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With that, here’s the news:
The Senate is set to hold a key test vote Saturday on President Trump’s sweeping tax and spending bill, though it's unclear if it has enough support to advance. Senate Republicans released the final version late Friday, leaving little time for review ahead of the vote.
The bill includes tax cuts and funding for Trump’s immigration and defense priorities, while proposing deep cuts to Medicaid and food stamps. Senate Majority Leader John Thune admitted he's unsure if the bill complies with reconciliation rules or has the votes needed.
Sen. Ron Johnson voiced strong concerns about the GOP’s tax and spending bill, citing soaring deficits and last-minute timing. He noted federal spending has jumped from $4.4 trillion to over $7 trillion, with the bill projected to add $2.4 trillion to the deficit. “We just got the bill... at 1:23 in the morning,” Johnson said, adding he wouldn’t vote to proceed without more time to review it.
A Honduran mother and her two children, ages 6 and 9, filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration after ICE agents arrested them at a Los Angeles immigration court — the first legal challenge to the arrest of children under a new directive targeting courthouses.
Among them was a 6-year-old boy with leukemia, who missed a vital medical appointment while in detention. During the arrest, one ICE officer lifted his shirt to reveal a gun, terrifying the child so severely that he urinated in his pants and was left without a change of clothes for hours.
The lawsuit, filed by the Immigrant Rights Clinic and the Texas Civil Rights Project, argues the arrests violated the Fourth and Fifth Amendments by denying due process and constituting unlawful seizure.
The family had entered the U.S. legally to seek asylum and were living in Los Angeles, deeply integrated into their community. Advocates condemned the arrest as inhumane and traumatic, calling ICE’s courthouse arrest policy unconstitutional — particularly its targeting of nonviolent immigrants and children.
Federal agents in full tactical gear detonated an explosive device to enter a home in Huntington Park, California, shocking the family inside. Security footage showed the blast shattering a window before agents stormed in. Jenny Ramirez, who lives there with her two young children, said no warning was given and everyone in the home is a U.S. citizen. “You scared my son, my baby,” she told NBC through tears.
Senate Democrats narrowly failed to pass a war-powers resolution aimed at limiting Donald Trump’s ability to unilaterally escalate conflict with Iran, with the measure falling 53–47. Introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, the resolution saw only one Republican, Rand Paul, vote in favor, and one Democrat, John Fetterman, oppose it. Kaine emphasized that the Constitution gives Congress — not the president — the power to declare war.
The Department of Homeland Security announced it will end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti, potentially putting up to 500,000 Haitians at risk of deportation later this summer, despite ongoing gang violence and instability in the country.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is moving quickly to build a migrant detention center at an airstrip in the Everglades, despite strong opposition from Native American leaders who consider the land sacred.
Construction is underway at the Big Cypress National Preserve, with plans for tents, trailers, and temporary facilities. Indigenous groups have condemned the project, dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz,” as a violation of ancestral lands they’ve inhabited for thousands of years. State officials have dismissed concerns, calling the remote site ideal due to its isolation.
Eric Trump has suggested he or another Trump family member could run for president after Donald Trump’s potential second term. In an interview with the Financial Times, he said the political path “would be an easy one” but questioned whether he’d want to put his children through the same experience he’s had over the past decade.
A private funeral will be held Saturday for Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog Gilbert, who were killed in a shocking attack earlier this month.
The couple lay in state at the Minnesota Capitol on Friday, where President Joe Biden and others paid tribute. Vance Boelter, the alleged gunman, faces murder and federal charges in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.” Boelter, arrested after a massive manhunt, appeared in court wearing a suicide-watch safety smock.
Taiwan’s Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said she won’t be intimidated after Czech intelligence revealed Chinese officials had planned to stage a car crash targeting her during a 2024 visit to Prague. The plot, involving a diplomat running a red light while following her motorcade, was stopped in the planning stage. Hsiao thanked Czech authorities and reaffirmed her commitment to representing Taiwan internationally.
The Justice Department fired at least three prosecutors involved in January 6 Capitol riot cases, including two supervisors and a line attorney, in a move seen as part of the Trump administration’s broader effort to target those connected to the prosecutions. A dismissal letter signed by Attorney General Pam Bondi gave no reason, citing only constitutional authority. The DOJ declined to comment.
See you this evening.
— Aaron
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