Good evening, everyone. The news cycle is slowing slightly tonight, which is welcome, as I am coming off a red-eye flight last night and planning an early evening. Even so, there is still a great deal to cover. Democrats are holding firm and refusing to vote for ICE funding, pushing the country to the brink of a government shutdown. The Department of Justice has declined to open a civil rights investigation into the killing of Alex Pretti. And the DOJ says it will release the Epstein files soon, while still offering no clarity on timing or scope.
This moment feels like a genuine inflection point in our nation’s history. Right now, more than ever, we need journalists and media institutions that are willing to tell the truth, the full truth, even when it is uncomfortable or unpopular.
That belief is why I started this work. Civics and media literacy are not taught consistently in our schools, and too many people are left without the tools to understand what is happening around them.
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Before we get into tonight’s news, I want to sincerely thank you for your support and for the messages you have shared over the past week. The past month has felt like a year all on its own, and I am incredibly proud of the platform we are building together. I am just as proud to have you alongside us.
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Here’s the news:
The U.S. is heading toward a partial government shutdown by Saturday as Senate Democrats refuse to back a House-passed funding bill unless Department of Homeland Security funding is stripped out over ICE’s actions in Minnesota, with the standoff threatening furloughs across major agencies while DHS could largely keep operating using previously approved funds.
According to MS Now, the Department of Justice has said it will not open an independent civil rights investigation into the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by a federal Border Patrol agent in Minneapolis, with the review instead being handled internally by DHS components—a departure from the more typical FBI-led civil rights probe and drawing criticism from lawmakers and civil rights advocates.
Vice President JD Vance is under significant fire for comparing Senator Tammy Duckworth to “Forrest Gump” today":
Today is day 41 of the Justice Department violating the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The Justice Department told a federal judge it has manually reviewed several million pages of Jeffrey Epstein-related records under the Epstein Files Transparency Act and is making “substantial progress” toward completing redactions to protect victims and privileged information, but despite missing the 30-day statutory deadline, it declined to give a firm release date, saying quality control and document management work are still ongoing.
The nationwide “No Kings” protest movement will return March 28 with a flagship march in Minnesota, as organizers cite the fatal shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good, the Trump administration’s massive ICE deployment, and growing public outrage as fueling what they expect to be their largest mobilization yet.
The FBI executed a court-authorized search warrant at Fulton County’s Election Hub in Georgia as part of an ongoing investigation tied to the 2020 election, prompting alarm from local Democrats and renewed attention to former President Trump’s false fraud claims, his pressure campaign on state officials, past threats against election workers, and the broader legal fallout surrounding his efforts to overturn his election loss.
Italian officials and lawmakers have expressed outrage over the planned deployment of U.S. ICE investigators to assist with security for the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, arguing that the agency’s involvement—coming after fatal ICE shootings in Minneapolis—undermines democratic norms, even as U.S. and Italian authorities insist the agents will serve only a limited, advisory counterterrorism role under Italian control.
Bruce Springsteen released a new protest song, “Streets of Minneapolis,” condemning ICE and naming Trump administration officials in response to a federal immigration crackdown and the fatal shootings of two Minneapolis residents, dedicating the track to the victims, immigrant communities, and city residents while drawing sharp pushback from the White House.
Two federal agents who fatally shot Alex Pretti during an immigration operation in Minneapolis were placed on administrative leave as Trump vowed to “de-escalate” enforcement without halting raids, fueling intense backlash, leadership turmoil within DHS, conflicting official accounts of the shooting, and plans for what could become the largest protest in U.S. history over aggressive immigration tactics.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, calling for both to be removed from their positions and urging President Trump to pull ICE agents out of Minnesota as part of broader demands to rein in aggressive federal immigration enforcement.
Schumer said Democrats will refuse to pass Department of Homeland Security funding unless Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is “reined in,” laying out demands — including body cameras, warrant requirements, limits on masks, and other accountability measures for ICE.
A photo of President Trump holding hands with Nicki Minaj appeared to show concealer on his hand, reigniting speculation about recurring discoloration that the White House has previously attributed to frequent handshaking rather than health issues.
The Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged, with Chair Jerome Powell signaling a wait-and-see approach on inflation and the labor market while forcefully asserting the Fed’s independence amid escalating pressure from President Trump, an unprecedented criminal probe tied to a Fed renovation project, and looming Supreme Court decisions that could reshape the central bank’s autonomy.
A documentary about Melania Trump was pulled from theatrical release in South Africa after distributors and cinemas raised concerns about its political context, timing, and perceived neutrality amid global unrest and U.S. immigration crackdowns, with the withdrawal framed as a voluntary distribution decision rather than censorship or government intervention.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators that while the Trump administration does not intend further military action in Venezuela, President Trump reserves the right to use force if necessary, as Rubio defended the U.S. role in removing Nicolás Maduro, seizing Venezuelan oil, and pressuring the interim government to comply with U.S. demands amid mounting legal and political backlash.
Tensions between the U.S. and Iran sharply escalated after President Trump warned that time is running out for Tehran to accept a nuclear deal, announcing a massive U.S. naval buildup led by the USS Abraham Lincoln and threatening swift and violent military action if negotiations fail, while Iran rejected talks under threat and vowed an unprecedented response to any attack, even as regional and European intermediaries scramble to avert war.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the Trump administration’s new “Trump Accounts” program—launched this week and providing $1,000 to babies born from 2025–2028 plus additional family, employer, philanthropic, and potential state contributions—has already enrolled 600,000 families and is expected to reach 25 million participants, as part of a broader effort to give families a financial stake in the economy.
See you in the morning.
— Aaron
