Security said Monday it is looking to recall all employees back to work by "utilizing available funding.” "Secretary Mullin will be utilizing available funding to recall the entire DHS workforce to get our patriotic employees back to work," a DHS spokesperson told the Washington Examiner. "Their paychecks are now being processed, and employees may already be seeing this money deposited.” The department’s goal of getting employees back to work comes after thousands have called out because they’re not getting paid, impacting airport security and other issues. DHS sent a memo this month to all agency employees stating that by April 16, they would receive back pay dating to Feb. 14, when funding lapsed, according to the Government Executive. However, that memo did not order furloughed employees back to their jobs, as the latest language from DHS appears to do. Typically, workers allowed to furlough during a funding lapse are those who are not deemed "excepted," or essential, federal employees. DHS Chief Human Capital Officer La’ Toya Prieur wrote in an April 10 notice to staff that "all DHS employees … are being returned to a work and paid status," according to CBS News. The partial shutdown is a government funding lapse that affects only DHS, which oversees Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and Customs and Border Protection. Some DHS agencies have been impacted little by the shutdown, as they are being internally funded by President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, passed into law last year. But others have suffered, leading Trump in early April to issue a memorandum ordering Mullin to issue paychecks to tens of thousands of DHS employees. Mullin said last week that FEMA employees could expect to see those paychecks by Monday. "We’re going to be able to get everybody paid through pay period six, which is basically all their back pay," Mullin told reporters in North Carolina. "A lot of FEMA employees are still owed half of pay period three, four, five, and six," he said. "We expect most of those checks to be in their banks by Friday. Some of the financial institutions may have to wait on Monday, but the majority of the round be paid by then.” DHS on Monday urged Democrats to "immediately reopen" the agency. "The easiest way to make sure the hard-working men and women of DHS are paid going forward is for the Democrats to immediately reopen DHS," a spokesperson said. "For nearly 8 weeks, Democrats prevented many DHS employees from being paid and tens of thousands of employees have been furloughed and not able to do the work that is critical to protecting our homeland.”

Politico [4/13/2026 4:25 PM, Myah Ward and Eric Bazail-Eimil, 21784K] reports Troy Edgar, who served as former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s deputy secretary, has returned to the agency in the same role, according to two administration officials and two other people close to the administration, all granted anonymity to discuss personnel matters. In December, Edgar appeared to leave the department and President Donald Trump announced he was nominating him to serve as ambassador to El Salvador. He had a hearing in early March, but on Monday, the White House withdrew that nomination. When the president ousted Noem last month, Edgar came back to DHS headquarters, said the administration official. And on internal documents — as well as the public DHS leadership page — Edgar is listed again in the deputy secretary position in recent days, the administration official said. The DHS website was updated last week. After this story first published, DHS confirmed Edgar’s return to the post. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said DHS is “fortunate to have” Edgar continue in the role, adding that he brings “valuable knowledge” including from his time as DHS’ chief financial officer during the president’s first term. And in a separate statement, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Edgar is a “valuable player in the department’s efforts to make America safe again.” “We are one team united to empower DHS leadership to fulfill the president’s mandate from the American people to remove criminal illegal aliens, secure our borders, protect our cyberspace, and secure our maritime borders,” Mullin said in a statement. “His knowledge of the department makes him a valuable member of our DHS team.” Edgar did not respond to several requests for comment. While he appeared to leave the department earlier this year, he never resigned from the post, allowing him to quickly resume the Senate-confirmed position, said a second administration official.

USA Today [4/13/2026 11:29 PM, Thao Nguyen, 70643K] reports the Trump administration has fired more immigration judges, including two who earlier this year dismissed high-profile deportation cases against pro-Palestinian student activists, according to the union representing immigration judges. The National Association of Immigration Judges confirmed on Monday, April 13, that six immigration judges were fired last weekend and three were fired on April 3. The firings were first reported last week by New York Times. The dismissals included Massachusetts ​judges Roopal Patel and Nina Froes, who were both appointed during ​the Biden administration, according to the union. Patel and Froes had blocked the Trump administration’s attempts to deport Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student at Tufts University, and Mohsen Mahdawi, a Columbia University student who was born and raised in a refugee camp in the West Bank. "With these most recent terminations, 113 immigration judges ​have now been fired since January of last year without due process, cause or ​explanation," the National Association of Immigration Judges said, according to Reuters. The union called the firings "wrong and unjust" and noted that it was very rare for immigration judges to be fired before President Donald Trump returned to the White House. In July 2025, USA TODAY reported that the Department of Justice fired 17 immigration judges from federal courts in 10 states amid the Trump administration’s deportation push. Immigration courts have faced increasing scrutiny as migrants looking to attend regular hearings are detained entering or exiting courtrooms by masked agents. Courts and other federal buildings have become the center of protests across the country, including in Los Angeles and New York. Deportation cases against Rumeysa Ozturk, Mohsen Mahdawi were dismissed. Ozturk, a child development researcher, was arrested in March 2025 after the State Department revoked her student visa. Her arrest was captured in a viral video that showed masked, plainclothes immigration agents taking Ozturk into custody as she walked on a sidewalk near her Boston-area home. The incident occurred amid the Trump administration’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian campus activists. Ozturk was arrested after co-writing an opinion piece criticizing Tufts University’s response to calls by students to divest from companies with ties to Israel and to "acknowledge the Palestinian genocide.” She was released in May 2025 after spending over six weeks at an immigration detention center in Louisiana. In February, Patel ruled that there were no grounds to deport Ozturk. "Today, I breathe a sigh of relief knowing that despite the justice system’s flaws, my case may give hope to those who have also been wronged by the U.S. government," Ozturk said in a statement at the time.

Reported similarly:
ABC News [4/13/2026 2:55 PM, Laura Romero, 34146K]
Reuters [4/13/2026 4:51 PM, Kanishka Singh, 38315K]

NewsMax [4/13/2026 6:23 PM, Solange Reyner, 3760K] reports a group of conservatives aligned with President Donald Trump is pushing him to aggressively expand immigration enforcement as his administration signals a shift to less deportation rhetoric ahead of the midterm elections, reports Axios. The Mass Deportation Coalition, a group of immigration law and policy experts, former senior and rank-and-file law enforcement officials, advocates, and supporters that launched in February, last week released a playbook to fulfill the largest deportation push in U.S. history. Its members include Mark Morgan, the former head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection; Erik Prince, a Trump ally and former Blackwater CEO; and some conservative organizations like the Heritage Foundation. "Our basic goal of the mass deportation coalition is to actually provide Trump with what we call kind of a right flank, saying, ‘No, Mr. President, you’re listening to the wrong people,’" Morgan told Axios. The Oversight Project’s Mike Howell leads the coalition. "If Trump had said what industry wanted [on the campaign trail], ‘I’m going to keep the illegals here so you can have cheap labor,’ he would not be in the White House," Howell, a former Homeland Security official in Trump’s first term, told Axios. "He’d be in a prison cell right now. The president has only gotten pressure in his face to tone down the enforcement," he added.

Bloomberg Government [4/13/2026 6:43 PM, Zach C. Cohen, 111K] reports Sen. Rand Paul expressed alarm Monday at his party’s plans to leverage a partisan budget bill to ensure long-term funding of immigration and border control. Republican leadership is pitching its members this week on a plan to fund Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as well as the Border Patrol, for the next three years through the budget reconciliation process. "That wouldn’t be that ‘narrow,’" Paul (R-Ky.) told Bloomberg Government as he left the Capitol on Monday. "We usually do spending one year at a time, nothing else is getting three years. That sounds like it would be expensive."

NBC News [4/13/2026 1:03 PM, Sahil Kapur and Scott Wong, 42967K] reports that after a two-week recess, Congress returns Monday to a growing agenda. It needs to fund the still-shuttered Department of Homeland Security, for which Republicans want to pass a separate, party-line bill to fund ICE and Border Patrol. And there’s a push in the House to expel up to four members, including Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who ended his campaign for governor of California over the weekend after multiple women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct. Swalwell has said the sexual assault allegations are "false" and apologized for "mistakes in judgment." There will also be a debate about President Donald Trump’s ongoing war in Iran, which faces an uncertain future as he says he’s deploying U.S. assets to the region to challenge Iran’s control of the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for global oil flow. The Department of Homeland Security has been shut down for a record 58 days, though Trump recently signed an executive order aimed at paying all employees. Democrats will not vote for funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection without substantial reforms to immigration enforcement. So, Republicans plan to go it alone. It hasn’t been easy. House and Senate Republicans clashed bitterly over the path forward before the Easter break, but since then, House GOP leaders have acquiesced to the Senate’s approach: fund all of DHS except ICE and Border Patrol through the regular bipartisan process, and fund those two entities in a Republican-only bill.

FOX News [4/13/2026 12:06 PM, Alex Miller, 37576K] reports Senate Republicans are moving to fast-track funding for immigration enforcement without any Democratic support as a partial Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown stretches into its second month. The upper chamber returns to Washington, D.C., on Monday, and the GOP already has its plan in motion to bypass Democrats’ blockade of funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). With President Donald Trump’s blessing, they are using the budget reconciliation process to front-load funding for immigration enforcement for the remainder of his presidency. Taking that route doesn’t require any Democratic votes, but Republicans will have to put aside any differences they have if they want the legislation to work. Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., who chairs the committee that will launch the reconciliation process in the Senate, met with Trump on Friday to lay the groundwork for the package. Trump said on Truth Social shortly afterward, "Reconciliation is ON TRACK, and we are moving FAST and FOCUSED.”

Washington Examiner [4/13/2026 11:59 AM, Sydney Topf, 1147K] reports Republicans lauded a viral video from Rep. Ro Khanna’s (D-CA) Monday Jubilee appearance, where a participant challenged the congressman over child sex trafficking crimes committed by illegal immigrants. The Jubilee episode, which is a debate-style show bringing together people with different viewpoints, was focused on Jeffrey Epstein, as Khanna was the co-sponsor of the discharge petition calling for the release of the files related to the convicted sex offender. In the viral clip, one of the attendees criticized Khanna for calling for accountability from the Epstein files while ignoring child sex trafficking crimes committed by illegal immigrants who entered the country under "open border" policies. "My frustration is, as an everyday American citizen, I feel I am more likely to be harmed by Democratic policies, such as open borders," the attendee said. "When we’re looking into child trafficking, we have to acknowledge that illegal migration is the biggest funnel for child trafficking." "So when we’re worried about Epstein with a couple of people, and you guys turn a blind eye to tens of thousands of children being harmed by your policies, that’s a problem," she added. The Jubilee episode Khanna appeared on, titled "Surrounded," features someone from one political party facing off in debates against 20 individuals from the opposing political party.

Bloomberg Government [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Zach C. Cohen, 111K] reports Republicans’ plan to use a complex budget maneuver to fund immigration enforcement faces multiple hurdles before legislation can get to President Donald Trump’s desk, illustrating the GOP’s tightrope walk to end the government shutdown. The GOP embarked on this particular gambit after House Republicans shot down a bipartisan agreement in the Senate to fund non-immigration components of the Department of Homeland Security, which has been operating without base funding since February. Lawmakers are hoping to end the longest partial government shutdown in American history using a two-track method of restoring standard funding to agencies like the Transportation Security Administration and the Coast Guard, while using a party-line process known as budget reconciliation on Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol.

CBS Miami [4/13/2026 3:59 PM, Staff, 51110K] reports state budget leaders are being asked to let a pair of agencies distribute federal dollars for security around the seven FIFA World Cup matches that will be held in South Florida this summer. Proposals from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Division of Emergency Management are among 21 requests to shift money before the Joint Legislative Budget Commission on Friday. The panel, which has authority to make certain budget adjustments, will also consider issues involving the Department of Education, Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Department of Health, Agency for Health Care Administration, Department of Juvenile Justice, Department of Commerce and the Department of State. The need to shift money comes as state lawmakers have yet to finalize a budget for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, which begins July 1. The FDLE request involves $8.1 million in a Federal Emergency Management grant to be used for monitoring, tracking and detection through unmanned aircraft systems. Another $73.7 million Federal Emergency Management grant was awarded to the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Most of the money, $63.6 million, will reimburse local law enforcement agencies for overtime expenses. The rest will go to equipment purchases, $3.5 million, training, $1.75 million, and planning and administrative costs, $4.9 million.

