June 2026 EVENTS

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ending its policy of reporting deaths of recently released detainees, the Department of Homeland Security said – a change in policy amid increasing scrutiny over the deaths of immigrants in federal custody.

The previous policy, adopted during the Biden administration, required the agency to review and report all fatalities of federal detainees, including those occurring up to 30 days after release from custody.

The change in policy was first reported by the Washington Post, which cited a memo from acting director David Venturella sent to agency employees Thursday saying ICE is eliminating its requirement to report deaths occurring within 30 days of people being released from its custody.

“Under this updated policy, when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths that may occur,” DHS said in an X post Thursday, calling it “common sense.”

“ICE is not responsible when an individual passes away weeks after leaving their custody,” the DHS statement went on to say.

Justice Department officials said Monday that they would not seek the death penalty for a man accused last year of assassinating Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota state legislator, and killing her husband, Mark, in a politically motivated attack.

Justice Department officials said that federal prosecutors decided not to recommend the death penalty for Vance Boelter, the man accused in the killings, after determining that underlying stalking charges against him likely did not make him eligible for capital punishment.

Federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty when a violent crime leads to a murder involving a firearm. 

Mr. Boelter was charged in connection with the shootings in both state and federal court. Minnesota has no death penalty for state crimes, but federal prosecutors initially left open the possibility that they might pursue capital punishment.

Mr. Boelter was accused of killing the Hortmans and of shooting and wounding State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. A third legislator whose home he visited was out of town, prosecutors have said, and he left the area outside a fourth legislator’s home after a police officer approached him.

Documents found in Mr. Boelter’s car, which was disguised to look like a police car, included the names of dozens more political figures.

The Democratic Women’s Caucus (DWC) hosted a press conference to honor fallen servicewomen, servicewomen, and women veterans. The event replaced the Bipartisan Women’s Caucus’ 28th Annual Women In Military Service Wreath Laying Ceremony, historically held at Arlington National Cemetery. 

The wreath laying ceremony was canceled this year because several military branches declined to participate, citing Executive Order 14185 from Trump and guidance from the Department of Defense entitled “Identity Months Dead at DOD” that they say barred the military from attending an event that honors women.

MS NOW reports that FBI agents on Thursday raided the Cleveland offices of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, a pro-democracy organization that helps register voters in that state.

Agents also fanned out across the state, showing up at the homes of the group’s leaders and staff members, carrying some subpoenas and seeking information and electronic devices, according to the three people briefed, two of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive ongoing investigation. 

Members of the group contacted lawyers on Thursday to determine their legal options, the people said.

Prentiss Haney, a board member of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative, told MS NOW Thursday night that agents approached people with connections to the group, including some who had performed basic canvassing and volunteer work, and pressed them for information.

“They had agents all across the state going to civil rights leaders’ and community leaders’ doors intimidating them, coming and demanding that they talk about literally anything they would ask,” Haney said, adding that agents “asked them if they’re committing voter fraud, just on their doors, in front of their houses with their children, and just following them to work and school.”

Some of the people said the agents approached without warrants, according to Haney.

Spokespeople for the FBI and the Justice Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment late Thursday night.

The sources briefed on the search said they are concerned this new effort in Ohio is part of the Trump administration’s efforts to sow doubt and distrust in voting integrity in key swing states ahead of the midterm elections.

Federal agents have in recent months launched inquiries and investigations into voting protocols in Georgia and Wisconsin, have subpoenaed voting records in Arizona and have sought reviews of voting machines in Puerto Rico.

The Utah County Clerk's Office is facing backlash for filling the role of chief deputy clerk with a 23-year-old conservative influencer who describes himself as "anti-universal suffrage" and has no elections experience.

Utah County Clerk Aaron Davidson claims he hired Kai Schwemmer on a "short term, two-to-three-month appointment" because he has a strong social media following and wanted him to increase outreach to young and first-time voters. The role, he says, is temporary and he said he will replace him with someone "in the elections arena" in the fall if he gets reelected.

