From Bondi Beach to Brown University — a Bloody Weekend

• OIL HEIST: In a new escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela, the U.S. interdicted a Venezuelan oil tanker on Wednesday known as the Skipper, claiming it was carrying sanctioned oil to Iran and other network countries tied to terrorist organizations. A federal judge had previously signed off on a warrant authorizing the seizure. And there could be more.

• REDISTRICTING RESISTANCE: The GOP-controlled Indiana State Senate rejected a Trump-backed redistricting plan, voting 31–19 against a gerrymandered map that would have netted Republicans two additional House seats. Lawmakers held out in spite of pipe bomb threats, unsolicited pizza deliveries to their personal addresses and swattings at their homes. State Republicans said they opposed the map because their constituents were against it and because Trump used personal insults to try to force their support.

• CHIP CHANGE: In a sharp reversal, Trump announced he will allow Nvidia to sell one of its most powerful chips — the H200 — to China in exchange for 25% of the profits. The move shows Trump is “prioritizing short-term economic gain over long-term U.S. security interests,” according to The New York Times, which reports China is expected to use access to the chip to accelerate its technological capabilities and potentially eclipse the U.S. in the AI race.
• MEDIA POWER PLAY: Days after Warner Bros. Discovery agreed to sell its entertainment arm—including Warner Bros. and HBO—to Netflix in a roughly $70 billion deal, Paramount countered with a hostile bid to buy the entire company, including CNN.
  • Under the Netflix deal, CNN would be spun off to operate on its own. Under Paramount’s proposal, CNN would remain inside a new conglomerate backed in part by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, alongside Middle East sovereign wealth funds. And, according to The Wall Street Journal, Paramount—owned by Trump ally David Ellison, the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison—has privately reassured Trump administration officials that it would make sweeping changes to CNN if its bid succeeds, a network Trump has long disliked. Trump has made clear he intends to weigh in on the antitrust review of the Netflix deal—something presidents are typically expected to avoid.

Almost thirteen years to the day after 20 children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, two more students were shot and killed—and nine others injured—on Saturday. This time, at Brown University in Rhode Island. As of Monday morning, the gunman remains at large.

"In 2025 there were at least 154 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 49 deaths and 135 injuries nationally."
- Everytown For Gun Safety

The shooting began to unfold around 4 p.m. as students were in classrooms for final exams. Surveillance video later showed the suspect walking away from the scene. Students and staff were ordered to shelter in place until early Sunday morning, when police announced they had detained a person of interest at a nearby hotel. That individual was later released.

The two deceased victims are Ella Cook — a sophomore from Alabama and freshman MukhammadAziz Umurzokov from Uzbekistan.

Bondi Beach Massacre

Also on Saturday, fifteen people were shot and killed during a Hanukkah celebration at Australia’s Bondi Beach. Police say the antisemitic attack was carried out by two suspects—a father and son. Authorities say Islamic State (IS) flags were found in their car. The father was shot and killed by police; the son was wounded and remains in critical condition at a local hospital.

The victims include a 10-year-old girl and an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor. Forty-two others were injured, with 27 still receiving medical treatment as of Monday.

In one clip of the attack, a man can be seen tackling one of the gunmen and taking his weapon. Australian officials identified the man as 42-year-old Ahmed al Ahmed. The second gunman shot Ahmed in the shoulder.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried blaming the hate crime on Australia’s recognition of a Palestinian state.

Syria Security Breakdown

Three Americans—including two U.S. troops and an interpreter—were shot and killed near their military post in Syria on Saturday. Sources tell Reuters the suspect was a member of the Syrian security forces who had previously been flagged as potentially holding “extremist ideas.”

Three additional U.S. troops and two Syrian security force members were also injured. In a Truth Social post, President Trump said there would be “serious retaliation” for the attack.

Hollywood Horror

And finally, iconic movie director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele were found dead inside their Los Angeles home on Sunday. Police say it appears they were murdered. Their son, Nick, was taken into custody and is being held on $4 million bail. Reiner is best known for directing movies like The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally and A Few Good Men.

