Good afternoon, everyone. Today has been nothing short of alarming. The U.S. Supreme Court handed the Administration major wins, including green-lighting racial profiling raids against Latinos in Southern California. At the Museum of the Bible, Donald Trump downplayed domestic abuse in a speech meant to inflame culture wars. Meanwhile, major media outlets are collapsing under political pressure, and independent reporters are being targeted simply for telling the truth.
This is only the beginning. But let me be clear: I will not be silenced. I will not back down. In a moment when press freedom is under siege, fearless journalism matters more than ever.
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With that, here’s what you missed:
The House Oversight Committee has released the note sent by Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein for his 50th birthday. For weeks we were told this did not exist. Here it is:
During Donald Trump’s speech at the Museum of the Bible, Donald Trump minimized domestic abuse, stating: "Things that take place in the home, they call crime ... If a man has a little fight with the wife, they say this was a crime, see?"
Speaking at the Museum of the Bible, Donald Trump previewed new Education Department guidance to “protect” prayer in public schools, highlighting a student’s complaint about being forced to read a gender identity-themed book and using the moment to attack Democrats and trans rights.
Acting on Donald Trump’s orders, law enforcement dismantled the White House peace vigil that had stood since 1981 as the nation’s longest continuous anti-war protest, sparking outrage from volunteers who called the removal a disgrace to decades of advocacy for peace and human rights.
Donald Trump attacked Tom Hanks as “destructive” and “woke” after West Point abruptly canceled a ceremony to honor the actor with the 2025 Sylvanus Thayer Award, praising the move on social media and mocking Hanks and Hollywood as unworthy of “cherished American Awards.”
The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, backed Donald Trump’s administration by allowing federal agents to resume aggressive immigration raids in Southern California, overturning lower court rulings that blocked detentions based on race, language, or ethnicity and sparking dissent over racial profiling and constitutional violations.
Attorney General Pam Bondi hailed the Supreme Court’s approval of immigration raids in Southern California as a “massive victory,” saying agents can now conduct roving patrols “without judicial micromanagement.”
The Supreme Court upheld Donald Trump’s firing of FTC commissioner Rebecca Slaughter, blocking her reinstatement despite legal protections against removal without cause, marking the latest in a wave of Trump’s firings of Senate-confirmed officials, including fellow Democrat Alvaro Bedoya.
ICE announced on X that it has launched operations in Chicago—calling the sanctuary city a haven for “criminal illegal aliens”—as Trump threatens a broader immigration crackdown and possible National Guard deployment.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine visited Puerto Rico as the Trump administration escalates military operations against Caribbean drug cartels, meeting troops and officials while Gov. Jenniffer González praised the deployment of Marines and upcoming F-35 jets as vital to U.S. security and the fight against Maduro.
A federal appeals court upheld E. Jean Carroll’s defamation case against Donald Trump, affirming the $83.3m award and rejecting his immunity defense, following an earlier $5m judgment in 2023 for defamation and sexual abuse.
New York Attorney General Letitia James vowed to intervene in Texas’s lawsuit targeting Dr. Margaret Carpenter for mailing abortion pills, declaring that “Texas has no authority in New York” and setting up a high-stakes legal battle over shield laws, state power, and abortion rights likely headed to the Supreme Court.
French Prime Minister François Bayrou was ousted in a confidence vote after just nine months in office, collapsing Emmanuel Macron’s minority government amid backlash over austerity plans, abuse scandal controversies, and deep parliamentary divisions, plunging France into fresh political crisis.
London’s Heathrow Airport evacuated the check-in area of Terminal 4 due to a possible hazardous materials incident, with emergency services on site while other terminals continue operating normally.
Gaza news:
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Gaza City residents to “leave now,” saying Israeli forces are preparing for a ground “manoeuvre” as airstrikes intensify. Where they should go, however, is unclear given the fact that there is an ongoing blockade of the Gaza strip.
Palestinian gunmen killed six people and injured 12 at a Jerusalem bus stop before being shot dead, prompting Israeli military crackdowns around Ramallah; Netanyahu vowed “the war continues” as global leaders condemned the attack amid surging violence across Israel and the West Bank.
The U.S. refusal to grant visas to Mahmoud Abbas and the entire Palestinian delegation for the UN General Assembly has sparked calls to move a key session on a two-state solution to Geneva, with critics accusing Donald Trump of an unprecedented diplomatic blockade as several countries prepare to recognize Palestinian statehood.
Israel struck and destroyed a 12-story high-rise in Gaza City after ordering evacuations, saying it was targeting Hamas observation posts and explosives.
Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich blamed today’s deadly Jerusalem shooting on the Palestinian Authority, accusing it of teaching children to “murder Jews.”
At least 40 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza since dawn, mostly in the north, according to medical sources.
Since 7 October 2023, 64,522 Palestinians have been killed and 163,096 injured in Gaza, the health ministry reported Monday.
Good news:
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found that the protein midkine prevents toxic amyloid beta clumps from forming in the brain, suggesting a protective role against Alzheimer’s disease and opening potential pathways for new treatments.
A Missouri TikToker went viral after Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen compassionately comped and personalized a steak dinner for his dying dog’s final meal, adding a condolence letter and later sending a fleece blanket, a gesture praised by millions online.
The elusive sailback houndshark, unseen since its discovery in 1970, has been rediscovered in Papua New Guinea’s Astrolabe Bay, with scientists confirming its unique evolutionary lineage and calling for protections to conserve the rare, possibly microendemic species.