"We're looking for ideas on how to reach out to these first-time voters and make sure their ballots are counted, and that's the whole reason we are bringing Kai in," Davidson said. "There is nothing nefarious."

Many members of the community find the appointment concerning, claiming his alleged bias against women and opinions on voting will impact his ability to work fairly.

Utah County Commissioner Amelia Powers Gardner said she first learned about Schwemmer being appointed last week.

“I don't follow social media closely. ... I was sent screenshots of his social media posts, then I started to get very concerned," she said.

Schwemmer posted on X in November that "Women generally do not have what it takes to endure the pressures of a public office." 

This primary election, women are running in three of the four races. Powers Gardner said if she were a candidate on the ballot, she would be "highly concerned" having a man like Schwemmer on the elections team.

"As a county clerk, you are a gatekeeper to democracy. You have a legal and a moral obligation to ensure every eligible voter, their constitutional right to vote is protected and upheld," she said. "To have somebody heading up the election who has publicly said that he doesn't agree with women having the franchise to vote is disturbing."

Setting aside the political ideology, Powers Gardner also worries about his lack of experience as she is a former county clerk and knows firsthand what the role entails.

Davidson said it's important for people to understand what his role is and that "he has no ability to introduce any of his biases; that's just out of his role."

"I'm sorry about the backlash. I'm sorry about the controversy, but he's done great," Davidson said.

Powers Gardner said there isn't much the County Commission can do as it's an appointed position under an elected official.

"We really can't do anything because the chief deputy serves at the pleasure of the elected official. Elections have consequences, and the current elected official thinks that this person is qualified to be over the election," she said.

Nine people spoke during public comment at Wednesday's County Commission meeting, all of whom based their remarks on opposing Schwemmer's appointment.

Carren Crossley, of Spanish Fork, said the stated reason for hiring him does not match the "actual job description" which typically requires 10 years of experience and a master's degree.

She listed off some of the controversial things Schwemmer has said, including his support of family voting where the male head of household casts a ballot for the whole family, his endorsement of repealing same-sex marriage protections and him "gladly accepting the title Mormon Nick Fuentes."

"This is who now sits on the leadership team of the office that runs elections and manages marriage license in Utah County," she said. "He's openly derogatory towards half the people in this county and does not believe that they should vote."

The White House has revealed their aliens.gov website, a site which compares immigrants to aliens, including a map of “alien encounters”, which claims to track all people taken by ICE across the USA. You can enter your home town and see what “encounters” have happened around you. 

“THEY WALK AMONG US” glows in X-Files green across the top. “For 60 years, the U.S. government has kept a closely guarded secret. Aliens have been walking among us, living in our neighborhoods... They’ve shopped in the same stores, attended the same classes as our children, and lived seemingly normal human existences. With one exception, they do not belong here. Millions arrived under the cover of darkness and embedded themselves directly into our society.”

The sixty years directly points to the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, which ended the national-origins quotas that had favored white northern Europeans. 

The site also states that “These ‘Aliens’ are the millions of ILLEGALS who invaded our country under the cover of darkness. Deport them all.” and includes a button linking to the ICE tip line.

In a news story that sounds like it was written by the Onion, but is unfortunately true, Trump hosted a UFC cage-fighting event, UFC Freedom 250, on June 14th on the White House South Lawn to celebrate his 80th birthday.

The White House grounds were transformed into a full-scale MMA arena, featuring an eight-sided wire-mesh Octagon called “The Claw,” with seating for over 4,000 spectators and additional viewing areas on the nearby Ellipse 

Fighters warmed up in historic rooms like the Oval Office, Cabinet Room, and Roosevelt Room before entering the Octagon 

A U.S. court approved the event despite objections, ruling that opponents had not demonstrated lasting harm and had filed objections too late 

The event reportedly cost over $60 million and involved tens of thousands of hours of labor, with seven government agencies providing security and operational support.

The U.S. Attorney's Office announced charges Tuesday against 15 Minnesotans it claimed interfered with immigration enforcement earlier this year.