On Venezuela

• CNN reports that the boat the US military struck twice on September 2 to kill all 11 people on board was heading to Suriname to meet up with a larger boat, according to Admiral Mitch Bradley who spoke to bipartisan group of lawmakers last week in a closed door session. Bradley said the larger vessel, however, could not be located but that the strike was justified because the drugs could have made their way back from Suriname to the US. 🤔
  • Bradley also confirmed previous reporting that the boat had indeed turned around after spotting surveillance before it was struck.
  • Bradley claimed that all victims were on a pre-approved military target list, with cocaine treated as the “weapon.” Legal experts warn this logic dangerously blurs crime enforcement with warfare. And btw, I thought Trump was after fentanyl? (NBC News)
  • Their stories are off. Just after the strike, Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed the stricken boat was headed to Trinidad or “some other country in the Caribbean.” Trump said it was heading towards the US.
• At the core of Trump’s boat strike campaign are secret Justice Department memos claiming the U.S. is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels—a legal stretch critics say echoes, and exceeds, the Bush-era torture memos. Lawmakers want them released. (Politico)
  • It's interesting then that Pentagon officials scrambled to prevent strike survivors from entering the U.S. legal system, fearing judges would force disclosure of the campaign’s legality. Proposals included sending survivors to El Salvador’s abusive prisons before settling on repatriation. (The New York Times)
• The person who should have been leading the operation – Adm. Alvin Holsey, head of U.S. Southern Command – abruptly retired after Hegseth sidelined him after he raised questions about the boat strikes. Reporting shows Holsey was cut out as the mission shifted to JSOC. (The New York Times)
• Will the video of the second strike be released? Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says he’s still “weighing” whether to release it—even as bipartisan lawmakers threaten to withhold Pentagon funding unless it's made public, arguing the footage is critical to assessing whether U.S. forces unlawfully killed survivors after the initial strike. (AP)
• Trump lashed out at ABC News Senior Political Correspondent Rachel Scott on Monday when she asked him if he would release the full video of the attack after saying last week that he had no problem doing it. (He released video of the first strike in September). Trump lied and claimed he never said that before calling Scott “obnoxious.” This is the latest in a series of Trump attacks on female reporters for asking questions he does not like including telling one reporter she was a “piggy” and to be “quiet” and telling another she was “insubordinate” for asking a question (aka doing her job). (Rachel Scott / X)
• Hegseth is now attacking lawmakers who question the boat strikes. But in 2016, he repeatedly warned that U.S. service members have a duty to refuse unlawful presidential orders. The contrast is fueling criticism that he’s abandoned principles he once publicly defended. (CNN)
• Some Republicans are backing away from Trump’s escalating threats against Venezuela, including refusing to rule out bombing the country or sending in U.S. troops. While many supported initial boat strikes, lawmakers now warn that regime change would contradict “America First” promises. Congress is moving to block any land strikes without authorization. (Washington Post)
• Does Trump really care about the "war on drugs"? One week after Trump pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández for attempting to smuggle roughly 400 tons of cocaine into the United States, a Washington Post analysis shows that Trump “granted pardons or commutations to almost 90 others for drug-related crimes during the four years of his first term."
• According to The New York Times, Honduras’ attorney general has issued an international arrest warrant for Hernández, who is also accused of money laundering and fraud. Hernández’s lawyer called the move “strictly political.” His wife says he is currently in hiding out of concern for his safety. The charges stem from the so-called Pandora Case, in which prosecutors allege that between 2010 and 2013 a corrupt network of lawmakers and others diverted public funds through private foundations and funneled the money into political campaigns, including Hernández’s 2013 campaign.
• Even some Republicans are voicing concerns about Trump’s recent pardons, including blanket pardons for all January 6 offenders. “The challenge for Republican lawmakers is that they have few levers to pull to formally register any frustration with the pardons. Presidential pardon power is in Article II of the Constitution, leaving Congress without many official mechanisms to check the president on pardons — short of oversight and impeachment.” (NOTUS)