FOX News [4/13/2026 12:00 PM, Hanna Panreck, 37576K] Video: HERE reports Archbishop of Washington, D.C., Cardinal Robert McElroy said Sunday that former President Biden’s open border policy was "out of control," but he also took issue with President Donald Trump’s immigration policy. "I feel it got to a point where it was getting out of control," he told CBS’ "60 Minutes," as host Norah O’Donnell confirmed he meant under Biden’s presidency. O’Donnell asked, "You believe in strong borders?". "Yes," he said. O’Donnell pressed McElroy on what was wrong with Trump’s current policy if he believed in secure borders. "This is a roundup of people throughout the country. People who have been living good, strong lives, been here a long time, raised their children here, many of their children born here and are citizens. That’s what our objection is," he said. The White House and Biden’s office did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s requests for comment. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports Kristi Noem may still be grabbing headlines, but we shouldn’t overlook her replacement at DHS, Sen. Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma. Here are four reasons why Mullin, confirmed by the Senate in record time, could be the right man for the job. Unlike many other politicians, Mullin has worked with his hands and broken a sweat. He can ride a horse, drive a truck, haul Sheetrock and, unlike Chuck Schumer, likely grill a burger. He ran a company that employed more than 150 people in the state he represents — a plumbing business providing real services anyone can understand, not a consultancy or lobbying group or NGO feasting off government grants. Clinton once told voters, "I feel your pain," but like millions of regular Americans, Mullin really knows what it’s like to suffer under arbitrary, dumb or unnecessary policies. He reportedly got into politics after an Obama-era regulation shut down one of his businesses. While he is a solid Trump supporter and conservative Republican, he had no truck with those who entered the Capitol illegally on January 6, 2021. At the time, he reportedly helped Capitol police barricade the House chamber, and from the look of him at the time, the first man through any breach would not have fared well. His air is of a man who went to Washington because he felt it a duty, not because of perks, fame and future financial rewards.

FOX News [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Amy Swearer, 37576K] reports from the moment President Trump issued his executive order on birthright citizenship, critics derided it with a litany of adjectives nearly as colorful as they were unwarranted. It was racist. Ahistorical. Unprecedented. Un-American. During oral arguments at the Supreme Court last week, Justice Elena Kagan appeared to add another pejorative to the catalogue: revisionist. Kagan’s accusation was, to be sure, more professionally dressed than many of the others. But it’s equally erroneous. Solicitor General John Sauer wasted no time pushing back on Kagan’s characterization, which, in its specific context, was limited to the government’s contention that birthright citizenship for the U.S.-born children of illegally or temporarily present aliens remained an open question even after the Supreme Court’s 1898 decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark. Sauer pointed out the irony of Kagan’s characterization: the modern "consensus" that Wong Kim Ark settled these questions is the revisionist interpretation. The federal government only definitively adopted this view of Wong Kim Ark in the 1930s. And it did so at the prompting of a single senior State Department official who had earlier admitted in a law review article that his opinion was contrary to that of the general legal community. Sauer’s response hits on a truth that cannot be repeated enough to the American public: Much of the prevailing modern assumption about "universal" birthright citizenship is based on a revisionist interpretation.

Blaze [4/13/2026 2:00 PM, Kyle Brosnan, 1556K] reports that when Donald Trump accepted the GOP’s nomination for president in 2024, he stated that "the Republican platform promises to launch the largest deportation operation in the history of our country." It was music to the ears of tens of millions of Americans who lived through the Biden border invasion. Finally, a political leader had the gumption to say, "Enough is enough," and proclaim that it is time for millions of illegal aliens to go home. Unfortunately, the second Trump administration has not lived up to the promises made in that July 2024 speech in Milwaukee. It has instead prioritized removing the worst criminal illegal aliens, prioritizing quality over quantity. But this is a misguided attempt to assuage the concerns of a radical — but sizeable — number of Americans who do not believe in borders or in sovereignty. Carrying out a true mass deportation operation requires immense resources to screen millions of cases, locate and apprehend individuals, detain them, and transport aliens out of the country. The American public has witnessed widespread obstruction of immigration enforcement, record violence targeting ICE agents, and significant resistance by state and local governments in Democrat strongholds. Democratic Party elected officials and their left-wing base are very clear that the tolerable number of deportations is zero.

NPR [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Sam Gringlas, 28764K] reports two months ago, Democrats in Congress said they would not give immigration enforcement agencies another cent without reforms to limit the tactics of their officers. But 59 days into a record-long Department of Homeland Security shutdown, that strategy has resulted in none of the policy changes they have demanded, while President Trump’s immigration crackdown is still operating at full speed. That is thanks to congressional Republicans, who gave Immigration and Customs Enforcement a $75 billion windfall last year with few strings attached — money that has helped insulate ICE from congressional pressure and oversight. And as Congress returns from a two-week recess, top Republicans are making plans to skirt Democrats again to ensure ICE and Customs and Border Protection have funding through the end of Trump’s term.

CBS News [4/13/2026 1:45 PM, Dan Raby, 51110K] reports that Georgia U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff says he is backing a bill that would require the federal government to get approval from state and local governments before it can open new Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center facilities. Ossoff announced that he is cosponsoring the Respect for Local Community Act, which was introduced by New Hampshire Sens. Jeanne Saheen and Maggie Hassan in February. If the bill becomes law, the Department of Homeland Security would be required to enter into a signed, written agreement with the state’s governor and "appropriate local government officials" before acquiring or building any property that could be used as a new processing site or detention center. The bill would also require the agency to issue a public notice about the plan, providing specifics on how DHS or other agencies would comply with federal guidance and address infrastructure concerns. The Secretary of Homeland Security would also need to notify Congressional committees before moving forward with the agency’s plans. Earlier this month, DHS put a pause on its efforts to open two detention centers in Georgia and others across the country, a move that came just days after Markwayne Mullin replaced Kristy Noem as the new Secretary of Homeland Security.

Blaze [4/13/2026 4:55 PM, Carlos Garcia, 1556K] reports a woman’s serious accusations against federal and local law enforcement officials have allegedly turned out to be a hoax, and a sheriff is suing her for defamation over the claims. Sundas "Sunny" Naqvi said in March that she and some co-workers had been held for over 30 hours despite being U.S. citizens and got nationwide coverage from sympathetic news outlets. Twenty-eight-year-old Naqvi claimed she arrived at O’Hare airport in Chicago from Turkey on a work trip and was transported to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview and also taken to the Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin. Her story was amplified by Democratic Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, who is a friend of the family and a critic of the president’s immigration policies. Her story seemed to begin falling apart after the multinational software company she claimed to work for reportedly said she was not an employee and that none of its workers had been detained at O’Hare. Weeks after the accusations, Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt filed a defamation lawsuit against Naqvi as well as Morrison and explained the evidence that contradicted her claims. The lawsuit also includes 10 "John Doe" people accused of publication or republication of the false claims against the sheriff. Their names will be added to the suit once they are identified.

Yahoo News [4/13/2026 10:58 AM, Carl Samson, 59943K] reports immigration agents under President Donald Trump separated at least 11,000 U.S. citizen children from a parent in the first seven months of his second term, a ProPublica analysis found. The analysis, based on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records the University of Washington Center for Human Rights obtained as part of an ongoing public records lawsuit, found that arrests of parents of U.S. citizen children occurred twice as often under Trump as under Biden. About 30% of such arrests ended in removal under Biden; under Trump, that figure rose to almost 60%, with mothers of U.S. citizen children removed at roughly four times Biden’s daily rate. Most had minor criminal histories. About three-quarters of detained mothers and more than half of detained fathers had no U.S. convictions other than traffic or immigration violations. Even so, DHS has reportedly disputed the data, with Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stating, “ICE does not separate families.” Though the ProPublica data centers largely on Latin American families, the draconian crackdown has cut deep into Asian American communities. A recent Stop AAPI Hate report combining ICE data with a January 2026 NORC survey found that enforcement actions against Asian and Pacific Islander people climbed from about 2,000 in the first 10 months of 2024 to more than 7,700 in the same stretch of 2025. More than half of the respondents also said enforcement had affected them or someone they knew.

Axios [4/13/2026 6:20 AM, Mike D’Onofrio and Isaac Avilucea, 17364K] reports Philadelphia would ban federal immigration officials from wearing masks and using city property for operations under a legislative package lawmakers are taking up today. The push could force Mayor Cherelle Parker to weigh in on the Trump administration’s approach, which she hasn’t yet addressed — and create tension with City Council. Philly joins a growing list of U.S. jurisdictions, like New Jersey, trying to limit cooperation with immigration agents. It comes after fallout from an aggressive crackdown in Minneapolis and reports of masked federal agents, often in unmarked vehicles, snatching people off the street. A City Council committee will consider a series of seven bills today, and Parker administration officials are expected to testify.

Washington Examiner [4/13/2026 2:49 PM, Amy DeLaura, 1147K] reports Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) has the worst approval rating of any Virginia governor in decades only two months in office. This comes as several illegal immigrants have been charged with murder and other crimes, her party is proposing a number of tax hikes, and Spanberger has thrown her support behind a Democrat-friendly redistricting effort that would effectively deny representation in Congress to GOP voters in rural Virginia. Spanberger has only a 47% approval for her performance, according to a Washington Post–Schar School poll published last week. This is 13 points below the previous Virginia governor, Republican Glenn Youngkin. “Regular Virginians are really having voter’s remorse, because even though she won by significant numbers in the election, she’s fallen out of vogue with the majority of independents and moderates,” Stephanie Lundquist-Arora, the Fairfax, Virginia chapter leader of the Independent Women’s Network, told the Washington Examiner. “It’s completely because of the radical steps she’s taken to push Virginia into what looks like the sister of California.” On Day One in office, Spanberger ended immigration enforcement efforts and agreements between Virginia law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. "From the very first day, she was signaling to Virginians that she is not interested in, basically, justice," Lundquist-Arora said. "We’re seeing that really play out in Fairfax County." On Friday, Israel Flores Ortiz, an illegal immigrant from El Salvador, was found guilty of nine counts of assault and battery. Ortiz, a 19-year-old attending Fairfax County High School, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for groping the genitals of multiple female students. Three out of four people facing murder trials in Fairfax County so far this year are illegal immigrants, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

CBS News [4/13/2026 10:58 PM, Zachary Bynum, 51110K] reports a McDuffie County man is facing multiple felony charges after Georgia authorities say he trafficked and sexually exploited a 17-year-old girl. Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced Monday that Jimmy Mance, 40, of Thomson, has been charged with trafficking a minor for sexual servitude and sexual exploitation of a child. According to the Attorney General’s Office, the case stems from allegations that the teenager was sold for sex, with the victim later recovered in December 2025. "This is yet another step in our ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking in every corner of this state," Carr said in a statement. "If you buy or sell a child for sex, we will find you, arrest you and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.” Authorities say Mance is facing several charges, including: Trafficking of persons for sexual servitude (harboring a minor). Trafficking of persons for sexual servitude (providing a minor). Two counts of sexual exploitation of a child involving explicit material. Warrants were taken out on April 13 by the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Multiple agencies assisted in the investigation and arrest, including the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, McDuffie County Sheriff’s Office, Thomson Police Department, and sheriff’s offices in Columbia and Bibb counties. The case highlights Georgia’s ongoing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly involving minors. The Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit — created in 2019 — has secured more than 70 convictions and helped rescue or assist over 200 children, according to state officials. Carr expanded the unit last year to include additional prosecutors and investigators serving Augusta and surrounding counties, part of a broader push to target trafficking networks statewide. Officials say the unit works alongside local and state law enforcement to investigate and prosecute cases involving sexual exploitation and forced labor. Authorities emphasize that the charges are allegations, and Mance is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The case remains under investigation.

CNN [4/13/2026 6:04 PM, Michael Rios, Max Saltman, 19874K] reports Brazil’s fugitive former intelligence chief and lawmaker Alexandre Ramagem has been taken into custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Ramagem, who faces a 16-year prison sentence in Brazil for his alleged involvement in a coup plot with far-right ex-President Jair Bolsonaro, has been living in exile in Florida in recent months. Contacted by CNN, it did not say whether it had requested Ramagem’s extradition. ICE’s website said that Ramagem was "in ICE custody," but did not provide further details. Journalist Paulo Figueiredo, an ally of Bolsonaro, claimed the detention was not the result of cooperation between Brazilian and US authorities. He said Ramagem was detained after a traffic stop and subsequently referred to ICE. He added that Ramagem has legal status in the US and has a pending asylum request under review.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/13/2026 1:20 PM, Churchill Ndonwie and Garrett Shanley, 1257K] reports that attorneys representing immigrants held at the Everglades detention site alleged Friday in federal court that guards beat and pepper-sprayed detainees after a protest over lost phone access — allegations they argue show state and federal officials defying a recent court order protecting detainees’ civil rights. In a court filing in Fort Myers, lawyers with the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and civil rights groups said officers at the controversial Everglades facility entered a unit earlier this month and physically assaulted detainees. One man was thrown to the ground and "severely beat," according to his attorney, who submitted photographs to the court showing her client with a black eye. The attorney, Katie Blankenship of the legal-services organization Sanctuary of the South, wrote in a sworn declaration that officers broke another detainee’s wrist and "pepper sprayed everyone in the cage." The violence, the attorneys say, erupted after site employees abruptly cut off detainees’ access to phones on April 2 — eliminating what they described as their clients’ only connection to legal counsel and their families. The day-long prohibition came less than a week after Middle District Judge Sheri Polster Chappell issued an order expanding detainees’ access to their lawyers and their ability to use phones at the remote pop-up facility.