All 15 were formally charged with conspiracy to impede or injure a federal officer. Some of the defendants also face charges of solicitation to commit a crime of violence, interstate threats, interstate stalking, assault on a federal officer, and destruction of government property.

At a press conference Tuesday morning, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said the defendants were members and associates of the group Direct Action Minnesota, which is recognized for its large-scale grassroots and labor movement, and also opposed ICE during Operation Metro Surge.

Rosen accused the defendants of a conspiracy to interfere with law enforcement operations "with force," calling their alleged actions "obstructive, disruptive, and unlawful."

The indictment includes correspondence between defendants through Signal or on social media. It also details setting up blockades around federal buildings, a defendant following an agent from the Whipple Building to their home in Hudson, and people throwing blocks of ice at agents' vehicles. 

The indictment does not allege any injuries to federal agents and Rosen would not answer questions from the press if any federal agents had been injured. 

Dan Troccoli,said his friend Thoreson, who is a teacher, was charged. 

"We all were defending our schools, making sure ICE didn't show up there and terrorizing our students," Troccoli said.

While vowing to hold those charged accountable, Rosen spoke vaguely about any possible investigations into the officers who shot and killed Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

"Those investigations are ongoing. They are ongoing in the way that proper federal law enforcement investigations ought to proceed," he said.

"They will proceed to their completion, and they'll proceed to their completion in the proper pace and at the proper time."

A major flu outbreak has sickened nearly 160 troops at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas less than two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that U.S. troops would no longer be required to be vaccinated for the flu, defense officials said.

A trainee, Keon McDaniel, died after falling ill on Friday, the Air Force said in a news release. It was not immediately clear whether the death of the trainee was related to the flu outbreak.

A comprehensive medical review into his death is underway to determine the cause, according to the Air Force.

Senatobia police responded to a shoplifting call regarding diapers at a local Walmart on Sunday, where they found two women and a child leaving the store, getting into a car and driving away. According to a statement released by the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation: “Officers attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver drove in the direction of the officers, almost striking one. An officer then discharged their weapon and the vehicle fled the scene.”

The officer shot and killed a 1-year-old boy, Kohen Wiley.

Kohen’s mother, Vellesiya Wiley, said her son and her friend, who was driving, were hit by gunfire. In a video posted on social media Wednesday by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, Wiley said her friend was not driving toward the officers because they were “all on the right side and she was driving towards the left.”

She also disputes the shoplifting claim, saying in the video that she believes her friend paid for the diapers she was carrying.

The Justice Department released a memo this week that quietly calls into question decades of civil rights protections for Americans with disabilities.

The memo, an opinion from the Office of Legal Counsel, argues that states do not have to provide in-home or community-based care to people with disabilities who need support. These services allow many disabled Americans to continue to live, learn and work at home or in their own communities, among family and friends.

Without the federal government requiring that states provide these services – to help disabled people integrate into their communities – advocates and legal experts warn that cash-strapped states could cut them and return to what was once common practice: de facto segregation of Americans with disabilities in nursing homes and large institutions.

Trump’s new acting director of national intelligence, Bill Pulte, began purging staff members at the office Monday, a source familiar with the matter confirmed to NBC News.

CNN was first to report that the dismissals were underway.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump named Pulte the acting director this month and said on Truth Social that he had “asked him to execute the immediate and needed downsizing of the office, reverting staff to their home agencies.” Pulte, who has no background in national security matters, has been serving as head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency.

A separate source with knowledge of the matter told NBC News over the weekend that Pulte had ordered staff members to identify 400 employees to be fired from the National Counterterrorism Center.

Pulte issued the instruction late Thursday — before he officially took over for outgoing Director Tulsi Gabbard, the source said. He started his new post Friday.

The potential cuts at the counterterrorism center are focused on an office set up after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to monitor terrorist threats and suspected militants and to pool information from across federal agencies. 

Trump named Pulte to the nation’s top intelligence post after Gabbard announced she was stepping down for family reasons. Pulte was met with bipartisan concerns in Congress, in part because of his lack of national security experience.

