Good morning! Today is March 23rd, and here’s your morning news rundown. Before I jump in—I want to say thank you. My work isn’t backed by billionaires or ad companies; it’s funded by you.
Because of your support, I’m able to do this work full-time—and just today, I’m reporting from the Panama Canal. If you believe in independent journalism, please consider becoming a paid subscriber for access to exclusive live coverage, articles, and to keep this work going:
With that, here is all the news you missed:
Steve Witkoff, who serves as Trump’s negotiator and envoy, has expressed trust in Vladimir Putin. Speaking about the situation in Ukraine, Witkoff said, “There's a view within the country of Russia that these are Russian territories, that there are referendums within these territories that justify these actions ... I just don't see that [Putin] wants to take all of Europe ... I take him as his word.”
Read what happened to the Venezuelans deported to El Salvador.“The intake began with slaps. One young man sobbed when a guard pushed him to the floor. He said, ‘I’m not a gang member. I’m gay. I’m a barber.’” Later, “the guy who claimed to be a barber began to whimper, folding his hands in prayer as his hair fell. He was slapped. The man asked for his mother, then buried his face in his chained hands and cried as he was slapped again.”
23,260 people showed up in Tucson for AOC and Bernie Sanders—the biggest political rally ever recorded in Arizona.
The White House is working with Harbinger, an outside event firm, to seek corporate sponsors for this year’s Easter Egg Roll—raising red flags for ethics experts and drawing surprise from former officials in both parties.
The IRS is close to a deal that would give immigration officials access to tax data—despite long-standing promises to undocumented workers that their information would remain confidential and not be used for deportation.
The Trump administration is stripping legal status from 530,000 people—Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans.
Immigrant women held in ICE custody describe being treated "like animals," enduring inhumane conditions—chained for hours without food, water, or toilets, packed into overcrowded cells, and given just one brief shower over several days. Four women, all without criminal records, were even held in a men’s detention center in Miami, where they said the conditions were so extreme they feared for their lives.
See you this evening!
— Aaron
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