Washington Examiner [4/13/2026 9:21 AM, Christopher Tremoglie, 1147K] reports another day, another innocent woman brutally harmed by an illegal immigrant who came into the country during President Joe Biden’s term. From Laken Riley to Rachel Morin to Sheridan Gorman, the story of innocent women victimized by violent illegal immigrants is becoming all too familiar. Fortunately, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is hard at work protecting people and cleaning up the messes caused by radical Democratic immigration ideology and policy. Over the weekend, ICE announced the arrest of Cristian Lopez-Gomez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras who entered the country illegally in 2024 under Biden’s porous border and dangerously ineffective immigration policies. Lopez-Gomez is accused of raping and kidnapping a woman in Kirksville, Missouri, on Easter, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Unlike media coverage of protesters and agitators impeding illegal immigration enforcement operations, or protests organized by socialist and communist organizations seeking the downfall of the U.S. government, little attention was given to the vicious crimes of Lopez-Gomez. KTVO News, a local ABC and CBS affiliate serving the Ottumwa, Iowa, and Kirksville, Missouri, market, appears to be the only network to have reported on the illegal immigrant’s violent crime. "This animal kidnapped and raped a woman in Missouri on Easter Sunday," acting DHS assistant secretary Lauren Bis said in an email. "This sexual predator was released into our country by the Biden administration in 2024. ICE lodged an arrest detainer requesting Missouri not release this monster back into our communities to rape and assault more innocent women." "Thankfully, Missouri cooperates with ICE law enforcement," Bis added. "When state and local law enforcement work with ICE, we can safely remove criminal illegal aliens from our country and put the safety of American citizens first.”

ABC News [4/13/2026 2:06 PM, Laura Romero, 34146K] reports that a Mexican migrant died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers, becoming the 47th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration. Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. In the notification, ICE said that Cabrera was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center. "Despite life-saving efforts, at approximately 8:51 a.m., an onsite physician at WPMC pronounced Cabrera deceased," the agency said. Clemente is the 15th Mexican national to die in ICE custody since the administration began its immigration crackdown in 2025. Last month, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz called the recent deaths part of "an alarming, unacceptable trend" since the administration took office. "These deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence," she said in Los Angeles. ICE said that Clemente had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, as well as an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm these claims. The increase in ICE deaths has coincided with an unprecedented rise in federal immigration detention. The number of people being held recently climbed to a record 70,000, the highest level in the agency’s 23-year history. According to an ABC News analysis of ICE data, the first 14 months of the current term have been the deadliest period at federal detention centers since the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News’ analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and just 1 per 100,000 in 2022.

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Univision [4/13/2026 6:19 PM, Staff, 4937K]

Telemundo Washington DC [4/13/2026 8:59 PM, Staff, 120K] reports the Foreign Ministry reported on Monday the death of another Mexican migrant in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and demanded an investigation into the causes of death, bringing the total to 15 Mexican citizens who have died in detention centers in the US since President Donald Trump’s return to the White House. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry reported that the Mexican Consulate in New Orleans was notified by US immigration authorities that the death occurred on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center , located in Winnfield County, Louisiana, in the southern US. The official statement indicated that, so far, the cause of death remains under investigation. After learning of the case, the consular representation activated protection protocols and, in coordination with the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, established contact with the victim’s family to provide assistance and legal support. He also noted that he is maintaining communication with US authorities to learn the circumstances of the death and determine the legal actions to be taken together with the family. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) expressed its concern about the repeated deaths of migrants in ICE detention centers, considering that these events reflect "serious deficiencies" in the conditions of confinement, incompatible with human rights standards and the protection of life. In this regard, he instructed the Mexican consular network in the United States to reinforce daily visits to immigration detention centers, and reiterated to the Mexican community that it can request support through the consulates or the Consular Support Line. The death adds to other recent cases of migrants who have died in the custody of immigration authorities in the United States, amid growing questions from civil and human rights organizations about the conditions in these centers. Last month, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced that the country will take the situation of Mexicans in ICE detention centers to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) following the death of José Guadalupe Ramos-Solano. According to U.S. authorities, Ramos-Solano was found "unconscious and unresponsive" on March 25, while he was being held at the Adelanto processing center in California. The president explained that, in addition to going to the IACHR, she would send letters to US authorities to complain about the "deficient medical care" at the Adelanto center. This Monday, the Mexican government reiterated that it will continue to use all available legal and diplomatic channels to protect its citizens abroad, regardless of their immigration status.

New York Post [4/13/2026 4:25 PM, Georgia Worrell, 40934K] reports an Illinois woman who claimed she was detained by ICE for nearly two days was actually relaxing at a hotel getting spa treatments, according to a $1 million defamation suit filed by a county sheriff. US citizen Sundas "Sunny" Naqvi, 28, gained national attention last month when she and a band of supporters – including Cook County, Ill., Commissioner Kevin Morrison – publicly insisted she was unlawfully detained by ICE officers for roughly 43 hours. Naqvi claimed that after landing back in the US from a work trip to Turkey on the morning of March 5, she was detained for nearly 30 hours at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, then transferred to another ICE facility in Broadview, Ill., before winding up at Dodge County Jail in Wisconsin. He claimed Naqvi was released from custody in the early hours of March 7, then hitchhiked nine miles to a hotel, where she was met by family. The Department of Homeland Security called the claims "blatantly false" – and even posted surveillance footage from the airport showing Naqvi entering a secondary inspection zone that morning and leaving around an hour later. The Dodge County Sheriff’s Office also said it had no record of Naqvi ever "being booked, detained, or released" at the local jail. Now Naqvi and Morrison are the subjects of a federal defamation lawsuit filed by Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt on Friday – as his office released new details of Naqvi’s actual actions during the alleged hoax period.

CNN [4/13/2026 6:25 PM, Whitney Wild, Cindy Von Quednow, 19874K] reports officials in Ramsey County, Minnesota, on Monday announced a criminal investigation into the arrest of ChongLy Thao, a US citizen caught in a viral photo as immigration agents walked him out of his home in freezing weather wearing little more than Crocs, shorts, and a plaid blanket. The January 18 incident, which shocked residents in the Twin Cities area, "involves a felonious allegation of kidnapping, illegal detainment, false imprisonment," Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said in a news conference. The county attorney said Thao was forcibly removed from his home in St. Paul and taken out in subfreezing weather while wearing little clothing. He was questioned in the car away from his home for more than an hour, Choi said. Agents eventually realized Thao was a US citizen with no criminal record and returned him to his home after a couple of hours, Thao said in an interview with The Associated Press in January. DHS had said the ICE officers had been seeking two convicted sex offenders, and were executing a warrant. But Thao told the AP he had never seen the two men before and that they did not live with him. The Minnesota Department of Corrections said one of the two wanted men was still in prison, the AP reported. Ramsey County officials said Monday "there is no indication" the agents had a warrant for entry or arrest. In its Monday statement, the DHS spokesperson said Thao had refused to be "fingerprinted or facially ID’d" and it was "standard protocol to hold all individuals in a house of an operation for safety of the public and law enforcement." County officials sent a letter to the federal government – known as a Touhy request – demanding any evidence used to justify Thao’s arrest during the operation, including documents, body-worn camera footage and access to interview the federal agents, according to Choi and a copy of the letter shared with CNN. The letter is only the first step in trying to "seek the truth," Choi said, noting they could file a lawsuit in federal court to obtain the evidence. Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher said investigators have not been able to identify the federal officers involved in Thao’s arrest. When they attempted to track the federal vehicles at the scene, Fletcher said they found the license plates had been assigned to different vehicles. Reuters [4/13/2026 4:27 PM, Daphne Psaledakis, 38315K] reports Ramsey County officials said in a statement on Monday that federal agents "may have committed the crimes of kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment" ​in the January incident. The man mistakenly detained, ChongLy “Scott” Thao, has said the ​officers had no warrant. Ramsey County officials said they were seeking information from the Department of Homeland Security. The two "criminal ‌illegal ⁠aliens" who DHS said it was seeking in that raid turned out to be elsewhere, one of them behind bars in a Minneapolis-area prison serving a four-year sentence. Asked about the investigation, DHS said in a statement that U.S. Immigration and Customs ​Enforcement does not kidnap ​people. It said its ⁠law enforcement officers were executing a warrant and concluded through surveillance and intelligence that suspected sexual predators had ties to the ​property, adding that a U.S. citizen at the house refused ​to be ⁠fingerprinted or identified facially.

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AP [4/13/2026 5:30 PM, Mark Vancleave and Steve Karnowski, 42967K]
USA Today [4/13/2026 6:07 PM, Natalie Neysa Alund, 70643K]

New York Times [4/13/2026 7:17 PM, Ernesto Londoño, 148038K] reports that it became one of the searing images of the Trump administration’s immigration operation in Minnesota earlier this year. After using a battering ram to break down the door of a home in St. Paul, federal agents handcuffed ChongLy Scott Thao and led him outside in subzero temperatures wearing only boxer shorts and slip-on shoes. On Monday, local law enforcement officials announced that they were weighing whether federal agents should face criminal charges, including kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment, over the detention of Mr. Thao on Jan. 18. John J. Choi, the elected prosecutor in Ramsey County, said that his office had formally sought information from the Department of Homeland Security about Mr. Thao’s arrest, including the names of the agents who took him into custody. It was the latest effort by Minnesota prosecutors to pursue criminal cases stemming from the immigration operation carried out by thousands of agents in Minnesota this winter, although legal experts say that any such prosecutions would face significant legal and practical obstacles. Federal agents returned Mr. Thao to his home more than an hour after taking him into custody, having concluded that he was a United States citizen without a criminal record. The Department of Homeland Security later said its agents had been seeking two convicted sex offenders when they came to the home.

New York Post [4/13/2026 6:33 PM, Georgia Worrell, 40934K] reports a female Turning Point USA journalist was repeatedly tackled to the pavement by violent protesters during an anti-ICE rally in Minnesota this past weekend, according to authorities and video footage of the horrifying incident. Reporter Savanah Hernandez showed up early Saturday to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building outside Minneapolis with a simple assignment: Take video footage of any protest activity. The 29-year-old told The Post on Monday that she never would have imagined the violence in store for her. "I was there for almost an hour, untouched, and then one of the left-wingers identified me and a mob started forming," recounted Hernandez, whose organization was co-founded by assassinated political conservative Charlie Kirk. A female protester began "very aggressively questioning me and getting in my face and shoving me," the journo said, adding that the woman called her a "Nazi" and "fascist" over her employment by the conservative nonprofit. A second woman then began blowing a whistle just inches away from Hernandez’s face. "I very much realized then that they were not going to leave me alone, so I started walking out of the protest and, of course, they all followed me. And this girl is right in my ear, blowing this whistle," Hernandez said. The protester then launched a vicious attack, according to Hernandez and chaotic video footage posted to X.

CBS News [4/13/2026 6:00 AM, Julia Ingram, 51110K] reports the number of people in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody declined by 12% from a record-high in January to the end of March, data released by the agency on Thursday shows, driven largely by a decline in detentions of those without criminal records. The drop follows the nationwide, bipartisan backlash to the massive immigration enforcement operation in the Minneapolis area; the killings of two American citizens at the hands of federal agents there; and a shakeup in Department of Homeland Security leadership. It also marks the first major decline since President Trump returned to office and began an unprecedented deportation crackdown that has made anyone in the U.S. without lawful status subject to arrest and detention. Data for the first week of April indicates the detention population’s decline is continuing. Despite the decline, the average daily detention population remains at historic high levels, above levels seen during the Biden administration and the first Trump administration. An average of about 63,000 people were detained each day in March, ICE reported, compared to about 72,000 in January. Those detained by ICE are accused of civil immigration violations, such as crossing the border illegally or overstaying a visa. Non-criminal detainees accused of civil violations of U.S. immigration law were previously the fastest-growing group in ICE custody, compared to those with pending criminal charges or prior convictions.

Breitbart [4/13/2026 10:27 AM, Randy Clark, 2238K] reports on a bid to keep a massive U.S. Customs and Immigration Service (ICE) processing and detention facility from opening in the Alamo city, Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones is pleading with DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin to reconsider the agency’s plans. In a letter sent to Mullin last week, Ortiz Jones says, My community is not interested in hosting an ICE processing facility." In the letter, Mayor Ortiz Jones complained about a lack of information sharing between her office and ICE, adding, Despite numerous attempts, neither my office nor the city staff have received formal notification regarding ICE’s reported purchase and potential use of a 640,000+ square foot warehouse located at 542 SE Loop 410 Access Rd, San Antonio, Texas." Wednesday’s latest correspondence is the second letter sent to the department regarding the plans to open a processing and detention center in San Antonio in recent months. In late February, Ortiz Jones wrote to former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, expressing "strong opposition" to the proposed facility and requesting a meeting to discuss its impact on the city.