Trump later said Pulte would not serve in the role permanently and announced he would nominate Jay Clayton, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, instead, but then he hit the brakes on Clayton’s nomination hours before his Senate confirmation hearing.

Trump has asked Senate Republicans not to act on Clayton’s nomination until his replacement as U.S. attorney is installed.

Jimmy Fallon had Irish UFC fighter Conor McGregor, 37, on his show last week.

McGregor was found liable for sexual assault in 2024 after he was sued by former hairstylist Nikita Hand. The woman was awarded $285,000 in damages following an eight-day trial.

Fallon invited him to The Tonight Show to promote his return to the UFC at UFC 329 on June 16. 

Christing Ricci circulated a viral post slamming the host that reads, “Conor McGregor raped a woman so brutally that the EMT who saw her commented on the severity of her bruising. She also had to have the tampon she was using when he raped her surgically removed, as it had been shoved so far inside her. Why the ABSOLUTE F--- is this piece of human garbage being given a platform on Jimmy Fallon’s show?”

Fallon hasn't commented on the backlash to his interview with McGregor. 

Several anti-ICE Texas protesters received unusually harsh prison sentences on Tuesday after being convicted of terrorism for protests last Fourth of July.

After a three-week jury trial, the nine activists were all found guilty of numerous criminal charges in March, stemming from a Fourth of July protest at an immigrant detention facility in Alvarado, Texas, south of Fort Worth. The demonstrators arrived that night to set off fireworks as part of a demonstration to show solidarity with those detained inside. A few of the protesters spontaneously broke off from the main group and vandalized cars in the parking lot, a guard shack, slashed the tires on a government van and broke a security camera. When a police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon, one of the activists fired an AR-15 from the woods, hitting the officer in the shoulder. The officer survived.

Benjamin Song, who fired the gun at the police officer, was sentenced to 100 years in prison.

Song said he fired at the police officer, Lt Thomas Gross, because Gross had his weapon drawn and Song believed he was about to shoot a protester.

Song was convicted of attempted murder of an officer of the United States, as well as firearm and explosives charges. He was also convicted of riot and providing material support to terrorists. 

Zachary Evetts, Autumn Hill, Savanna Batten, Elizabeth Soto and Meagan Morris were sentenced to 50 years in prison. Maricela Rueda, another demonstrator, was sentenced to 70 years in prison. All six were convicted of riot, providing material support to terrorist, and explosive charges. Rueda was also convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record.

Batten, Elizabeth Soto and her husband, Ines Soto, were not involved in the planning, arrived separately at the protest, and left when guards at the facility asked them to do so. Morris stayed in a van many of the protesters had carpooled in with a cache of weapons and body armor while the protest was ongoing. 

The ninth defendant, Daniel Sanchez-Estrada was not even at the protest, but was convicted of corruptly concealing a document or record after prosecutors said he moved leftwing zines and other materials at the request of Rueda, his wife, after she was arrested. Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison on Tuesday.

“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” Todd Blanche, the acting attorney general, said in a statement. “Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law.”

Prosecutors claimed the attack on the officer was premeditated and part of a conspiracy. They also said the activists were part of a “North Texas antifa cell”, which was seen as part of the administration’s effort to criminalize “antifa”, which is NOT an actual organization.

In comparison, the punishment for the protesters exceeds any of the prison sentences given out for the attack on the Capitol on January 6. Enrique Tarrio, the leader of the Proud Boys who was convicted of seditious conspiracy, was only sentenced to 22 years in prison and was fully pardoned by Trump. Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right group the Oath Keepers, was sentenced to 18 years in prison. Rhodes had his sentence commuted.

The government has recently brought similar prosecutions against activists. Earlier this month, prosecutors filed criminal conspiracy charges against 15 activists in Minneapolis who allegedly interfered with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in performing their duties. A federal jury in Spokane, Washington, found three protesters guilty of conspiracy for participating in a 2025 protest at an ICE facility. A similar case in Chicago against protesters fell apart after it was revealed there was misconduct before grand jurors.

