Speaker
Paul Hunker
Appearances over time
2 episodes
Episodes
2
Podcasts
Quotes & moments
DHS policy states deadly force cannot be used solely to prevent someone from fleeing unless the person poses a significant threat.
Iran is not just targeting commercial ships — it's also striking US bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain. Those countries say their defenses have knocked out the missiles so far, but the scale of the confrontation is far wider than a simple maritime blockade.
ICE has suspended most vehicle stops after agents fatally shot two men in a single week. The pause was confirmed by Senator Angus King, but within hours Trump posted on Truth Social calling vehicle stops 'one of ICE's most important and effective crime fighting tools' — leaving the policy's future uncertain.
Full US control of the Strait of Hormuz would require eliminating Iran's ability to fire drones and missiles at commercial ships. Analysts say that means tripling or quadrupling current US strike rates for weeks — and even then, ship owners and insurers would have to decide if the risk was low enough.
The US is currently steering ships along a safer southern path near Oman, but Iran is targeting that route too, demanding ships use its own approved corridor near the Iranian shoreline. Analysts say the US may ultimately have to physically escort commercial ships, just as it did during the Iran-Iraq tanker war of the 1980s.
Under previous administrations, ICE agents would typically ignore undocumented people who weren't the target of an operation. Under Trump, agents are being pressured to arrest anyone undocumented they encounter — and that policy shift is directly linked to the deaths of two men who weren't even the intended targets.
The $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund is dead, but the clause shielding Trump and his family from IRS audits of past tax returns is still very much alive. A federal judge called the original lawsuit 'bad faith' designed to manipulate the courts.
Todd Blanche walks into the Senate judiciary committee today with Democrats unanimously opposed and a razor-thin Republican majority offering almost no margin for error. NPR's Ryan Lucas lays out why this is one of the most consequential confirmation hearings of the Trump era.
After ICE agents fatally shot US citizens Renee Goode and Alex Freddy in Minneapolis, DHS promised rapid body camera deployment across the country. That hasn't happened. Only half of field officers have them, and DHS is now blaming Democrats and government shutdowns for the failure.
DHS policy is clear: deadly force can only be used when someone poses an imminent threat. But no video evidence has been presented to back up the agency's claims that either shooting victim posed such a threat — and neither man was the intended target of the ICE operation.
The US Marines have studied for decades the possibility of seizing Iran's main oil export facility on Kharg Island — taking it as a bargaining chip. It's militarily feasible, but would come with casualties, and analysts are divided on whether it's necessary or wise.
The US has now launched four rounds of strikes on Iranian military sites, and Iran is threatening to block the Bab El Mandeb Strait — a chokepoint that could halt Middle East oil exports entirely. Trump also walked back a proposed 20% fee on Hormuz shipping after Gulf allies pushed back.
After an ICE officer shot and killed a Colombian national in Maine — the second such deadly shooting in barely a week — the Trump administration ordered ICE to halt most vehicle stops. DHS policy bars use of deadly force solely to prevent flight unless the person poses a significant threat, but a former ICE chief counsel notes the threshold is always judged from the officer's perspective.
The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act on Tuesday, voting to lock the US into daylight saving time year-round. States with existing exemptions can still opt for standard time, but for most Americans, the seasonal clock change could soon be history — if the Senate agrees.
A federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration's visa ban on foreign nationals working in online content moderation, ruling the plaintiffs are likely to win their First Amendment case. Independent tech researchers sued in March, arguing the ban was designed to silence dissenting views, not combat censorship.
The Writers Guild of America filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking to block Paramount's $81 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, warning the deal would devastate movie and TV writers. A coalition of 12 states led by California independently moved to stop the same merger the day before.
Analysis
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