AP [4/13/2026 2:42 PM, Ryan J. Foley, 3833K] reports that Federal regulators have cited three contractors, including one owned by a campaign donor to President Donald Trump, for safety violations stemming from the death of a worker helping build a major immigration detention center last year. Violations deemed serious by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration were found in its investigation into the July 21, 2025, death of Hector Gonzalez, 38, who was crushed by falling materials in a construction accident as contractors raced to build Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. The violations were highlighted in a report released Monday by the watchdog group Public Citizen, which scrutinized the companies profiting from work at the costly but troubled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center. Gonzalez’s death came days after the Army awarded a contract worth up to $1.3 billion to Acquisition Logistics to build and operate the camp at Fort Bliss, near the U.S.-Mexico border. The site opened the next month and quickly became ICE’s largest detention center for immigrants awaiting or challenging their deportation, eventually housing more than 3,000 people at times. The camp has been beset by allegations of inhumane conditions, disease outbreaks and the deaths of three detainees in December and January. A February inspection by ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight found dozens of violations of national standards. ICE replaced Acquisition Logistics, a small Virginia company that had no prior experience running a detention facility, as the prime contractor last month, awarding a no-bid contract to Amentum Services.

Houston Chronicle [4/13/2026 12:18 PM, John Lomax V and Matt deGrood, 2493K] reports that Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis will initiate a discussion of the county’s policies on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Thursday meeting, he said, to "explore every possible way within the bounds of the law to keep people safe.” Ellis said he added the item to the Commissioners Court agenda in response to the Houston City Council voting last week to limit the Houston Police Department’s cooperation with ICE agents. The intent, he said, is to explore the county’s options for limiting deputies’ interaction with ICE agents during traffic stops. “Immigrant families and their friends and neighbors make up the rich tapestry of all Harris County and a good bit of my constituency,” Ellis said in an interview with the Houston Chronicle. “We’ve recently seen the City of Houston expand the conversation around ICE and I think it’s appropriate for us to do the same in the county.” Houston’s new policy eliminated a previous requirement that officers wait 30 minutes for ICE agents to reach the scene when they stop someone with a civil immigration warrant. It also requires police leaders to compile reports on the department’s cooperation with ICE. A third provision that the city attorney’s office deemed illegal and prevented from reaching a vote would have made it optional for officers to call ICE when they encounter someone with an administrative warrant. The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said it does not have a written policy on ICE interactions. A sheriff’s office spokesman has said deputies are expected to follow the law and “use their discretion.”

Univision [4/14/2026 12:20 AM, Staff, 4937K] reports Houston Mayor John Whitmire said the city could lose more than $110 million in state funding following the passage of an immigration ordinance. In a statement, the mayor indicated that after the approval of Proposition A, the Governor’s Office of Public Safety notified them that they would withdraw the funds. “The state notified the city of Houston that it will withdraw $110 million in public safety grants because the ordinance violates grant agreements between the state and the city,” the statement said. Following the decision, the mayor indicated that he voted in favor of the ordinance believing it reaffirmed the city’s policy. “Houston enforces state and local law, not federal law, and we are not ICE. However, Governor Abbott disagrees,” Whitmire shared. The mayor also said it was a crisis situation, as the loss of state funding poses challenges for the Houston Police and Fire Department. In addition to the disruptions to public safety services and preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. “We have a significant task ahead of us, and I am considering all options,” the mayor concluded. Last week, the Houston City Council approved Proposition A, which limited how the Houston Police Department could cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). At the time, the mayor supported the ordinance and said that after revisions it was consistent with existing practices. However, Governor Greg Abbott’s office stated that the ordinance conflicted with previous agreements related to state funding. According to the report, the letter sent to the mayor indicates that the ordinance prohibits the Houston Police Department from cooperating with ICE in certain situations, specifically by preventing officers from arresting people based on administrative warrants from the federal agency.

Federal Newswire [4/13/2026 10:20 PM, F. E. Simons] reports U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released on Apr. 13 photos of Carl Schilbe, a U.S. citizen from Nevada who has been charged with three counts of attempted child sexual exploitation and one count of obtaining child sexual abuse material. The release of these photos is intended to aid in the ongoing investigation led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations, which resulted in Schilbe’s four-count indictment. The case highlights efforts by law enforcement to address crimes involving the exploitation of children online. “If convicted, Schilbe faces up to 20 years in prison,” said ICE Director Todd M. Lyons. “I’m incredibly proud of the ICE Homeland Security Investigations special agents who investigated this case. They’re heroes — and they know that protecting kids from online sex predators is one of our agency’s most important missions. Many Americans think ICE’s work is strictly immigration related, but that’s just not true. ICE officers and agents enforce more than 400 laws and statutes.” The Department of Homeland Security oversees the Cyber Crimes Center, which focuses on investigating individuals who use digital platforms to target vulnerable children and teenagers.

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Law Enforcement Today [4/13/2026 9:25 PM, Pat Droney]

The AP [4/13/2026 6:01 PM, Christopher Weber, 35287K] reports a man shot by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during an enforcement stop in central California last week was arrested Monday by the FBI after being discharged from a hospital, his attorney said. Attorney Patrick Kolasinski said federal officials have not said what charges Carlos Ivan Mendoza Hernandez might face. Messages were sent to the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office seeking more information about the arrest. Kolasinski said Mendoza, who underwent three surgeries for multiple gunshot wounds, was discharged into FBI custody without any notification to his family or legal team. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said ICE agents fired defensive shots at Mendoza when he tried to drive into them after he was pulled over last Tuesday. Officials said they were conducting an enforcement stop targeting Mendoza, 36, in Patterson, a city about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. They described him as a suspected gang member wanted in El Salvador for questioning in connection with a murder. Kolasinski told reporters last week that Mendoza was having difficulty speaking because he was shot in the jaw, but that he insisted he was never a member of a gang. Kolasinski said his client has been stopped for minor traffic infractions but has no criminal record in the U.S. and is not the subject of an arrest warrant in El Salvador, where he was acquitted of murder. Federal authorities haven’t said why Mendoza was the target of an enforcement action. The San Francisco Chronicle [4/13/2026 8:06 PM, Anna Bauman, 3833K] reports ICE Director Todd Lyons said Mendoza Hernandez was a wanted gang member who “weaponized his vehicle in an attempt to run an officer over,” and that ICE officers “fired defensive shots to protect themselves, their fellow agents, and the public.” Kolasinski has disputed those allegations, saying Mendoza Hernandez moved his vehicle only after officers fired shots and was trying to flee for his life. Dash cam footage that captured the encounter showed three ICE agents surrounding a black sedan, which lurched forward before backing up away from them. At least two officers stood in front of the car with guns drawn as Mendoza Hernandez veered past them, with one officer darting out of the way, the video shows. He then jumped the median in the roadway and drove into the opposite lane with oncoming traffic. It was unclear from the 30-second clip, which had no sound, when and how many shots officers fired. He said Mendoza Hernandez did not have legal status in the U.S., which he entered in 2019, but had no prior criminal offenses in the U.S. and was not a gang member. He was acquitted in a murder case in El Salvador in 2019, according to court documents Kolasinski obtained from that country.

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FOX 40 Sacramento [4/13/2026 7:51 PM, Brett Stover, 37576K] Video: HERE
Univision [4/13/2026 11:39 PM, Staff, 4937K]

San Francisco Chronicle [4/13/2026 3:08 PM, Sara DiNatale, 3833K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is seeking new “coworking locations” in San Francisco and 89 other cities across the country for U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement workers, documents posted by the agency show. DHS is looking for vendors that can offer offices for more than 300 workers, with California and Florida having the highest concentration of requested locations. DHS posted the request on April 10 on SAM.gov, the website federal agencies use to contract with businesses registered to work with the government, with a response date deadline of April 17. The lengthy list of cities where space is requested includes nine in California: San Francisco, Sacramento, Long Beach, Morgan Hill, Rocklin, San Bernardino, San Diego and Santa Ana. The locations span smaller cities and major metros across 42 states and Puerto Rico. In its statement to the Chronicle, DHS declined to confirm office locations, pointing to threats of death and violence a spokesperson for the agency said have been directed at those who work for the agency.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/13/2026 8:00 AM, Paul Sisson and Krista Taketa, 1257K] reports local hospitals are treating significantly more U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainees under the Trump administration, federal data show. At least 59 ICE detainees received care at San Diego County hospitals from January to mid-October of last year, up from 29 during the entire prior year, according to ICE agency data obtained by the Deportation Data Project via a public record request and analyzed by The San Diego Union-Tribune. Nationwide, hospital ICE detentions rose from about 1,300 in 2024 to 1,900 from January to mid-October of 2025, the data show. ICE has since stopped releasing data detailing detentions at hospitals in response to the project’s record requests, so such data is not available after October. In most cases, an ICE hospital detention means somebody who was already in ICE custody was taken to the hospital in need of medical care, hospitals say. In a few cases, a detainee in local law enforcement custody may be transferred to ICE custody while they are already at the hospital. Officials say ICE does not arrest people at hospitals, but some local hospitals have policies anyway to minimize front-line workers’ interaction with federal agents. Policies instruct them to share no patient information with agents and block them from accessing non-public areas of the hospital unless they have a judicial warrant. Hospitalizations of ICE detainees have risen as ICE arrests have skyrocketed under the Trump administration. In the San Diego region, last year’s ICE arrests rose by more than 1,300% from 2024. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said the agency does not arrest anyone at hospitals, but it takes detainees to hospitals for medical care.

Reuters [4/13/2026 1:13 PM, Staff, 38315K] reports that former Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem has been detained by ICE in the United States, the agency reported on its website Monday, after he fled Brazil in September following his conviction for plotting a coup with President Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem, a former Federal Police inspector, was sentenced to over 16 years in prison for his role in a plot to overturn leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula ⁠da Silva’s 2022 election victory over Bolsonaro. Ramagem’s lawyers did not immediately respond to a request for comment. He has long maintained his innocence. Paulo Figueiredo, a Bolsonaro ally who lives in the U.S., said on X that Ramagem was arrested for a minor traffic violation. Reuters could not verify the reason for his arrest, or if it was related to Brazil’s request to extradite him. The case against Bolsonaro, ⁠a far-right leader, drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump, who used it to justify steep tariffs on Brazilian imports last year. Trump’s reaction did little to derail the case, which ended in September last year ⁠with 29 convictions, including Bolsonaro’s, who is now serving a 27-year sentence. Trump later lifted many of the tariffs he had imposed. As the head of ⁠Brazil’s intelligence agency under Bolsonaro administration, starting in 2019, Ramagem was accused of investigating the former president’s critics and providing information ⁠to help him discredit Brazil’s electoral system.

NPR [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Anusha Mathur and Ximena Bustillo, 28764K] reports Johanan Rivera considered becoming a U.S. citizen for years, but it was never a priority. Rivera, an immigrant who still has family in Mexico, worried that naturalization would make him feel like he was losing his "Mexicanness," and he was content to live in the United States as a permanent resident. But in February 2025, after 15 years in the United States, Rivera finally applied to naturalize. He became a U.S. citizen about a year later. "The second Trump administration came into office, and [my partner and I] wanted more certainty about being able to live in the same country," he told NPR in an interview on the day of his March naturalization ceremony at the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia. "It’s been the result of political change that pushed forward the process." Newly released data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the agency that processes citizenship applications, shows that 2025 was marked by fluctuations in applications for naturalization and a drop in people being approved to become citizens. Immigration experts said the trends show in real time how President Trump’s restrictive immigration policies, ramped-up deportation efforts and increased scrutiny have affected people at the tail end of their legal immigration journey. While 2025 began with high rates of citizenship applications submitted and decided, by the end of the year fewer immigrants were applying to become citizens — and even fewer were granted access to this final milestone, according to the data. The downward trend in recent months, experts and former officials said, reflects a decline in faith in America’s immigration system. "The fear is pretty pervasive," said Felicia Escobar Carrillo, former USCIS chief of staff under the Biden administration. "I think that people are just going to think twice about whether to apply." During the first few months of Trump’s second term, the administration approved a record-high number of naturalizations. At the peak of 2025, 88,488 applications were approved in one month — the largest number since USCIS began tracking month-by-month naturalization data in 2022.