U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner told Congress on Wednesday that the USPS has a broken ​business model and needs help from lawmakers to turn around ‌its operations.

"The bottom line is that we are out of cash. We are borrowing from our employees’ retirement funds to continue operations," Steiner's written testimony before a U.S. ​Senate committee said, warning it could run out of operating ​funds in months if it stopped deferring obligations. "The Postal Service ⁠has a broken business model and action is needed by Congress to fix it."

Steiner ​wants Congress to compensate it for money-losing operations and make other reforms. ​In March, Steiner said the Postal Service was hiring restructuring advisers to help address its financial troubles.

One key question is whether USPS should continue to deliver to ​170 million addresses six days a week, which costs $3.4 billion annually -- ​and 70% of those routes lose money, Steiner said. About 58% of its 18,000 ‌Post Offices ⁠also lose money.

USPS said last ⁠month it was suspending non-essential spending on travel, office supplies and consultants, as well as temporarily suspending employer payments for a federal pension programs.

It also plans to raise the ⁠price ​of first-class mail stamps to 82 cents ​from 78 cents, effective July 12.

The United States Postal Service) is the only delivery service required by law to deliver to every U.S. address at a uniform, affordable price, including rural areas, protectorates, and overseas military installations. It also securely processes and delivers time-sensitive materials like election ballots, court documents, passports, and medical prescriptions.

As a note, Federal agencies and the UFC spent at least $60 million to pull off the White House cage fight for Trump’s birthday, and the recent catastrophic Reflecting Pool “renovation” cost $13.1 million through a no-bid contract to the company of a Trump supporter.

Five individuals were arrested this week for allegedly vandalizing the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. However, the Pool paint has already been peeling and algae has been growing since before these arrests. Some say they merely touched the water and law enforcement officers detained them for destruction of government property, a charge that carries a 10-year maximum prison sentence.

Outside is reporting that a newly revealed internal memo allegedly bans National Park Service (NPS) staff from publicly reporting the deaths or severity of injuries at America’s 435 national parks.

According to a report recently published by The Washington Post, the Department of the Interior (DOI), which oversees NPS, distributed a memo to employees in December. Park staff and those who speak to the media were reportedly prohibited from notifying the public about deaths and certain injuries across 435 NPS sites nationwide.

A spokesperson for the DOI said the “narrative being presented is false and reflects a significant mischaracterization of the Department’s guidance.”

In the last week, the NPS failed to publicly report a series of deaths at areas under its jurisdiction; a 23-year-old died after falling off a waterfall in Yosemite, and a teenage girl drowned in Sequoia National Park during a hike. Outside found no record of either event on the NPS website.

According to The Washington Post, the internal policy states “Interior shall not confirm a death,” and that this policy applies to “all Interior bureaus and offices” plus “all Interior communications involving fatalities, suspected fatalities, serious injuries or emotionally sensitive incidents.”

Only “appropriate authorities” can confirm a death, the outlet noted.

“Interior shall not confirm the severity of injuries,” the memo reportedly said, according to The Washington Post. “Interior may state only that an individual was transported and the method of transport. No additional medical information may be released.”

Staff can confirm that an incident occurred, the general location, that the department is responding, and that an investigation is ongoing; additional information will be shared when appropriate, The Washington Post said.

The memo further states that the new policy applies to “all Interior bureaus and offices,” the publication reported.

Fifty-two people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during the first 500 days of the current Trump administration. 

A joint report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights documented the deaths. The report noted that the mortality rate is at its highest point in a decade, with a 140 percent surge. 

Medical complications, including untreated emergencies and chronic illnesses, are the primary causes of death. Reports also highlight an increase in apparent suicides among detainees.

By a 6-to-3 vote, the Supreme Court’s conservative majority ruled that the President has virtually unrestrained power to end the Temporary Protected Status program, known as TPS. This gives the Trump administration the green light to begin mass deportations of people who have been living and working legally in the United States for years.