Immigration

• A recent report by Amnesty International found that detainees at Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” — run by a private, for-profit company — were subjected to “inhuman and unsanitary conditions” and, in some cases, torture. Detainees reported fecal matter in sleeping areas, inadequate food and water, no privacy, and poor medical care. Others said they were held in 2×2-foot cages, restrained for hours, and beaten by guards. The same team wants to do the same in Gaza.
• Detained families — including children — report similar conditions at an ICE facility in Texas. While DHS claims the facility meets standards, parents say their children are despondent, languishing, and starving. (CNN)
• Hundreds of children were held in detention for as long as five months — despite a 20-day legal limit. ICE cited transportation delays, medical needs, and legal processing as the primary reasons for prolonged detention. (AP)
• The government has begun accepting applications for the Trump Gold Card — a $1 million, fast-tracked green card with a pathway to U.S. citizenship for the ultra-wealthy. Trump claims the fees will go into a government fund but has not specified how the money would be used. (AP)
• Customs and Border Protection is now requiring visa applicants from 42 countries — including allies such as the UK and France — to disclose all phone numbers and email addresses used over the past 10 years so officials can scour social media histories. The policy is intended to comply with Trump’s order that visitors “do not bear hostile attitudes toward its citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles.” (The Guardian)
• The mother of White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s nephew says she was detained by ICE agents at her Massachusetts home and held in Louisiana for 26 days before a judge ordered her release. The woman, Bruna Ferreira, was previously engaged to Leavitt’s brother, Michael, and shares a son with him. DHS claims Ferreira is in the country illegally, but her attorneys dispute that, saying she is a DACA recipient — a status that allows people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the country. (CNN)
• The Washington Post reports that judges have been “overwhelmingly” ruling in favor of immigrants challenging their detention without the opportunity for bond.
• ABC News reports that arrests of Afghan refugees have increased following the fatal shooting of a National Guard troop in Washington, D.C. Many of those being detained were granted asylum after assisting U.S. forces against the Taliban and facing serious threats to their lives if they remained in Afghanistan.
• The Washington Post reports that DHS has contracted with Boeing to purchase $140 million worth of Boeing 737 aircraft to be used specifically for deportations. The funding comes from a massive spending increase approved by congressional Republicans earlier this year. DHS claims the move will save money.
• More than one-third of people arrested by ICE had no criminal records, according to the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project and NBC News. Those listed as having criminal histories are not broken down by minor versus violent offenses. Most people arrested were men from Mexico between the ages of 25 and 45.

But wait, there's more...

• The FBI continues to categorize “antifa” — a political movement — as a terrorist organization despite being unable to identify who runs it, how many members it has, or where it is headquartered. At a congressional hearing this week, FBI official Michael Glasheen could not answer basic questions about the group, underscoring a central problem: antifa is not an organization—at all. (The Intercept)
• Journalist Ken Klippenstein reports that as part of a broader crackdown on critics, Attorney General Pam Bondi is escalating efforts to identify and punish dissent under the banner of domestic terrorism. Bondi is directing the FBI to establish a tip line and offer cash rewards for information leading to arrests. The DOJ is also set to “retroactively investigate incidents going back five years,” authorizing FBI Joint Terrorism Task Forces “to use everything at their disposal” in those probes.
• Twelve FBI agents fired by Director Kash Patel for kneeling during a protest days after George Floyd was murdered by police in Minneapolis are suing the agency to get their jobs back. “The lawsuit says the agents were assigned to patrol the nation’s capital during a period of civil unrest prompted by Floyd’s death. Lacking protective gear or extensive training in crowd control, the agents became outnumbered by hostile crowds they encountered and decided to kneel to the ground in hopes of defusing the tension, the lawsuit said. The tactic worked, the lawsuit asserts — the crowds dispersed, no shots were fired and the agents ‘saved American lives’ that day.” (AP)
• With Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s term set to end next year, Trump is already interviewing replacements, telling The Wall Street Journal that he believes the “next Fed chair should consult with him on where to set interest rates.” That is precisely what the Federal Reserve is designed to avoid: political interference in monetary policy.
• The Washington Post reports the EPA is deleting or altering content on its website to remove references to climate change caused by humans, instead attributing climate change to natural processes. Pages discussing the disproportionate impact of climate change on children and low-income communities have also been removed.
• Bowing to aggressive lobbying from tech companies, Trump is moving to kneecap states’ ability to regulate AI, arguing state laws create “cumbersome regulation.” In an executive order released lastweek, Trump directed the DOJ to form a task force to challenge state AI laws that conflict with the administration’s goal of a “minimally burdensome national standard” for AI regulation. States that violate the federal standard could lose funding for broadband and other programs. Many states have passed AI laws aimed at protecting children and preventing malicious data collection.
• A private nonprofit group chartered by Congress to preserve historic government buildings is suing the White House over its ballroom construction, calling the project “unlawful.” The National Trust for Historic Preservation says the administration failed to obtain congressional approval before beginning construction, violating the Property Clause of the Constitution. The group is asking the court to halt construction until the project is reviewed and approved through the proper legal process. (Saving Places)
• The Interior Department has decided to place a photo of Trump on next year’s America the Beautiful annual pass for national parks, prompting a lawsuit from an environmental group that argues the move violates federal law. That law requires the image to be selected through an annual public photo contest. This year’s winning image was a photograph of Montana’s Glacier National Park. Worth noting: Trump has also added his birthday, June 14 — which coincides with Flag Day — to the list of free national park days, while taking Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Juneteenth from the list. (NBC News)