Breitbart [4/13/2026 6:55 PM, John Binder, 2238K] reports Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) is the latest Republican to publicly call out Rep. Maria Salazar’s (R-FL) "DIGNIDAD Act," calling the bill a "Trojan horse for amnesty.” "Let’s say it how it is, the DIGNIDAD ACT is a Trojan horse for mass amnesty," Norman posted to X on Monday. "It’s a hard no.” Norman joins several Republicans in the last few weeks who have come out against Salazar’s amnesty bill, which includes provisions that give green cards to millions of illegal aliens deemed "DREAMers," while millions more illegal aliens in the U.S. would be allowed to stay indefinitely. The bill also more than doubles employment-based green cards, importing hundreds of thousands more foreign workers for American jobs each year, all of whom can apply for naturalized citizenship after just five years in the U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) for weeks has been sounding the alarm over the DIGNIDAD Act, calling it "a straight-up mass migration bill" on Fox News’s The Ingraham Angle last week. "On the one hand, it gives amnesty immediately to 12 to 15 million illegal aliens, but it also hamstrings the president to stop him from conducting deportations of the other illegal aliens and there’s also a provision in the bill that would allow DHS to bring back illegal aliens who have already been deported under the first Trump administration if they meet certain criteria" Gill said.

Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Law [4/13/2026 3:10 PM, Andrew Kreighbaum, 763K] reports canceling employment authorization for several hundred thousand Haitian migrants will hurt patients receiving long-term care and the larger health-care system, a South Florida senior living center warned the US Supreme Court. Sinai Residences operates in a sector that experiences persistent staffing shortages and relies on immigrant caregivers to meet workforce needs, it said in a court filing Monday. Haitians covered by Temporary Protected Status in particular are a core part of that workforce, it said. The Supreme Court later this month will hear arguments on the Trump administration’s bid to strip TPS protections from some 350,000 Haitians and another 6,000 Syrian nationals.

Washington Post [4/14/2026 5:01 AM, Christopher Rowland, 24826K] reports revoking the right of Haitian immigrants to remain in the United States would deliver a blow to the workforce that cares for America’s seniors, nursing home operators are warning in a case to be heard this month by the U.S. Supreme Court. Before the court is a fight over the Trump administration’s effort to strip 353,000 Haitian immigrants of temporary protected status, which the U.S. grants to people fleeing conflict or natural disasters in other countries. Haitians won the status in 2010 after a devastating earthquake in the Caribbean nation. The Trump administration now argues conditions in Haiti are safe enough for their return, while advocates say gang warfare and civil strife pose ongoing dangers and they should not be forced to leave the U.S. The nursing home industry relies heavily on immigrant labor across the country. It faces enormous challenges keeping people in these low-wage, difficult jobs, and its staffing reached crisis proportions during the coronavirus pandemic. Industry representatives filed a friend-of-the-court brief Monday, advising the justices that sending Haitians home would pose consequences for senior care. The filing did not detail how many Haitians work in the senior care industry. But the Migration Policy Institute estimated that in 2021, about 103,000 Haitian immigrants were health-care workers (the sixth-largest group of immigrant health care workers in the United States) and many work as nursing assistants, personal care aides and home health aides. “These caregivers are not only vital to the daily operations of our communities, but to the quality of life and continuity of care our residents depend on,” Steve Bahmer, president and CEO of LeadingAge Southeast, said in a press release. The organization represents nonprofit nursing homes and filed the brief. The Department of Homeland Security did not respond to a request for comment.

NewsMax [4/13/2026 4:58 PM, Nicole Weatherholtz, 3760K] reports Florida will require immigration status to be displayed on state driver’s licenses and ID cards beginning next year under legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis earlier this month. A key provision of the state’s new SAVE Act streamlines verification by requiring immigration status to appear on identification cards newly issued or renewed starting Jan. 1, 2027. Florida law already mandates that individuals prove citizenship status when applying for a driver’s license. The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles requires applicants to present primary identification — such as a birth certificate, U.S. passport, certificate of naturalization, or certificate of citizenship — along with proof of a Social Security number and proof of residence. The measure is widely viewed as Florida’s version of the federal SAVE America Act, which has faced opposition from Democrats and left-leaning groups who argue it could make voting more difficult for some populations.

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Breitbart [4/13/2026 12:18 PM, Hannah Knudsen, 2238K]

Telemundo Washington DC [4/13/2026 12:07 PM, Nataniel González and Gustavo León, 120K] reports a doctor from Texas, who was on her way to California for an important step in her asylum process, was reportedly detained by immigration agents Saturday morning at McAllen airport. Rubeliz "Bibi" Bolívar was arrested along with her 5-year-old daughter, who was released after more than 10 hours and is now under the care of her grandparents, her husband said. The mother, however, remains in custody. The husband confirmed that Bolívar has been living in the United States for over 10 years, has an active asylum process, a residency petition, and a work permit valid until 2030.

New York Post [4/13/2026 7:11 AM, Patrick Reilly, 40934K] reports the Department of Homeland Security is investigating allegations that embattled lefty California Rep. Eric Swalwell illegally employed a Brazilian nanny years ago, officials said. Swalwell allegedly hired the nanny for his children and she continued to work for the family after her work authorization permit expired in 2022, the New York Post exclusively revealed. DHS is now investigating after the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) referred the case to the department, Politico reported. "USCIS has been collecting information on the allegations involving Congressman Eric Swalwell hiring of a Brazilian national as a nanny without lawful work authorization," DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis confirmed in a statement to the outlet. "These allegations are serious. USCIS has referred this matter to DHS law enforcement for investigation. "Federal law prohibits employers from knowingly hiring aliens who are not authorized to work in the United States," Bis continued. "No employer, including a member of Congress, is above the law.”

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FOX News [4/13/2026 11:34 AM, Staff, 37576K]
Daily Wire [4/13/2026 5:20 AM, Tim Rice, 2314K]

Univision [4/13/2026 1:46 PM, Staff, 4937K] reports thousands of immigrant truck drivers in California remain unemployed after the Trump administration revoked their business licenses. The measure has left more than 13,000 drivers unable to operate legally, but experts warn that up to 61,000 truckers could lose their licenses in the coming years, affecting the transport sector. Many of those affected are DACA recipients or asylum seekers with valid work permits, who now face economic hardship in supporting their families and paying their bills. However, no licenses have been reinstated so far. State authorities argue that the process is stalled due to pressure from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

FOX News [4/13/2026 10:43 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports Journalist Tara Kangarlou discusses the ‘hypocrisy’ of Iranian elites shipping their children to the U.S. while ordinary citizens are banned, as the Trump administration moves to strip residency from those with ties to Tehran. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

US News & World Report [4/13/2026 9:40 AM, Staff, 16072K] reports the report, from the Government Accountability Office, found that enforcement actions by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) have been relatively lackluster, given how large the issue is. Between 2022 and 2025, the DOJ took 88 enforcement actions tied to illegal e-cigs. Most of those (about 50 cases) involved adding online sellers to a list of unauthorized businesses. Another 20 were legal orders aimed at stopping violations, STAT News reported. Illegal vaping products are still widely available. As of June 2024, about 6,000 e-cigarette products were being sold in the U.S., according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only 41 of those have been cleared for sale by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Many of the unapproved products are flavored with fruit or candy, which experts say can attract younger users. About 1.6 million children in the U.S. still use e-cigarettes and federal agencies have seized millions of illegal products. The FDA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection confiscated more than 6 million e-cigarettes between 2024 and 2025. That represents only a small share of what enters the country, according to experts.

Federal Newswire [4/13/2026 10:10 PM, C. M. Ingle] reports Executive Assistant Commissioner Diane J. Sabatino shared updates on April 13, 2026, highlighting the work of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers and agriculture specialists through a series of posts on X. In recognition of International Plant Appreciation Day, Sabatino posted: "From backyard gardens to sprawling farms, @CBP aggies keep U.S. plants safe and thriving! On #InternationalPlantAppreciationDay, we thank CBP agriculture specialists for protecting U.S. natural resources from invasive pests and foreign animal diseases. Later that day, she reported a drug seizure at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry: "STOPPED AT THE PORT – Otay Mesa POE CBP officers seized 59.75 lbs of cocaine after a K9 alert and scan revealed anomalies. A search uncovered 24 packages concealed in the vehicle’s roof—this load was a little over the top. In her final update for the day, Sabatino addressed an attempted smuggling operation involving unapproved peptides: "Unapproved peptides aren’t shortcuts--they’re risks. Cincinnati @DFOChicago officers foiled a scheme to smuggle 5,000+ unapproved, mis-manifested peptides from China. If it’s unapproved, it’s not regulated & unsafe. Know what you’re putting in your body.

Federal Newswire [4/13/2026 10:20 PM, F. E. Simons] reports the Air and Marine Operations (AMO) division of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) posted a series of updates on its official X account, highlighting recent operational achievements, recruitment efforts, and enforcement actions. On April 12, CBP AMO shared a brief congratulatory message: "Bravo Zulu! The following day, the agency promoted job opportunities for pilots in its ranks. On April 13, it posted: "Ready to join our team as a Air Interdiction Agent? Apply today! The message outlines that applicants must have at least 1,500 flight hours to qualify as pilots, though up to 500 hours may be waived under certain conditions. Later that same day, CBP AMO reported an enforcement action off the California coast. The post stated: "San Diego Marine Unit Foils Illegal Entry Attempt at Sea! On April 11, Marine Interdiction Agents aboard a Coastal Interceptor Vessel intercepted a 24-foot boat off the coast of California.

New York Post [4/13/2026 5:35 PM, Jared Downing, 40934K] reports a police dog named "Pub" has helped federal agents execute two massive cash seizures at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport — sniffing out nearly $75,000 in undeclared currency in the first three months of the year. Pub, a Belgian Malinois trained to find currency and firearms, alerted Customs and Border Protection agents to a stash of $44,432 in undeclared bills in February and another totaling $30,417 in March, the agency said. The pooch is responsible for a whopping 20% of the total undeclared cash discovered at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in the first quarter of 2026.

SFGate [4/13/2026 7:00 AM, Amanda Heidt, 10094K] reports in 2019, the first Trump administration constructed almost 100 miles of border wall through a pair of national park sites in Arizona prized for their irreplaceable desert landscapes. Now, Department of Homeland Security officials have quietly moved ahead with plans to install a second wall through the parks, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument and Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, in a move that conservationists say will likely cause irreparable damage to Indigenous sites and natural springs within the park sites’ boundaries. “These are absolutely beautiful places that were set aside to protect landscapes that you just don’t see anywhere else. They’re not as high-profile as some of these other national park sites, but they’re absolutely critical to the people and ecosystems in this area, and anyone who visits can see that they’re special,” Russ McSpadden, the southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, told SFGATE. “The deep scar of the first wall has already changed the character of the place incredibly, and now we’re contending with the effects of a second wall.” The area, which includes roughly 90 miles of southern border between the two neighboring parks, is today a hodge-podge of built and proposed barriers. President Donald Trump has repeatedly pledged to wall off all 2,000 miles of the southern border but has faced bipartisan opposition to projects that plow through public lands. Just last week, a proposed wall through Big Bend National Park in Texas was placed on hold.

San Diego Union Tribune [4/13/2026 8:32 PM, Karen Kucher and Alexandra Mendoza, 1257K] reports a woman trying to illegally enter the U.S. died Friday when she fell from the secondary border fence about a mile west of the Otay Mesa border crossing, officials said. She died before she could be taken to a hospital. A second woman trying to climb the fence shortly before 9:40 a.m. also fell and was injured, a spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement. Paramedics transported her to a hospital. The extent of her injuries and her condition were not released. The Mexican Consulate in San Diego said the woman who died was a Mexican national. The consulate said it was in contact with her relatives and would try to arrange for the eventual repatriation of her remains. So far this year, the consulate said it has recorded one death and 39 injuries among Mexican nationals attempting to cross the U.S. border illegally in the San Diego area. Last year, the consulate recorded 11 deaths and 58 injuries. "A single death is unacceptable," Ambassador Alicia Kerber Palma, Consul General of Mexico in San Diego, said in a statement. "Assistance and protection for Mexicans abroad is the Mexican government’s highest priority.” When the injured woman is medically cleared, agents will process the surviving woman for illegal entry, officials said.