Congress enacted the TPS law in 1990 to allow fully vetted and eligible migrants to live and work legally in the U.S. if they cannot return safely to their home countries because of natural disasters, armed conflicts, and other extraordinary conditions. The Department of Homeland Security designates which foreign countries qualify for TPS.

Writing for the court's conservatives, Justice Samuel Alito said that the TPS statute bars any court review of how the president and his Department of Homeland Security have used their authority to end TPS status. At the same time, he also rejected the Haitians' separate constitutional claim that the decision to eject them from the county was based on racial prejudice.

Justice Elena Kagan wrote the liberal dissent , quoting Trump references to Haiti as a filthy, dirty, disgusting s-hole country; his debunked claims that Haitians living in the U.S. were eating their neighbors' pets; and his assertions that Haitians are poisoning the blood of the country, in addition to his repeated comments asking, "Why can't we have more people from Norway and Sweden."

Thomas K. Brown, the Delaney Hall worker charged with striking a protester with his car outside the facility Sunday is blaming protesters for causing him to hit the woman, court records say.

Brown claimed that when he started driving onto the jail property at about 2 p.m. Sunday, protesters began hitting the driver’s side of his car, so he accelerated into the facility’s parking lot, striking a protester waving a large American flag.

According to the complaint, Brown told police he did not know he had hit the woman until he entered the jail and saw the video circulating online, and then he notified his supervisors.

The woman was taken to University Hospital in Newark, where police documented bumps and bruises on her body.

Brown was charged with assault by auto and issued a traffic ticket for reckless driving, Newark Public Safety Director Emanuel Miranda said Wednesday.

Brown is expected to appear in court in Newark on Aug. 5.

A new report by a Trump’s Religious Liberty Commission provides numerous recommendations, including “building bridges” between church and state, rather than separating church and state.

The commission was created by Trump last year and filled almost entirely by conservative Christians. 

The chair of the commission is Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick who supported legislation in 2021 to prevent public schools from requiring that students read writings by prominent civil rights figures, in social studies classes, said that he intended to revoke tenure for faculty who teach critical race theory in 2022, and in 2023 supported legislation banning diversity, equity and inclusion offices at public universities.

The vice-chair of the committee is Ben Carson, who in 2019 expressed concern about transgender women, whom he reportedly called “big hairy men,” entering women’s homeless shelters, in 2013  compared gay people to pedophiles, and in 2015, the claimed that being gay was a choice. Shortly after Carson took the helm at HUD in 2017, the department removed links that provided emergency shelters with guidance on how to best serve LGBTQ service recipients.

The 224-page draft report echoes members’ support for a stronger role for religion and religious expression in government, schools and the public square.

The report:

• · Applauds recent Supreme Court decisions expanding rights to religious expression in public settings.
• · Recommends eliminating the “Johnson Amendment ” that forbids political activities by tax-exempt religious groups.
• · Calls for compensating military service members who were discharged for refusing COVID-19 vaccines.
• · Wants to allow more religious expression in the public square.
• · Greater access to public money for faith-based agencies.
• · Broader exemptions for those claiming conscientious objections to policies ranging from vaccine mandates to pronoun usage to classroom lessons.
• · It recommends that federal agencies publish “Know Your Rights” posters for various settings and establish hotlines to receive complaints about religious liberty violations.
• · Calls for the creation of new honors, including a Presidential Medal of Religious Liberty and First Freedom Hero Awards. 
• · Calls for exhibits and markers at historic sites paying tribute to the role of religion in American history.
• · Calls for combatting antisemitism through various legal tools. 
• · Recommends requiring any public official who says an employee engaged in improper religious expression to provide a written explanation.

The draft report is now available for public comment over the next 15 days. 

Some groups, including the progressive Interfaith Alliance, have a pending lawsuit saying the commission lacks ideological diversity as required of federal advisory panels.

The Rev. Paul Raushenbush, president of Interfaith Alliance, said the report represents “a wishlist of divisive, unpopular ideas far-right religious groups have pushed for years,” such as expanding vouchers for religious schools and repealing the Johnson amendment.

