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With that, here’s the news:
Luis Leon, an 82-year-old legal U.S. resident and asylum recipient from Chile, was secretly deported by ICE after visiting a Pennsylvania immigration office to replace a lost green card. He was detained without explanation, separated from his wife, and later falsely reported as deceased by a mysterious caller claiming to be an immigration lawyer.
Leon was eventually found alive in a hospital in Guatemala—a country he has no known ties to—after reportedly being held in an ICE facility in Minnesota. His deportation appears to have occurred without due process or documentation, and outside official ICE deportation records.
A recent Supreme Court ruling allows deportation to countries other than a person’s origin, which may have played a role. Leon, who suffers from multiple health conditions, had lived in the U.S. for nearly 40 years; his family is now traveling to Guatemala to visit him, while ICE says it is investigating.
Donald Trump demanded that the Washington Commanders (NFL) and Cleveland Guardians (MLB) revert to their former names—“Redskins” and “Indians”—claiming Native Americans “in massive numbers” want the change to preserve their heritage.
Trump has gone so far as suggesting that he will kill a recent deal that would bring the Commanders to Washington, D.C. in a major new stadium deal if the team did not change its name.
Both teams changed names in response to longstanding criticism that the original names and mascots were racially insensitive to Native Americans, amid broader racial justice movements.
Trump incorrectly referred to the Guardians as one of baseball’s “original six” and called on team owners to “GET IT DONE!!!” Guardians leadership reaffirmed they will not change the name again, and the Commanders' new ownership also has no plans to reverse the rebranding.
New polls show a majority of Americans now oppose President Trump’s aggressive immigration crackdown, with 55% saying ICE raids go too far, 57–58% rejecting massive migrant detention facilities, and growing support for nationwide protests—highlighting a sharp drop in public approval for what was once Trump’s strongest policy issue.
Tulsi Gabbard, Donald Trump’s Director of National Intelligence, doubled down on the idea of prosecuting former President Barack Obama (even though he has complete immunity under this Supreme Court’s ruling) suggesting that Pam Bondi and Kash Patel should target and prosecute Obama and Obama-era intelligence officials.
The Trump administration granted ICE a $75 billion funding boost to dramatically escalate immigration enforcement—expanding detention to 100,000 beds, slashing release opportunities, ramping up raids nationwide, and triggering backlash over aggressive tactics, strained resources, and diminished legal protections for migrants.
Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. will meet with President Trump at the White House to discuss trade and security, following Trump’s threat to impose a 20% tariff on Philippine exports; Marcos seeks a mutually beneficial trade deal, while also meeting with top U.S. officials amid broader tensions over Trump’s aggressive trade policy.
Alan Dershowitz, Jeffrey Epstein’s former lawyer, said grand jury transcripts are less revealing than discovery, depositions, and records from related cases, emphasizing that some documents could name falsely accused individuals; he also claimed Ghislaine Maxwell could be a key witness if granted immunity, though sources close to Maxwell deny any plans for congressional testimony.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar criticized President Trump for the growing controversy over the unreleased Epstein files, saying it stems from promises he and his administration made to release them while in office.
Rep. Adam Smith said only firm U.S. pressure under Trump will force Putin to negotiate peace in Ukraine, criticizing Trump’s initial blame on Zelensky as a major mistake.
U.S. envoy Adam Boehler urged countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia to release detained Americans, citing the Venezuela prisoner swap as a model and warning that holding U.S. citizens is a serious issue.
A fragile ceasefire in Syria between the government, Druze, and Bedouin groups appears to be holding, though a planned prisoner swap has not occurred; the U.S. is urging Damascus to maintain peace.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s influence is growing as Trump’s foreign policy aligns more closely with Rubio’s long-held positions.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
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