Good morning, everyone. Today I’m tracking several major stories: the cancellation of Vice President Kamala Harris’ Secret Service protection, the growing internal revolt at the CDC, and the massive ICE raids expected after Labor Day.
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With that, here’s the news:
Donald Trump has cancelled the Secret Service protection for former Vice President Kamala Harris, despite the fact that President Biden signed a presidential memorandum extending Harris’ protection through the middle of next year.
The White House appointed Jim O’Neill, a Kennedy ally with no medical background, as acting CDC head after firing Susan Monarez—who refuses to step down—sparking turmoil, senior resignations, and political backlash over vaccine policy and interference.
CDC staff staged a walkout at headquarters in Atlanta, greeted by supporters, to protest damage to the agency under RFK Jr.’s leadership and conspiracy-driven influence.
Former CDC official Demetre Daskalakis revealed that RFK Jr., as health secretary, has never been briefed by CDC experts on key issues like measles, COVID, or flu, highlighting deep dysfunction after Susan Monarez’s ouster; Daskalakis and other senior leaders resigned in protest, accusing Kennedy of sidelining science with ideology, while senators across parties now call for investigations and some demand Kennedy’s removal.
California governor Gavin Newsom warned that Trump is “gravely serious” about running for an unconstitutional third term, accusing him of rejecting free and fair elections.
Trump threatened to send the National Guard into six Democratic-led cities over “runaway crime,” despite data showing violent crime and homicides are declining nationwide, with experts saying no US city faces a true crime crisis.
The White House asked the Naval Station Great Lakes near Chicago to assist DHS with immigration operations, part of a broader plan to target sanctuary cities.
Trump border czar Tom Homan announced a “large contingent” of ICE agents is being sent to Chicago as part of an aggressive crackdown on sanctuary cities nationwide, with reports of armored vehicles preparing for raids, sparking fears after deadly incidents linked to past operations.
Kim Kardashian, speaking at a Venice awards event, condemned Trump’s ICE raids as deportations near 200,000, arguing that hardworking immigrants are being torn from families; her remarks mark a break from her past cooperation with the Trump White House on criminal justice reform and come amid DHS plans to intensify mass deportations in sanctuary cities like Chicago.
The Air Force will grant military funeral honors to Ashli Babbitt, signaling Trump’s continued effort to recast the January 6 Capitol attack.
A Washington senator demanded answers after reports that two firefighters were detained by border agents while responding to a wildfire.
Rep. Barry Moore (R-AL) stormed out the back door of a raucous town hall in Daphne, Alabama, after being laughed at, heckled, and confronted by furious voters while defending President Trump.
Trump sent seven US warships with 4,500 personnel, including Marines and submarines, off Venezuela under the banner of “drug enforcement,” but officials admit the mission blurs into regime-change ambitions against Nicolás Maduro, who faces a $50M US bounty, with scenarios ranging from interdictions and airstrikes to Maduro’s possible ouster or assassination—while critics, allies, and regional leaders warn it risks escalating into armed conflict.
Rwanda confirmed it received seven deportees from the US under a Trump administration deal, with similar negotiations ongoing with South Sudan and Eswatini.
The family of 18-year-old Benjamin Guerrero-Cruz learned ICE secretly transferred him out of California, according to Rep. Luz Rivas.
Senators Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer visited Taiwan to reaffirm US-Taiwan security ties amid rising Chinese military pressure, with Wicker saying the upcoming $1 trillion defense bill (NDAA) would strengthen provisions related to Taiwan.
A federal judge ordered a new trial for three former Memphis officers convicted in the fatal beating of Tyre Nichols, ruling prior Judge Mark Norris showed potential bias by suggesting one officer was in a gang; the retrial follows nationwide outrage over Nichols’ 2023 death and ongoing scrutiny of the disbanded Scorpion unit.
Gaza News:
The IDF declared Gaza City a “dangerous combat zone,” ending tactical pauses that allowed limited food delivery, as planes and tanks pounded the area and armored vehicles massed on its outskirts, raising fears for around one million Palestinians already facing famine and displacement.
UN agencies, including UNICEF and the World Food Programme, warned that Israel’s assault on famine-stricken Gaza City will worsen civilian suffering and could forcibly displace about one million people, with vulnerable groups such as malnourished children, the elderly, and the disabled unable to evacuate.
The UK government barred Israeli officials from attending its major London arms fair (DSEI), citing opposition to Israel’s escalating assault on Gaza, a move Israel’s defence ministry condemned as “discrimination.”
See you this evening.
— Aaron