The phrase, “a wall of separation between church and state” does not appear in the Constitution, but it is embodied in Supreme Court precedent. Thomas Jefferson used that expression in a letter to Baptists, supporting them in opposing official churches in U.S. states, a practice that soon ended.

Twentieth-century decisions by the high court invoked the “separation” phrase to extend the First Amendment’s prohibition on federal church establishment to state and local governments, citing the 14th Amendment’s ban on states denying citizens’ rights.

That led to bans on official prayers and Ten Commandments displays in public schools. Trump’s Supreme Court has permitted such things as a public school coach’s on-field prayers and a religious opt-out for parents objecting to a lesson on transgender issues.

Back in January, after Jonathan Ross shot Renee Good, Paige Lynne Gonyea posted a photo on Instagram of Ross with a comment saying the Minnesota Star Tribune had identified him. "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted," Gonyea wrote in her caption. 

This past Tuesday, Gonyea was working the polls in Syracuse and received a voicemail from a New Jersey number, from someone identifying himself as a Homeland Security special agent.

"We were just by your apartment," the caller said, adding he had gotten her phone number from her significant other. "We were just calling you in reference to a post that we believe you made on Instagram where you doxxed an ICE agent back in January."

Gonyea has denied that she ever doxxed an ICE agent. 

In a statement to NPR, a DHS spokesperson said Gonyea had committed a federal crime by publishing an ICE officer's address online but have not offered evidence to back up that claim.

Gonyea called the agent back and told him she was working at a polling site. The agent wanted Gonyea to come outside, but she didn't feel comfortable.

There was a lull in voters and Gonyea says she told the agent to come inside to talk to her. Her coworker Milledge and another poll worker recorded video as a man and a woman with ICE badges entered the library. Milledge can be heard on the video trying to call city officials.

"We're working down at the polls today and ICE came here to bring a warning to one of our workers," Milledge is heard saying on the video.

Gonyea said the agents had a file about her with details including her name, address, date of birth, height, weight and eye color and that they asked her to sign a document that claimed her Instagram account might have violated a federal law that says it is unlawful to threaten or intimidate a federal officer. The notice, which is from ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility, warns "YOU MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW" at the top. The notice reads, "OPR is requesting that you promptly remove and/or discontinue the aforementioned behavior."

It's illegal under federal law for armed federal law enforcement to come inside a polling place. It is unclear whether these agents were armed. A recently enacted New York state law also bars immigration agents from entering voting sites.

Gonyea did not sign the document or delete any of her posts. While she says the agents never told her exactly which post triggered their visit, she says they did confirm it was a post about Jonathan Ross.

Perry Grossman of the New York Civil Liberties Union said that "If this is the kind of speech that the administration, that DHS wants to go after, then they are trying to fundamentally redefine the First Amendment and the scope of permissible public debate, and that is wrong. That is ridiculous."

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday called for stronger independent oversight of the United States immigration detention system and investigations into all deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.

ICE currently holds more than 60,000 people in detention, with plans to increase detention capacity to 90,000 people by the end of the year. 19 people have already died in ICE detention this year. 

“Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld,” Mr. Türk said in a statement. 

In his statement, Mr. Türk wrote about “concerning allegations regarding the use of force”, lack of transparency about the deaths, whereabouts of detainees during transfers, inhumane conditions, including inadequate healthcare and food and exposure to diseases. He also expressed alarm over the reported use of solitary confinement and the detainment of pregnant women, those with significant medical or mental health conditions, and children.

He stated that “US immigration authorities must ensure that their detention facilities comply with international human rights norms and standards.” 

He also expressed support for those advocating for the rights of those being detained. 

If you haven't read all of the Delaney Hall letters yet, here is a link to a document with all of the translated letters that have come out of Delaney Hall as of 6/26/26.

If you, like millions of other visitors, used to use Climate.gov for important climate data, you can now use Climate.us.

The site launched this week and was created by former employees of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) who worked on Climate.gov until they were laid off as part of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) cutbacks.

