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April 16, 2025
Sen. Chris Van Hollen en route to El Salvador right now
(Sen. Van Hollen) "I’m about to board my flight to El Salvador, where I hope to meet with senior government officials to discuss the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. I also hope to see Kilmar and check on his condition — and remind him that we won’t stop fighting until he’s home."
Go to discussion2 U.S. troops in Trump's border mission killed in roll-over
(Washington Post) Two U.S. troops were killed Tuesday in a vehicle rollover in New Mexico and another U.S. service member was hospitalized in serious condition, U.S. defense officials said, marking the first known military fatalities associated with President Donald Trump’s expanded mission at the southern border. The accident occurred at 8:50 a.m. near Santa Teresa, a border town west of El Paso, the military said in a statement. Three defense officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation, said the incident involved U.S. Marines from Camp Pendleton in California. It was not immediately clear what kind of vehicle they were operating.
Go to discussionTrump's D.C. U.S. attorney pick appeared on Russian state media over 150 times
(Washington Post) Hours before President Donald Trump announced U.S. missile strikes on Syria in response to a chemical attack that killed 90 civilians in April 2017, Ed Martin said on the Russian state television network RT America that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad might not be to blame. Instead, Martin told viewers, the situation was “engineered” in Washington “by the people that want war in Syria.” In early 2022, Martin told an interviewer on the same arm of RT’s global network that “there’s no evidence” of a Russian military buildup on Ukraine’s borders, criticizing U.S. officials as warmongering and ignoring Russia’s security concerns. Russia invaded nine days later, igniting a war that continues today.
Go to discussionNearly 900,000 fewer people went to the U.S. in March as cross-border travel plummets
(CBC) The number of cross-border travellers going from Canada to the U.S. dropped by nearly 900,000 in March compared to the same month last year, according to the latest U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data — easily one of the worst year-over-year drops recorded outside of the COVID-19 health crisis. The border figures show 4,105,516 travellers crossed the U.S. northern border in March of this year, down from 4,970,360 people who did the same in 2024 — a roughly 17 per cent decline that observers say is largely driven by President Donald Trump's trade war, 51st state taunts and Canada-bashing.
Go to discussionTrump admin goes after N.Y. AG who won civil fraud trial against president
(Axios) New York Attorney General Letitia James is accusing the Trump administration of weaponizing the government after a federal agency referred her for potential criminal prosecution for alleged mortgage fraud. It's the latest example of the administration following through on President Trump's pledges to seek retribution against his political enemies. Trump has already stripped security clearances from James, who is not facing any charges in relation to the criminal referral, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who secured a historic conviction in the president's hush money case.
Go to discussionAP Hits Back at Trump After Being Kicked Out of White House Press Pool: 'A Grave Disservice to the American People'
(Mediaite) The Trump administration decided to remove the press pool position for newswires altogether this week after they were ordered by a judge to restore AP’s access to the pool rotation, which had been restricted since February. Reacting to the news on Tuesday evening, AP told CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter, “We are deeply disappointed that the administration has chosen to restrict the access of all wire services, whose fast and accurate White House coverage informs billions of people every single day, rather than reinstate The AP to the wire pool.”
Go to discussionFunding Expires for Key Cyber Vulnerability Database
(Brian Krebs) A critical resource that cybersecurity professionals worldwide rely on to identify, mitigate and fix security vulnerabilities in software and hardware is in danger of breaking down. The federally funded, non-profit research and development organization MITRE warned today that its contract to maintain the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) program — which is traditionally funded each year by the Department of Homeland Security — expires on April 16.
Go to discussionDirector of National Intelligence Quietly Releases Corruption Report
(The American Prospect) Late last month, an unclassified report quietly appeared on the website of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard. The document details vast corruption, from the highest levels of government down to lowly civil servants. It reveals massive wealth accumulation by arguably the most powerful man in the world. And it records the persecution of political rivals under the guise of anti-corruption efforts. A majority of the observations in the report seem to describe our current American state of affairs, despite the report’s subject: the Chinese Communist Party.
Go to discussionJudge in Abrego Garcia case tells DOJ she has "no tolerance for gamesmanship"
(CBS News) A federal judge on Tuesday admonished the Department of Justice for not complying with her order to facilitate the release of a Maryland man who the Trump administration admitted had been mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador. "We have to give process to both sides, but we're going to move… there will be no tolerance for gamesmanship or grandstanding," U.S. District Court Judge Paula Xinis said at the start of a hearing in the case involving Kilmer Abrego Garcia, who was sent to El Salvador last month.
Go to discussionTrump Exempts Nearly 70 Coal Plants From Biden-Era Rule on Mercury and Other Toxic Air Pollution
(US News & World Report) The Trump administration has granted nearly 70 coal-fired power plants a two-year exemption from federal requirements to reduce emissions of toxic chemicals such as mercury, arsenic and benzene. A list quietly posted as of Tuesday on the Environmental Protection Agency's website lists 47 power providers — which operate at least 66 coal-fired plants — that are receiving exemptions from the Biden-era rules under the Clean Air Act, including a regulation limiting air pollution from mercury and other toxins.
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