Good morning, everyone. Today I’m tracking several critical stories, but none more alarming than this: the White House is actively working to rewrite the history of domestic terrorism in America. They are using Charlie Kirk’s tragic death as political cover to target left-leaning organizations — despite zero evidence in the charging documents tying any progressive group to his murder.

At the same time, the DOJ is scrubbing reports that document the surge in white supremacist violence and redirecting resources away from counterterrorism investigations. And this morning, while all of this is happening, a manhunt has been launched in Pittsburgh arising out of what may be a terror attack at the FBI building.

We are at an inflection point for American journalism. While mainstream outlets bend to the Administration’s narrative — and while the Administration itself tries to silence those who tell inconvenient truths — independent media has never been more essential.

If you value reporting that pursues facts over spin, truth over power, I urge you to subscribe today and help build this movement. Together, we will hold the powerful accountable and fight to keep the truth alive.

Subscribe

With that, here’s what you missed:

  • After Charlie Kirk’s assassination, the Trump administration vowed to crack down on “radical left” groups, framing them as a “vast domestic terror movement,” but prosecutors presented no evidence linking the suspect to any network; critics warn the White House is exploiting the tragedy to justify authoritarian-style measures that could chill dissent, despite data showing far-right violence drives most U.S. extremist attacks.
  • The Justice Department quietly deleted a study showing far-right and white supremacist violence leads U.S. domestic terrorism, replacing it with a notice citing “review under recent Executive Orders,” raising concerns that the Trump administration is suppressing evidence that contradicts its narrative blaming the “radical left” after Charlie Kirk’s assassination.
  • U.S. attorney general Pam Bondi sparked backlash from both liberals and conservatives after pledging to “target hate speech” in response to Charlie Kirk’s killing—remarks critics say violate the First Amendment since “hate speech” is not a legally recognized exception to free speech, prompting calls for her resignation and forcing her to later walk back the comments.
  • The Trump administration has rolled back anti-trafficking efforts across key federal agencies by slashing staff, delaying or canceling grants, reassigning investigators to immigration enforcement, weakening victim protections like the T visa, and cutting global and domestic funding—moves critics say dismantle decades of bipartisan progress and leave survivors with fewer options.
  • Officials defend the shift as part of a “tough-on-crime” strategy centered on deportations, claiming it disrupts traffickers and secures the border, but advocates and former officials warn it instead erodes U.S. credibility, impedes prosecutions, and allows traffickers to operate with greater impunity.
  • The FBI launched a manhunt for Donald Henson after he allegedly rammed his car into the gate of the bureau’s Pittsburgh field office, threw an American flag over the fence, and fled; officials labeled it a “targeted act of terror” though no one was injured, and investigators are examining messages on the vehicle and a bag pulled from its trunk, while noting Henson has a history of mental health issues.
  • Four people have been arrested for displaying Trump and Epstein on the side of Windsor castle ahead of Donald Trump’s visit.
    • May be an image of 7 people, the Tower of London, castle and text
  • Families of 9/11 victims are urging Congress to press FBI Director Kash Patel to release files on possible Saudi government ties to the attackers, after a federal judge allowed their civil case against Saudi Arabia to proceed; the ruling cited evidence suggesting two Saudi nationals, linked to hijackers in California, may have been acting on behalf of the Saudi government, raising new questions about official involvement.
  • House Foreign Affairs Chair Brian Mast withdrew a measure from a State Department reform bill that would have given Secretary of State Marco Rubio sweeping power to revoke U.S. citizens’ passports over alleged terrorism support, after backlash from civil liberties groups who warned it targeted pro-Palestinian activists; the broader Trump-era State Department overhaul still faces uncertain Senate prospects.
  • Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent once signed mortgage agreements listing two different homes as his “principal residence” simultaneously, records show — the same issue President Trump has seized on in efforts to oust Fed Governor Lisa Cook. Mortgage experts said such contradictions are not uncommon and don’t necessarily indicate fraud, underscoring that the filings alone aren’t proof of wrongdoing.
  • Israel has launched a major ground offensive into Gaza City, striking over 150 times and calling up 60,000 reservists, forcing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee while tens of thousands remain trapped; aid groups and a UN commission warn of genocide and urge urgent international intervention as casualties mount, hospitals are bombed, and fears grow for both civilians and remaining hostages.
  • Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield resigned, saying parent company Unilever had “silenced” the brand’s activism on peace, justice, and human rights; in an open letter, he decried the loss of independence promised in the 2000 sale and cited lawsuits accusing Unilever of suppressing the company’s political voice, vowing to continue his social justice work outside the ice cream giant.
  • ICE officers involved in the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González in suburban Chicago were not wearing body cameras, despite a policy requiring them in enforcement activities; advocates and officials decried the lack of transparency, while ICE said the incident—captured only by nearby surveillance video—is under FBI and internal review, highlighting gaps in the agency’s rollout of body-worn cameras.
  • President Trump announced Republicans will hold a 2026 midterm convention to showcase his administration’s achievements and rally support as the GOP pursues gains through redistricting; details on timing and location remain undecided, while Democrats signaled they may hold a similar event, reviving a practice not seen since the 1980s.
  • Democrat Xp Lee won the special election to succeed slain Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, restoring a 67–67 tie in the state House; the vote comes three months after Hortman and her husband were killed in a politically motivated assassination, with Democrats saying Lee will carry on her legacy as the legislature prepares for a special session on gun violence.
  • Minneapolis police said two shootings at homeless encampments wounded over a dozen people in a single day, part of a string of recent mass shootings in the city; officials and activists clashed as the city moved to clear one encampment, while critics tied the violence and displacement to deeper crises of housing costs, homelessness policy, and a controversial Trump executive order on institutionalizing the unhoused.

    • Good news:

  • The nonprofit 412 Food Rescue and its Food Rescue Hero app have diverted 250 million pounds of surplus food from landfills, turning it into meals for those in need and preventing 450 million pounds of emissions — proof of how volunteer-powered networks can fight both hunger and climate change.
  • Volunteer divers with The Bay Foundation smashed nearly 6 million sea urchins over 13 years, rapidly restoring California’s Santa Monica kelp forests and reviving marine life after predator loss had left the ecosystem barren.
  • In a Canadian first, 34-year-old Brent Chapman regained sight after doctors implanted his own tooth into his eye in a rare “tooth-in-eye” surgery, restoring 20/30 vision two decades after corneal burns had left him blind.

    • See you this evening.

    — Aaron