AP [4/13/2026 10:48 PM, John Seewer and Seth Borenstein, 40934K] reports a super typhoon is taking aim at several remote US islands in the Pacific Ocean, lashing Guam with heavy rain and tropical storm-force wind gusts hours before its arrival. Super Typhoon Sinlaku is on track to barrel over the Northern Mariana Islands late Tuesday local time with widespread rain and flooding along with destructive winds that could cause lengthy power outages, the National Weather Service said. Guam, a US territory with several American military installations and about 170,000 residents, isn’t expected to take a direct hit but still could see damaging winds. The tropical typhoon — the strongest on Earth so far this year — was producing sustained winds of 173 mph on Monday as it neared the islands of Rota, Tinian and Saipan, according to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center. While it’s expected to weaken slightly over the next few days, Sinlaku should cross by the islands as a Category 4 or 5 typhoon. The typhoon has stayed mostly on a track that puts it going over or just skirting along Tinian and Saipan, said Joshua Schank, a lead meteorologist in Guam for the weather service. About 50,000 people live on the three islands, with most on Saipan, known for its laid-back resorts, snorkeling and golf as well as the capital of the Northern Mariana Islands. Saipan was the site of one of World War II’s bloodiest battles in the Pacific, in which more than 50,000 Japanese and American soldiers and local civilians died. In Guam, where Typhoon Mawar knocked out power for days in 2023, US military officials warned personnel to prepare for the storm and shelter in place. The military controls about one-third of the land on the island, a critical hub for US forces in the Pacific. The island already was being hit by heavy rains and wind gusts up to 60 mph very early Tuesday, Schank said. Most businesses were closed and residents were told to stay home, he said. Before turning toward Guam and the Northern Marianas, the storm left significant damage to the outer islands and atolls of Chuuk in the Federated States of Micronesia, said Landon Aydlett, a meteorologist with the weather service on Guam. Glen Hunter, who grew up on Saipan, has weathered numerous typhoons. "We sit in what they call ‘Typhoon Alley,’" he said early Tuesday after waking up to strong gusts and seeing downed trees. For the most part, residents live in sturdy, fully concrete homes and those in substandard wooden houses with tin roofs tend to stay with family or in government shelters, he said. President Donald Trump on Saturday approved emergency disaster declarations for Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, allowing for additional help with emergency services. The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is coordinating support across multiple agencies, dispatching almost 100 FEMA staff as well as personnel from the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and US Army Corps of Engineers. "We are ready to respond to this event," Robert Fenton, a FEMA regional administrator, said from Guam on Monday afternoon local time. The agency began preparing supplies and staff late last week, he said.

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ABC News [4/13/2026 5:21 PM, Kyle Reiman and Meredith Deliso, 34146K]

USA Today [4/13/2026 1:00 PM, Brandi D. Addison, 70643K] reports that since spring has taken hold across the central U.S., the active storm pattern is continuing — and today brings another round of severe thunderstorms from the Plains into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. A broad swath of the country — from the Southern Plains through the Midwest and into parts of the Great Lakes — will see at least some thunderstorm potential today, underscoring a widespread and unstable atmosphere ahead of multiple disturbances moving across the U.S. The overall setup is being driven by strengthening winds aloft, a developing surface low tracking into the Upper Midwest, and a stalled frontal boundary draped across the region. That combination is creating a corridor of high instability and strong wind shear, especially near the Minnesota–Wisconsin border. "Severe thunderstorms are likely across the Upper Mississippi Valley and Great Lakes region with potential for large to very large hail, damaging wind, and tornadoes, mainly late this afternoon into tonight," the Storm Prediction Center wrote in its Day 1 outlook. The highest-impact weather is expected farther north, where storms will intensify this afternoon into tonight across southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Farther south into the Plains, storms will be more isolated but still capable of severe hail and strong wind gusts if they develop. Highest risk: Minneapolis, Minnesota; Saint Paul, Minnesota; Rochester, Minnesota; La Crosse, Wisconsin; Madison, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Marginal risk: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Wichita Falls, Texas; Amarillo, Texas.

Axios [4/13/2026 6:20 AM, Thomas Wheatley, 17364K] reports Georgia is on pace for its worst wildfire season in recent years, driven by the state’s most severe drought in a decade. The threat isn’t limited to rural South Georgia, where the state’s timber and agriculture businesses are concentrated. More than 80% of Georgia’s population live in the wildland-urban interface — areas where neighborhoods border forests — and smoke can reach metro Atlanta, causing Code Red air quality days and spiking ER visits. The state is experiencing the warmer, drier conditions of a La Niña weather pattern, Georgia Forestry Commission fire chief Thomas Barrett told Axios. Downed timber from Hurricane Helene has dried out, creating heavy fuel loads that burn hotter and are harder to contain.

CNN [4/14/2026 3:24 AM, Henry Zeris, 19874K] reports a full week of dangerous weather is looming for the central US, with multiple rounds of severe thunderstorms that will unleash destructive hail and winds and a few tornadoes, as captured by storm chaser Brandon Clement. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX Weather [4/13/2026 12:03 PM, Staff, 37576K] reports severe storms unleashed heavy downpours across Texas Sunday, triggering widespread flash flooding, with up to 3 feet of floodwater reported in Schulenburg. More rain is in the way today as a multi-day severe storm threat continues. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

FOX News [4/13/2026 6:42 PM, Greg Wehner, 37576K] reports a Butler, Pennsylvania man has pleaded guilty to making threats to assassinate President Donald Trump, other U.S. officials and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Shawn Monper, 32, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of threatening to assault and murder U.S. officials and federal law enforcement officers with intent to impede or retaliate against them while they were carrying out their duties. Law enforcement officials arrested Monper on April 9, 2025, after launching an investigation into threats posted on YouTube by a user identified as "Mr. Satan.” The FBI was notified about Monper’s YouTube account on April 8, 2025, and was able to link it to his home in Butler. He made several threatening statements between Jan. 15 and April 5, including that he was "going to assassinate" Trump "myself," that "ICE are terrorist people, we need to start killing them," and that "eventually im going to do a mass shooting.” On Feb. 17, he wrote: "Nah, we just need to start killing people, Trump, Elon [Musk], all the heads of agencies Trump appointed, and anyone who stands in the way. Remember, we are the majority, MAGA is a minority of the country, and by the time its time to make the move, they will be weakened, many will be crushed by these policies, and they will want revenge too. American Revolution 2.0.” The FBI investigation also found that Monper obtained a firearms permit after Trump’s inauguration, which he referenced on his YouTube account.

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Bloomberg Industry Group Bloomberg Law [4/13/2026 5:14 PM, Staff, 763K]

CBS News [4/13/2026 6:18 AM, Joe Walsh, 51110K] reports the U.S. military said Sunday it had killed five more people on boats alleged to be trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific, with one person surviving the strikes, bringing the controversial campaign’s total death toll to at least 168. The strikes were carried out against two boats on April 11, U.S. Southern Command announced in a post on X, accompanied by aerial video of the attacks. As with previous strikes, the U.S. military said the boats were "transiting along known narco-trafficking routes." "Two male narco-terrorists were killed, and one narco-terrorist survived the first strike. Three male narco-terrorists were killed during the second strike," it said, without providing any evidence of the drug trafficking claim. After the strikes, Southern Command said it notified the U.S. Coast Guard to launch a search and rescue mission for the survivor. The Coast Guard confirmed it was coordinating the search and said updates would be provided when available. The U.S. military began striking alleged drug boats in the Caribbean Sea and Eastern Pacific Ocean last September.

AP [4/14/2026 1:08 AM, Corey Williams, 3833K] reports police in the Bahamas have released a Michigan man who said his wife disappeared after falling overboard from a small boat in waters off the island nation, authorities said Monday. Brian Hooker, of Onsted in southern Michigan, had been in police custody since April 8 after being questioned by authorities. Law enforcement freed him after consulting with prosecutors who recommended against filing charges at this time, with investigations underway. Brian Hooker told police that Lynette Hooker, 55, fell overboard the night of April 4 as they were traveling in an 8-foot (2.4-meter) motorboat from Hope Town to Elbow Cay, a group of small islands on the eastern end of the Bahamas. He said Lynette had the boat’s keys, causing its engine shut off and forcing him to paddle ashore. “Strong currents subsequently carried her away, and he lost sight of her,” police said in a statement. After reaching shore, Brian Hooker alerted someone about his wife’s disappearance early the following day, according to authorities. Hooker has denied any wrongdoing, according to his attorney, Terrel Butler. She did not immediately respond to an email Monday from The Associated Press requesting comment on Brian Hooker’s release. The U.S. Coast Guard has opened an investigation separate from the one being conducted by authorities in the Bahamas. The couple has been married for more than 20 years and chronicled their adventures sailing around the Caribbean on their “Sailing Hookers” Facebook page. They posted videos in 2023 of buying a sailboat they named Soul Mate in the coastal town of Rockport, Texas, and then embarking on a cruise through the Gulf of Mexico from the port town of Kemah, Texas. The couple’s home in Onsted is about 70 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. Lynette Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told NBC News that it is unlikely her mother would “just fall” off the boat, saying she was an experienced sailor. She noted the couple had been sailing for years on their voyages. The couple has had a history of contention, with Brian and Lynette Hooker accusing each other in 2015 of assault, according to a Kentwood, Michigan, police report obtained by NBC. Brian Hooker, who was intoxicated and bleeding from the nose, told police his wife had struck him multiple times in the face, the report said. He told officers Lynette also was drunk. She was arrested and spent the night in jail. A warrant was denied because it wasn’t clear “who started the assault.”

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ABC News [4/13/2026 12:40 PM, Meredith Deliso, 34146K]

FOX News [4/13/2026 11:07 AM, Kurt Knutsson, 37576K] reports artificial intelligence promised to make life easier. Write emails faster. Build software quicker. Analyze huge datasets in seconds. Unfortunately, cybercriminals noticed those benefits too. A new report from Microsoft Threat Intelligence reveals that attackers are now using AI across nearly every stage of a cyberattack. The technology helps them move faster, scale operations and lower the technical skill required to launch attacks. In simple terms, AI has become a powerful assistant for hackers. Instead of replacing cybercriminals, it gives them tools that make their work easier.

Breitbart [4/13/2026 6:47 PM, Alana Mastrangelo, 2238K] reports Breitbart News social media director Wynton Hall, author of the instant bestseller, CODE RED, warns that AI has lowered the barrier for sophisticated scams, making deepfake frauds powered by AI easier than ever. "What we’re seeing is that AI is driving the cost of deception towards zero," Hall told Wake Up America on Newsmax . "So a scammer can now create a believable fake identity in just about an hour.” Even Jason Rebholz, who runs a cyber security firm focused on AI-driven threats, was almost duped by an AI scammer, Newsmax reported. Rebholz said he had conducted a job interview with a candidate earlier this year, when he felt something was off. "The thing that really stood out to me was the face was just very soft, very blurry looking around the edges. I start thinking, ‘I think this might be a deep fake,’" Rebholz said. After calling a friend who specializes in deep fake detection, he learned that the applicant was not real, Newsmax reported. The outlet cited a Missouri mother who received a horrifying phone call last summer that involved a scammer claiming to be her daughter, saying she had been kidnapped and needed ransom money to be set free. "It’s my child. I know my child’s voice, and it sounded exactly like my child’s voice that I’ve heard every day of my life," the mother said of her experience speaking with the fraudster over the phone. The voice, however, was an AI-generated impersonator — a fact that the mother didn’t realize until her actual daughter got in contact with her. Hall told Newsmax that psychological manipulation has become one of the signature moves of today’s AI scammers. "They can now mine your social media and then they build a detailed dossier on your life, and then they use the AI to mimic a loved one so convincingly that your instincts will tell you that it’s real," the author said. AI-related scams accounted for more than 22,000 complaints in 2025, and nearly $893 million in losses, according to the FBI.

CyberScoop [4/13/2026 4:00 PM, Matt Kapko, 122K] report OpenAI updated its security certificates and is requiring all macOS users to update to the latest versions after determining its products, along with many others, were impacted by a widespread supply-chain attack that briefly infected a popular open-source library in late March, the company said in a blog post Friday. The artificial intelligence vendor said it “found no evidence that OpenAI user data was accessed, that our systems or intellectual property was compromised, or that our software was altered.” Yet, because a GitHub workflow the company uses to sign certificates for macOS applications downloaded and executed a malicious version of Axios, the company is treating the soon-to-be defunct certificate as compromised. A North Korean hacking group injected malware into two versions of Axios after it compromised the lead maintainer’s computer via social engineering and took over his npm and GitHub accounts. Jason Saayman, the lead maintainer for Axios, said the malicious versions of the software were live for about three hours before removal. Google Threat Intelligence Group, which tracks the threat group as UNC1069, said the impact of the attack was broad with ripple effects potentially exposing other popular packages. The JavaScript libraries flow into dependent downstream software through more than 100 million and 83 million downloads weekly.

New York Post [4/13/2026 5:46 PM, Chris Nesi, 40934K] reports the person killed in the mass shooting at a New Jersey Chick-fil-A was identified Monday as a 23-year-old New York City man. Malek Shepherd was pronounced dead at the scene and was the only fatality in Saturday’s violence, which also let six people wounded. An unknown number of masked men stormed the Union Township franchise on busy Route 22 just before 9 p.m. and opened fire. The investigation is ongoing, and no arrests have been made. Law-enforcement sources told The Post earlier Monday that they believe Malek was likely the target of the attack and that the other people wounded were caught in the crossfire.