• The government argues that providing sign language interpreters at White House events — including press conferences — would interfere with Trump’s image. The National Association for the Deaf has sued the administration after it stopped offering interpreters. The White House says it will only provide them for events scheduled at least 24 hours in advance, even though the Biden administration routinely arranged interpreters with as little as one hour’s notice. (Politico)
• The Washington Post reports that the Trump administration is moving to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, placing it in the same category as steroids and testosterone. Currently, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug, alongside heroin and LSD. The change would allow marijuana businesses to access tax deductions — which they currently cannot, leading some to pay tax rates as high as 70% — and would expand opportunities for scientific research.
• The Trump administration is pressuring the International Criminal Court to rewrite its founding rules to block investigations into Trump and senior U.S. officials, according to Reuters. The U.S. is threatening new sanctions if the court refuses — including penalties against ICC officials — and is also demanding the ICC drop its investigations into Israeli leaders over the Gaza war and formally end a prior probe into U.S. troops’ actions in Afghanistan. (Reuters)
• Trump delivered a high-profile speech on the economy this week, claiming his administration is “crushing” inflation and that “prices are coming down tremendously.” But the latest government data shows that inflation has actually edged higher for much of his first year back in the White House, with the Consumer Price Index still rising at about a 3% annual rate — higher than earlier in the year and far above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target. A slower inflation rate doesn’t mean prices are falling — it just means they’re rising more slowly. (CBS)
• Trump’s own advisers are urging him to stop blaming President Biden for the state of the economy, warning that the line is wearing thin with voters. According to The New Republic, aides say Trump now owns the economy after nearly a year back in office, and continued finger-pointing undermines his credibility—especially as inflation remains stubborn and affordability concerns persist. Internally, some advisers believe Trump’s attacks on Biden clash with his broader message of strength and control, and risk reinforcing voter anxiety rather than confidence.
• The Federal Reserve cut rates by a quarter point on Wednesday — the third cut this year. (CNBC)
• A Mother Jones investigation linked Pentagon official Eric Geressy — a senior adviser to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth — to a now-deleted Goodreads account featuring explicit, racially charged erotica. After reporter Dan Friedman asked the Pentagon about the account, MAGA influencer Jack Posobiec emailed Friedman in what the reporter described as an implicit threat tied to his reporting. The episode underscores how journalists probing those in power are increasingly met with intimidation — often amplified by pro-Pentagon influencers who accept restrictive “access journalism” rules that sideline a genuinely free press.
• MS Now (formerly MSNBC) reports that Trump is growing frustrated with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and may fire her in the coming weeks. White House adviser Stephen Miller is leading the effort to push Noem out, reportedly because she is not building detention centers fast enough. The outlet also reports: “Multiple governors have also called Trump personally and voiced frustration with Noem’s handling of FEMA and disaster relief funds, the White House official told MS NOW.” Outgoing Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin is said to be the leading replacement.
• Alina Habba resigned from her post as U.S. attorney for New Jersey after a federal appeals court ruled that her appointment was unlawful. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that the Justice Department will appeal the decision.
• The Department of Transportation says Southwest Airlines does not have to make its final $11 million payment toward a $140 million fine imposed after flight delays left travelers stranded around Christmas. The government said it credited the airline for improving its on-time performance and contributing to other infrastructure improvements.
• ProPublica reports that Trump has engaged in the same conduct he has accused several political opponents of committing: mortgage fraud. In 1993, Trump declared two separate properties as his primary residence — despite never living in either of them.
• Awwwwwkward. NBC News reports that a grand jury failed for a third time to indict New York Attorney General Letitia James over alleged mortgage fraud.
• A Tufts University student who was snatched off the street by masked ICE agents and detained for weeks for co-authoring an op-ed in the school’s newspaper criticizing Israel’s genocide against Palestinians will have her student visa restored, at least temporarily. Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish PhD student in the U.S. on a Fulbright scholarship, was unable to work after the government terminated her visa.
• CNN reports that the FDA is considering adding a “black box” warning — its most serious — to Covid-19 vaccines. “The plan shocked outside experts, who said there was no basis for the warning.” Black box warnings are typically reserved for drugs such as opioids or Accutane, which carry severe risks, including addiction or birth defects in unborn children.