Rebecca Lindsey is a former program director for Climate.gov who now heads the Climate.us project. In August 2025, she and two other former NOAA employees who helped run the government site began to re-create it.

"This information is too important. It should remain in a protected place," Lindsey says.

Lindsey and her small team crowdsourced about $280,000 to get started. They also rely on volunteers, including about 80 scientists who serve on the group's science panel and are subject-matter experts to fact-check the site. This year, the effort also received a one-time grant from an anonymous donor that Lindsey says will keep the project afloat until at least February 2027.

The new site re-creates the old "climate dashboard" on the government site that contained more than a dozen key graphs related to climate change. It also features Climate.gov's 15-year collection of climate news and stories, expert blogs, visual status reports on key climate indicators, maps and data pathways, climate literacy resources and classroom materials, according to the site.

Lindsey says there is discussion within Climate.us about whether the site would eventually return to government stewardship or whether it should remain an independent resource. She sees the value in keeping it out of politicians' hands.

Montana Republican Senate nominee Kurt Alme, who previously served as his state’s U.S. attorney, cut a plea deal in 2020 that allowed a tribal police officer who sexually abused a 6-year-old girl to serve less than a year in prison and avoid being registered as a sex offender.

Alme, who has Trump’s backing in his bid for Senate, served as Montana’s U.S. attorney in two Trump-appointed stints. Alme served in the role from September 2017 through December 2020, and then again from March 2025 through March 2026.

Alme oversaw the case of Mychal Thomas Damon, who was indicted in June 2019 by a grand jury on one count of abusive sexual contact with an individual under 12, which carries a maximum punishment of a lifetime in prison, a $250,000 fine and no less than five years to a lifetime of supervised release. 

Damon, 28, had admitted he touched the 6-year-old’s genitals. But in February 2020, Alme’s office filed a plea deal in his case that reduced his charge to felony child abuse.

The changes in the plea deal raised the alleged age of the victim from below 12 to below 14, stripped out the language of sexual intent and moved the offense out of the federal sex crime framework, meaning Damon would no longer be required to register as a sex offender. It jointly recommended Damon be sentenced to the time he’d already served of 324 days, and required only a sex offender evaluation. Alme’s name appears on the bottom of the document, along with a signature by his assistant U.S. attorney, Cassady Adams.

During his tenure as U.S. attorney, his office also declined 64% of sexual assault cases. In a 2019 interview he said that a lot of these cases are declined due to “weak or insufficient evidence.”

 After nearly four months away from his office with no explanation, Rep. Tom Kean Jr. made his first appearance on the House floor and revealed a depression diagnosis led to his extended hospitalization.

The New Jersey Republican’s floor remarks were his first public disclosure about the absence that went publicly unexplained for more than 100 days. His staff blamed a personal medical condition without providing other details.

The average U.S. full-time worker with a separate sick leave plan receives 7 to 8 paid sick days per year.

The average US worker receives about 11 to 14 paid vacation days annually after their first year. About 25% of private-sector workers get no paid time off.

U.S. Representatives do not receive a set number of paid vacation or sick days, and there are no institutional limits on their time off. Because there is no set HR policy for leave, members of Congress who take extended absences for personal or health reasons are not docked pay.

At the top of Kean’s official government website it says, “One of the most important aspects of Congress is developing, making, and monitoring laws. New legislation is passed almost every week. Please contact our office to share your thoughts on current legislation that may affect you, your family and your community.”

Kean explained in the speech that his diagnosis came after medical testing and that he did not know at the outset how long he would be hospitalized.

“When I said I hoped to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it,” he continued. “Those were the best estimates the doctors could provide, but as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing, there is no timeline for recovery — only the work of getting better one day at a time. 

Even Kean’s political allies spent the last several months largely in the dark about his condition. The other two House Republicans from New Jersey, Reps. Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith, said in April that they had tried reaching out to Kean out of concern but had not heard back — Van Drew described it as “radio silence”. Local party leaders in Kean’s district were similarly left out of the loop.