AP [4/13/2026 5:41 PM, Travis Loller, Jonathan Mattise, 35287K] reports a man linked to white supremacist movements pleaded guilty on Monday to setting a fire that destroyed an office at a historic social justice center in Tennessee, a court document shows. Regan Prater also pleaded guilty to attempting to aid a foreign terrorist organization for efforts to provide the militant group Hezbollah "a list of personally identifiable information for individuals purportedly affiliated with the government of Israel," according to a criminal information filed in February. Sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 9 in Knoxville. Prater was arrested last April in connection with the arson at the Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market. The arrest came more than six years after the March 2019 blaze, which caused more than $1.2 million in damage, prosecutors say. An affidavit filed in federal court in East Tennessee last year said Prater’s posts in several group chats affiliated with white supremacist organizations connected him to the crime.

CNN [4/13/2026 6:56 PM, Hadas Gold, 612K] reports the man who allegedly threw an incendiary device at the home of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is facing attempted murder and attempted arson charges, authorities said Monday. Daniel Moreno-Gama, a 20-year-old from Texas, is accused of throwing an incendiary device at Altman’s home on Friday night, before going on to strike at the glass doors of OpenAI’s San Francisco headquarters with a chair while saying he wanted "to burn it down and kill anyone inside," according to a criminal complaint filed Monday by the FBI. He was arrested outside of OpenAI’s offices the night of the incident. No one was injured. The attack "was planned, targeted and extremely serious," Matt Cobo, FBI San Francisco acting special agent in charge, said during a news conference on Monday. Moreno-Gama faces both state and federal charges, including attempted murder and attempted arson on the state level, and on the federal level, charges related to an unregistered firearm and attempted damage and destruction of property by means of explosives. He could also face charges related to domestic terrorism, said Craig Missakian, US Attorney for Northern District of California. "If the evidence shows that Mr. Moreno-Gama executed these attacks to change public policy or to coerce government or other officials, we will treat this as an act of domestic terrorism, and together with our partners, prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law," Missakian said. According to the federal criminal complaint, San Francisco police officers found a document Moreno-Gama was carrying which "identified views opposed to Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the executives of various AI companies," including Altman. Moreno-Gama "discussed the purported risk AI poses to humanity" and wrote about killing Altman, as well as listing out the "names and addresses of apparent board members and chief executive officers of AI companies and investors.”

Reported similarly:
AP [4/13/2026 8:09 PM, Olga R. Rodriguez, Juan Lozano and Lekan Oyekanmi, 28764K]
ABC News [4/13/2026 8:09 PM, Staff, 34146K] Video: HERE
Reuters [4/13/2026 7:08 PM, Staff, 38315K]

New York Times [4/13/2026 9:28 PM, Kalley Huang and Natallie Rocha, 148038K] reports a 20-year-old Texas man was charged on Monday with attempted murder and attempted arson, after the authorities said he threw a Molotov cocktail-like device at the San Francisco home of Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, and threatened the company’s offices a few miles away. The man, Daniel Moreno-Gama, also appeared to have written a document that “identified views opposed to artificial intelligence” and “discussed the purported risk A.I. poses to humanity,” according to a federal affidavit. The document included the names and addresses of other executives, investors and board members of A.I. companies, but prosecutors did not name them. “If I am going to advocate for others to kill and commit crimes, then I must lead by example and show that I am fully sincere in my message,” Mr. Moreno-Gama wrote in the document, according to the affidavit. As early as the summer of 2024, Instagram and Substack accounts with Mr. Moreno-Gama’s name had shared posts warning about A.I. The accounts also recommended papers and books by A.I. safety researchers. “If we do nothing very soon we will die, I’m very sure of that,” a post on the Instagram account said in December. In January, an essay on the Substack account discussed the “existential risk” posed by A.I. and said the chief executives of A.I. companies “appear to lack strong morals.” “These people are almost nothing like you,” the essay said. “They are most likely sociopathic/psychopathic and, in the case of Altman, consistently reported to be a pathological liar.” Mr. Moreno-Gama faces both state and federal charges, including possession of an unregistered firearm. The police did not find a gun on him when he was arrested. Federal prosecutors said the attack could be treated as an act of domestic terrorism. Mr. Moreno-Gama traveled from Texas to California this month and attacked Mr. Altman’s home on Friday, according to the federal affidavit. After throwing the explosive device at Mr. Altman’s home early Friday, Mr. Moreno-Gama traveled to OpenAI’s offices, the authorities said. There, Mr. Moreno-Gama used a chair to hit the building’s glass doors and was approached by security officers while holding a jug of kerosene, according to the federal affidavit. The office’s security staff said Mr. Moreno-Gama had told them that he was there “to burn it down and kill anyone inside.” Shortly after, the San Francisco police arrested Mr. Moreno-Gama. The F.B.I. said it had searched Mr. Moreno-Gama’s home in Spring, Texas, on Monday. The 11 charges he faces in California could carry a sentence of 19 years to life in prison, Brooke Jenkins, San Francisco’s district attorney, said during a news conference on Monday. Among these charges is the attempted murder of Mr. Altman.

FOX News [4/13/2026 7:06 PM, Peter Pinedo Fox, 37576K] reports Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released newly declassified testimony that she alleges shows a "coordinated effort" by the intelligence community to "manufacture a conspiracy" used as the basis of President Donald Trump first impeachment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Monday released two declassified transcripts from closed-door House Intelligence Committee hearings that Gabbard’s office says show former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson advanced as credible a whistleblower complaint based on secondhand information from an individual who had previously worked with then-Vice President Joe Biden in Ukraine. Gabbard’s office argued that, based on this and other testimony, Atkinson’s actions "weaponize[d] the whistleblower process and exceed[ed] his statutory jurisdiction.” Atkinson’s investigation helped trigger the first impeachment of Trump by advancing what he deemed a "credible" whistleblower complaint regarding a July 2019 phone call between the president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Former Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson "did not follow standard IG procedures and relied upon politicized, manufactured narratives" while investigating the whistleblower claim that ultimately led to Trump’s 2019 impeachment, Gabbard’s office said Monday. Gabbard, citing previously classified House testimony by Atkinson, said the former inspector general "aggressively advanced" his preliminary probe while relying on secondhand testimony and what she described as politicized witnesses. Gabbard’s office also charged that Atkinson "never conducted a formal or complete investigation.” "In his own words, IC IG Atkinson recognizes that his conclusions were based on a ‘preliminary investigation,’ noting that ‘I haven’t done an investigation to determine whether they actually, in fact, took place … that all of the alleged actions actually took place,’" according to the statement from Gabbard.

NBC News [4/13/2026 8:31 PM, Gadi Schwartz, 42967K] reports Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. R-Fla., is asking Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to hand over dozens of military “unidentified aerial phenomena” videos by April 14. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Washington Examiner [4/13/2026 10:30 PM, Claire Carter, 1147K] reports a former Army employee accused of leaking classified information about an elite U.S. military unit, widely understood to be Delta Force, has been released to home detention awaiting trial, a federal judge ruled Monday. Courtney Williams, 40, of Wagram, North Carolina, appeared in federal court in Raleigh, where U.S. Magistrate Judge Brian Meyers ordered her released under strict conditions, including location monitoring and a ban on contacting the media or using social media. Williams faces four counts of communicating and disclosing national defense information after prosecutors allege she shared sensitive details about a "special military unit" based at Fort Bragg. Each county carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. Authorities say Williams, who worked as a defense contractor and later a Defense Department employee between 2010 and 2016, held a top-secret security clearance and had access to highly sensitive material. The indictment alleges that between 2022 and 2025, Williams communicated extensively with a journalist, Seth Harp, including more than 10 hours of phone calls and hundreds of text messages. Harp later published some of the information in his 2025 book, The Fort Bragg Cartel, which alleged misconduct within Delta Force. The information included the real names of unit members, covert tactics and techniques, and even a cover identity used by the unit, as well as details tied to sensitive overseas missions. In Harp’s book, Williams said that she was sexually harassed and discriminated against based on her sex during her time at Fort Bragg. She alleged that Delta Force promoted a toxic work environment with drinking, drug use, and sexual harassment rampant. Federal officials have argued that disclosures posed a serious risk to national security. Reid Davis, the FBI special agent in charge in North Carolina, previously said the alleged leaks "should be shared only with those with proper clearances and a need to know in order to protect American lives.” "These are serious accusations," Reid said. "Anyone divulging information they vowed to protect to a reporter for publication is reckless, self-serving, and damages our nation’s security.” Williams’s defense has not publicly addressed the charges in detail. However, Harp has described Williams as a "courageous whistleblower," arguing the disclosures exposed problems such as alleged harassment and discrimination within the unit. Williams was arrested last week after a grand jury indictment and criminal complaint were unsealed. She will remain under home detention as the case proceeds in federal court.

Federal Newswire [4/13/2026 11:10 PM, C. M. Ingle] reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on April 13 to discuss joint commitments to security and trade, according to Principal Deputy Spokesperson Thomas Pigott. The meeting aimed to reaffirm the partnership between the United States and Finland, focusing on areas such as defense, economic cooperation, and technology. These topics are significant given ongoing global challenges that affect both countries. Rubio welcomed the opportunity to strengthen ties with Finland. The two officials discussed mutual defense priorities, efforts to end the war in Ukraine, Middle East security issues, and ways to expand economic prosperity through cooperation in emerging technologies.

Los Angeles Times [4/13/2026 6:11 PM, Samy Magdy, Julia Frankel, and Mike Corder, 12718K] reports that President Trump said Monday that the U.S. military had begun a blockade of Iranian ports as part of his effort to force Tehran to open the Strait of Hormuz and accept a deal to end the war that has raged for more than six weeks. Iran responded with threats on all ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, taking aim at U.S.-allied countries. That set the stage for an extraordinary showdown that posed serious risks for the global economy and raised the specter that the ceasefire could collapse and the war could resume. Talks aimed at permanently ending the conflict — which began Feb. 28 with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran — failed to reach an agreement over the weekend. There has been no word on whether negotiations will resume. Trump said the blockade started at 10 a.m. EDT. “We can’t let a country blackmail or extort the world because that’s what they’re doing,” Trump said of Iran. Speaking outside the Oval Office, the president suggested the U.S. is still willing to engage with Iran. “I can tell you that we’ve been called by the other side,” Trump said. He added: “We’ve been called this morning by the right people, the appropriate people, and they want to work a deal.” Trump did not say who called or what was discussed.

FOX News [4/13/2026 9:34 AM, Staff, 37576K] reports that the U.S. is set to begin a total naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz after Vice President JD Vance’s ‘final offer’ was rejected in Islamabad, leaving the decimated Iranian regime facing an economic and military ‘dead end.’ [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

New York Post [4/13/2026 7:35 AM, Emily Crane, 40934K] reports a defiant Iran on Monday accused the US of "piracy" following President Trump’s vow to block the Strait of Hormuz — as the regime taunted that the looming blockade would soon make Americans "nostalgic" for $4 gas. Iran’s armed forces claimed Trump’s threat to block Iranian ports and restrict vessels in international waters from 10 a.m. ET was illegal and the Islamic Republic would decisively implement a "permanent mechanism" to control the critical oil chokepoint. "The criminal actions of America in restricting maritime transit in international waters are illegal and constitute piracy," an Iranian Armed Forces spokesperson said. "The Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran clearly and firmly declare that security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no one." Iran warned that if Iranian ports were threatened, "no port in the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman will remain safe."

NewsMax [4/13/2026 6:39 PM, Jim Mishler, 3760K] reports an internet blackout imposed by Iran’s radical Islamist regime has entered its seventh week, cutting off most of the country’s more than 90 million citizens from global communication. The government has cited national security concerns for the shutdown, which continues even after a ceasefire with the U.S. took hold, according to New York Times. Access remains limited to a restricted domestic network, while most international connectivity is blocked, forcing some users to rely on costly virtual private networks to get online. Business leaders and academics say the blackout is worsening economic strain and limiting basic communication. "Restore the internet! Right now," businessman Pedram Soltani wrote on social media. "Small businesses are collapsing.” The regime defends the restrictions, with an adviser to the Ministry of Communications describing the recent conflict as "a very complex and security-related phenomenon" and signaling that access could return. Internet rights groups say the restrictions have created unequal access across the country. "Regime figures and white-listed influencers post freely on social media while they silence a population of 90 million whom they claim to serve," NetBlocks said in a social media post. The group said the blackout has now stretched beyond 45 days, with international connectivity severed for more than 1,000 hours.

