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March 24, 2026
ICE deployments created chaos for cities and cost them millions, NPR analysis finds
(NPR) Immigration and Customs Enforcement deployments to American cities are a central part of President Trump's immigration crackdown. Yet, according to data analyzed by NPR — and interviews with law enforcement and city officials — these actions stretched local police departments thin, disrupted businesses and left city budgets struggling to absorb the fallout. In Los Angeles and Minneapolis, the immigration enforcement surge resulted in ballooning overtime costs for local police. In Portland, Ore., decreased police manpower contributed to longer call response times.
Go to discussionSaudi Prince Is Said to Push Trump to Continue Iran War in Recent Calls
(NY Times) Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been pushing President Trump to continue the war against Iran, arguing that the U.S.-Israeli military campaign presents a “historic opportunity” to remake the Middle East, according to people briefed by American officials on the conversations. In a series of conversations over the last week, Prince Mohammed has conveyed to Mr. Trump that he must press toward the destruction of Iran’s hard-line government, the people familiar with the conversations said.
Go to discussionTrump falls asleep again during Memphis task force meeting amid health concerns
(Daily Mirror) President Donald Trump appeared to fall asleep for an extended period while on stage in Memphis on Monday, the latest moment in which the 79-year-old dozed off during a televised meeting or conference, even while people were speaking directly to him. Trump, the oldest president in United States history, visited the Tennessee city to tout the crime task force his administration created to combat what he claimed was out of control violent crime. But after boasting that there would soon be "like, no crime" in the city of around 650,000 thanks to his efforts, Trump appeared to nod off.
Go to discussionFederal 'SAVE Act' risks denying thousands of Alaskans the ability to vote, Murkowski says
(Ohio Capital Journal) An elections bill being debated by the U.S. Senate could cost thousands of Alaskans the ability to vote in this year’s elections, Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday in a lengthy speech on Capitol Hill. The SAVE America Act, supported by President Donald Trump and most congressional Republicans, is ostensibly intended to prevent noncitizens from voting in American elections, but its implementation could prevent many Americans from being able to vote. “While disenfranchisement may not be the intent of the SAVE America Act … I think that we will see that. In fact, I fully expect it to be an outcome of this,” Murkowski said.
Go to discussionTrump's Iran war price tag just keeps rising
(Salon) The joint U.S.-Israel invasion of Iran is raising numerous questions about the scope and cost of the conflict, which has resulted in thousands of casualties across the region. The war is averaging an $11-billion-a-week price tag, but last Thursday, Hegseth requested even more, to the tune of $200 billion. This is on top of the Pentagon’s annual budget of almost $1 trillion. He also revised the war’s timeline to an additional two months.
Go to discussionTSA wait times up to 6 hours as ICE, other agents deployed to 14 airports
(CBS News) The Trump administration deployed ICE and other Homeland Security agents to 14 of the nation's airports on Monday to help shuttle passengers through overcrowded TSA checkpoints. In one airport, the security line wait-time was up to six hours. The agents are filling in for TSA officers in some places due to mass call-outs during the partial government shutdown that is keeping the officers from receiving their paychecks.
Go to discussionSchumer says DHS funding talks 'constructive'
(ABC News) Sen. Chuck Schumer, the chamber's top Democrat, said Monday that the ongoing Department of Homeland Security funding negotiations with the White House and Republicans have been "constructive," but emphasized that "there’s considerably more work to be done." Schumer said Trump is trying to "sabotage negotiations" as lawmakers work to hammer out a deal to end the DHS partial shutdown, as lines grow at airports across the country and tens of thousands of workers, including Transportation Security Administration officers, go without pay.
Go to discussionRepublicans strip power from Dem who shocked with red state upset
(Raw Story) Texas Republicans have moved to ensure that a Democratic lawmaker elected in a shock special election upset earlier this year will effectively have no power — at least for the time being. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, "On Monday afternoon, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced which senators would fill committee vacancies, following recent membership shakeups ... Newly sworn in Sen. Taylor Rehmet wasn’t among the senators named on the lieutenant governor’s latest list of committee appointees."
Go to discussionFIFA is canceling its reserved hotel rooms in World Cup host cities - but nobody is saying why
(The Independent) FIFA has cancelled the reservations for thousands of hotel rooms originally reserved for this year's World Cup event in Philadelphia, but hasn’t said why. Approximately 2,000 hotel rooms have been cancelled by FIFA, the world soccer organization, at hotels in the city, according to the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association. The group had previously blocked off approximately 10,000 rooms.
Go to discussionPress groups denounce Pentagon's new media rules
(Axios) The Department of Defense announced a new media policy on Monday, three days after a federal judge ruled Trump administration restrictions on Pentagon journalists were a First Amendment violation. The Pentagon said in a memorandum announcing the changes that it's complying with the ruling in the New York Times lawsuit case, but press groups accused the administration of placing fresh restrictions on journalists with the new policy.
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