CNN [4/13/2026 5:00 AM, Annie Grayer, Evan Perez, andSean Lyngaas, 612K] reports with just days until a powerful surveillance law lapses, US national security officials are scrambling to prepare for potential blind spots in intelligence collection amid the US’ delicate ceasefire with Iran, current and former officials told CNN. Some communications carriers that manage data for the surveillance program have privately warned the Trump administration they will cease collecting data on April 20, when the law is set to expire, if it is not renewed, according to US officials and private-sector officials familiar with the discussions. The companies fear they will face liability issues if they collect the data when the law is expired. "We are going to go blind for a while and that’s incredibly concerning amid a war," one former senior national security official said. Now, White House adviser Stephen Miller and CIA Director John Ratcliffe are leading the Trump administration’s eleventh-hour push to convince skeptical Republican lawmakers to support a clean reauthorization of the law for 18 months. Even though the House is scheduled to vote on the bill this week, it is unclear whether GOP leadership can deliver the votes. And CIA officials have also reached out to former national security officials in Democra tic administrations to seek their endorsement, as a way to appeal to hesitant Democrats, according to the former officials.

FOX News [4/13/2026 7:51 PM, Nora Moriarty, 37576K] reports Vice President JD Vance said Iran holds the deciding hand in what comes next in the Middle East conflict, while rejecting reports that recent peace talks in Pakistan ended in failure. Vance’s remarks come after his weekend trip to Pakistan for face-to-face negotiations with Iranian officials – talks that reports suggested produced no breakthrough. "The ball is very much in their court," Vance told "Special Report" anchor Bret Baier on Monday. "You ask what happens next, I think the Iranians are going to determine what happens next.” Vance said there were "good conversations" during the weekend talks that helped clarify U.S. priorities, including the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial international oil route. "I wouldn’t just say that things went wrong. I also think things went right. We made a lot of progress," he said. "They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs, but they didn’t move far enough.” Vance told Fox News that the Pakistan peace talks ultimately ended because Iranian negotiators were unable to finalize a deal, adding that the discussions revealed insights into who holds decision-making authority in Tehran. "We acquired some knowledge about how the Iranians are negotiating, and this is ultimately why we left Pakistan," he said. "What we figured out is that they were unable, I think — the team that was there, was unable to cut a deal," he explained. "They had to go back to Tehran, either from the supreme leader or somebody else, and actually get approval to the terms that we had set.” Meanwhile, President Donald Trump instituted a naval blockade of all Iranian ports Monday, following weeks of tensions in which Iran barred U.S. vessels from passing through the Strait of Hormuz. "What they [Iranians] have done is engage in this act of economic terrorism against the entire world. They’ve basically threatened any ship that’s moving through the Straits of Hormuz. Well, as the President of the United States showed, two can play at that game," Vance said. U.S. navy ships have been ordered to identify and flag any Iran-affiliated vessels traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Vance said that given the United States’ ceasefire agreement, he expects Iran to fully reopen the critical trade route, but admitted that it was a goal point that Iranians "tried to move" during the Pakistan talks. "We’ve stopped bombing the country. What we expect the Iranians to give up is a full reopening of the Straits of Hormuz," the vice president told Fox News. [Editorial note: consult video at source link]

Reported similarly:
Daily Signal [4/13/2026 7:31 PM, Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, 474K]

New York Post [4/14/2026 4:51 AM, Chris Bradford, 40934K] reports Vice President Vance accused Iran of “economic terrorism” over how it has blocked the Strait of Hormuz – but said the ball is in Tehran’s court when it comes to securing a peace deal. “Well, as the president of the United States showed, two can play that game,” Vance told Fox News Monday – just hours after the US blockade came into force. “If the Iranians are going to try to engage in economic terrorism, we’re going to abide by the simple principle that no Iranian ships are getting out either. “We know that’s a big deal to them. We know it applies additional economic leverage.” The blockade came into force – just two days after US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed following 21 hours of negotiation. Vance told Fox News Iranian negotiators could not finalize a deal, but said there were “good conversations” and a “we made a lot of progress.” “They moved in our direction, which is why I think we would say that we had some good signs, but they didn’t move far enough,” he said. “Whether we have further conversations, whether we ultimately get to a deal, I really think the ball is in the Iranian court because we put a lot on the table, we actually made very clear what our red lines were.” Vance claimed there was the prospect of a “grand deal” but said Iran cannot pursue a nuclear weapon and terrorism in order for it to become a “normal country.” “It’s up to the Iranians to take the next step,” he said. Foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said there was “progress on many issues discussed,” but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that “unreasonable” demands made by Washington prevented a deal from being reached.

Politico [4/13/2026 7:18 PM, Paul McLeary, Jack Detsch and Phelim Kine, 21784K] reports American forces began their blockade of Iranian ports on Monday, even as allies scrambled to understand how it will work — and how the Trump administration will avoid sparking new showdowns with the move. More than a dozen U.S. warships in the region are available to take part, according to one U.S. official, including the USS Tripoli, which has an embarked Marine unit aboard trained to interdict and board ships. Additional details remain scarce — including how long the blockade will last and what its precise strategic goals are. But President Donald Trump said it will bar ships that have left or plan to enter Iranian ports, as well as any ships that paid Iranian tolls for safe passage. The maneuver threatens to kick off a dangerous new phase of the war that could see U.S. troops executing high-risk boarding operations of foreign ships in the busy Persian Gulf. And it raises the possibility of wider global conflicts if the U.S. moves to stop foreign-flagged vessels, such as those from China or Russia. Some officials questioned how U.S. military commanders will actually enforce the blockade, “especially if Iran decides to let more ships through — and not necessarily those that have paid tolls — to overwhelm the blockade,” said one foreign diplomat from a nation with economic interests in the Middle East. “Is the U.S. Navy going to interdict every one of them, and do they have enough assets for this? And how would they verify who has allegedly paid tolls?” added the diplomat, who, like others in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive issues. At stake is the Strait of Hormuz, a vital gateway for the energy sector that Iran has effectively taken control of, causing oil prices to surge and driving up costs across the global economy. The White House appears to be betting that Tehran will capitulate and open the strait if the U.S. can cut off Iran’s ability to export its own oil via tankers. But the passage is vital to nations well beyond Iran, including China and Japan, which import oil from ships that traverse the strait. And some countries — such as Russia — use “shadow fleet” vessels that are controlled by Moscow or Tehran, even though they are flagged under third-party nations. While the U.S. might seize “shadow fleet” vessels, doing the same with a commercial ship hailing from China, for example, could touch off an international incident. “If it’s a flagged ship from India or a flagged ship from China that chooses to go run the blockade, or they bring a warship as an escort to protect them, now we’re into a different scenario,” said John Miller, a retired three-star admiral who previously commanded American ships in U.S. Central Command. “And it remains to be seen whether we would want to force that blockade against a Chinese-flagged vessel, for example, or not.”

Breitbart [4/13/2026 2:27 PM, Christian K. Caruzo, 2238K] reports that foreign Minister of Panama Javier Martínez-Acha on Sunday rejected Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and criticized the Islamic regime’s use of the waterway as a geopolitical tool amid its ongoing conflict with the U.S and Israel. Martínez-Acha spoke with the Spanish news agency EFE on Sunday on the tail end of his official visit to Asunción, Paraguay. The Minister expressed his fierce rejection of Iran’s actions at the Strait of Hormuz and how it has affected global energy prices. He reportedly stressed to EFE that he believes the Strait of Hormuz must remain open for the free and safe passage of all vessels, warning that using international trade routes "as instruments of political pressure has consequences that transcend regional borders." "We believe that, under conditions that ensure the safety of all parties, a permanent solution will be found; that the Strait of Hormuz will always remain open to the free and safe passage of all vessels; and that these key points for global trade will not be exploited for geopolitical purposes — that cannot be allowed," Martínez-Acha said. The Panamanian Foreign Minister clarified that although the ongoing conflict in the Middle East has caused a global surge in energy prices, Panama does not suffer from any shortages due to the conflict, as it imports its fuel directly from the United States. He also noted that the government of conservative President José Raúl Mulino has opted to implement partial fuel subsidies to mitigate the impact on local consumers.

Reuters [4/13/2026 5:13 AM, Joe Cash, 38315K] reports China said a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz would go against the international community’s interests and urged calm and restraint by all sides. The U.S. military said it will begin a blockade of all ‌maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports and coastal areas on Monday, after the failure of weekend talks in Islamabad aimed at ending the Iran war. Before the war, most Iranian oil exports were shipped to China, the top global importer of crude. The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz does not serve the common interests of the international community, Chinese Foreign Minister ⁠Wang Yi told Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, special envoy of the UAE President for China, in Beijing on Monday, according to a ministry statement. Wang said China understood the legitimate security concerns of the Gulf Arab states, and that the fundamental way to resolve the crisis was a comprehensive and lasting ceasefire achieved through political and diplomatic means. "China hopes the relevant parties will abide by the temporary ceasefire arrangements, remain committed to resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, and avoid a resumption of hostilities," foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press conference on Monday.

Daily Caller [4/13/2026 6:27 PM, Justin Bailey, 803K] reports U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and his Indonesian counterpart announced a defense deal Monday in Virginia that could strengthen U.S. control in a seaway critical for China. Hegseth and Indonesian Minister of Defense Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin agreed to strengthen an existing agreement between the two countries to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership (MDCP), according to a War Department (DOW) press release. The MDCP lays the groundwork for greater military cooperation, modernization of defenses and more training, a joint statement read. The Strait of Malacca, a key waterway between the Indian and Pacific Oceans running between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and Malaysia and Singapore, could see a strengthened U.S. presence as a result. "The two leaders committed to expanding the scope and complexity of bilateral and multilateral exercises … to strengthen collective capabilities and promote Peace through Strength," the press release read. The Strait of Malacca is oil tankers’ shortest route from the Middle East to East Asia by sea. Approximately 23.2 million barrels of oil passed through daily during the first half of 2025, according to U.S. Energy Information Administration statistics. This represented around 29% of total oil trade by sea. Roughly 48% of the imports passing through Malacca were bound for China during 2025’s first six months, according to the agency. America also conducts oil trade through the strait. Approximately 800,000 barrels transited the route from the U.S. east coast while around 200,000 barrels reached the U.S. west coast after passing through, mostly from Middle East-based suppliers. President Trump remains laser focused on securing the world’s choke points.

FOX News [4/13/2026 12:33 PM, Morgan Phillips, 37576K] reports that President Donald Trump warned China it would face "big problems" if it supplies air defense systems to Tehran as Iran remains locked in a conflict with the United States and Israel. "If China does that, China is gonna have big problems, OK?" Trump told reporters Saturday. The warning comes as U.S. intelligence assessments indicate China may be preparing to supply, or already could have moved to supply, shoulder-fired air defense systems to Iran, according to multiple news outlets reporting on intelligence assessments, though officials caution the information is not definitive and there is no evidence the weapons have been used against U.S. or Israeli forces. Trump’s warning also comes ahead of a high-stakes meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, with the two leaders expected to hold a summit in Beijing in May after it was postponed due to the ongoing conflict. The talks are likely to cover a range of issues, including trade tensions, Taiwan and the war involving Iran, placing additional pressure on U.S.-China relations as concerns mount over Beijing’s potential role in the conflict. The potential transfer of Chinese-supplied air defenses could increase risks to U.S. aircraft operating in the region, particularly low-flying missions already vulnerable to shoulder-fired missiles. China also has played a role in recent ceasefire efforts, pressing Iran to engage in talks with the United States and Israel through diplomatic outreach and coordination with regional partners, even as it denies providing military support to Tehran.

NewsMax [4/13/2026 1:35 PM, Charlie McCarthy, 3760K] reports that President Donald Trump threatened China with a "staggering" 50% tariff if it provides military assistance to Iran. During a Sunday interview, Trump said that any country, including China, that supplies weapons to Tehran would face steep economic consequences, escalating tensions between the world’s two largest economies. "If we catch them doing that, they get a 50% tariff," Trump told Maria Bartiromo on Fox News’ "Sunday Morning Futures," specifically referencing reports that China may be providing shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles to Iran. He noted that the tariff would be "a staggering amount." The warning comes amid mounting intelligence concerns. U.S. intelligence agencies believe China may have shipped portable air defense systems, known as MANPADS, to Iran, The New York Times reported. The weapons can target low-flying aircraft and pose a renewed threat to U.S. forces if hostilities resume. CNN reported that U.S. intelligence indicates China is preparing to deliver new air defense systems to Iran within the next few weeks. Chinese officials have denied the allegations, insisting Beijing has not provided weapons to any party in the conflict and is working to de-escalate tensions. Still, U.S. officials remain wary, noting that even indirect support through third-party channels would represent a significant escalation. Trump expressed skepticism that China would risk damaging its relationship with the U.S., but did not rule out limited early involvement.

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