CONGRESS

• After the Senate rejected a bipartisan plan to address health care affordability in a 51–48 vote, enhanced health care subsidies now appear set to expire at the end of the year. House Republicans have introduced an alternative proposal that narrowly targets costs by expanding lower-cost health plans, offering incentives for pharmacies to reduce drug prices, and increasing cost-sharing mechanisms — arguing these steps address the “real drivers of health care costs.” The proposal would also restrict funding for abortion and gender-affirming care. A vote is expected this week. (AP)
• House Democrats released another trove of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents, including photos of the convicted sex offender with Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, and Donald Trump, among others. None of the images show anyone engaged in illegal activity. (Politico)
• Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has launched a bid for her state’s U.S. Senate seat, drawing criticism from some Democrats who argue the move is unrealistic – given how red Texas is – and could hurt other statewide races. “The belief that Crockett can't win has left some lawmakers angrily grumbling that she is putting her personal ambition ahead of the party's interests.” (Axios)
  • Was this part of a GOP plan? A House Democrat says a NOTUS article about Senate Republicans waging a covert campaign to nudge Crockett into the race has been making the rounds among members.
• In a New York Times op-ed, Rep. Nancy Mace (SC) sharply criticized House Republican leadership, accusing it of prioritizing power over “accountability and achievement.” She wrote that Nancy Pelosi “was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century.” Mace: "Ms. Pelosi was ruthless, but she got things done. The current House is restrictive and ineffective, control with barely any results. Republican leadership seems intent on replicating her model of consolidation without her bold vision to push through the policies that won us the majority.”
  • Mace also wrote: “Women will never be taken seriously until leadership decides to take us seriously, and I’m no longer holding my breath. Since 2013, the Republican conference chair position has gone to a woman. It’s the token slot, the designated leadership role for the top woman in the conference, while the real power lies in other offices.”
• Outgoing Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene appears to share Mace’s frustrations. Three sources told MS Now that Greene has been “working behind the scenes to gauge whether there’s support” to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson. Greene denies the report. (MS Now)
• Mace wants to turn DC’s former Black Lives Matter Plaza into the “Charlie Kirk Freedom of Speech Plaza.”
• The Senate is set to vote this week on the National Defense Authorization Act after the House passed it 312–112. If enacted, the bill would provide a 3.8% pay raise for troops and allocate $150 million to Israel for underground tunnel combat research and counterdrone programs. The bill would also roll back safety measures implemented after a January 2025 midair collision between a commercial plane and a military helicopter near Washington Reagan National Airport that killed 67 people — changes the NTSB warns would make the region’s airspace less safe. (The Wall Street Journal | Military.com)
• The same bill includes a provision designed to fill any “gaps” created by arms embargoes affecting Israel. Zeteo reports that the language directs the Defense Department, State Department, and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard to conduct an ongoing assessment of “the scope, nature, and impact on Israel’s defense capabilities of current and emerging arms embargoes, sanctions, restrictions, or limitations imposed by foreign countries or by international organizations,” as well as “the resulting gaps or vulnerabilities in Israel’s security posture.”

COURTS

• A federal judge ordered the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from detention and barred the government from detaining him again under a temporary restraining order. In the ruling, the judge wrote: “It is beyond dispute that unlawful detention visits irreparable harm.” (CNN)
• The Supreme Court appears poised to allow Trump to fire Federal Trade Commission (FTC) commissioners at will, without needing to show cause. The FTC is tasked with protecting consumers from scams, deceptive business practices, false or misleading claims, data breaches, monopolies, and other anti-competitive conduct. Current law allows presidents to remove commissioners only for misconduct or poor performance. A ruling for Trump would significantly expand presidential control over independent agencies that were designed to be insulated from political pressure. (SCOTUS Blog)
• The Supreme Court is also weighing whether to lift limits on how much political parties can spend in coordination with candidates. If the restrictions are struck down, parties could funnel unlimited big-donor money directly into campaigns, weakening the role of small-dollar fundraising and likely giving Republicans a midterm advantage. A ruling is expected by July. (The New York Times)
• Trump’s former personal attorney Emil Bove — now a federal appeals court judge — attended one of Trump’s campaign-style speeches this week, where Trump attacked Democrats. The appearance prompted a judicial watchdog group to file an ethics complaint, citing concerns about impropriety. When Axios asked the White House about the appearance, officials pointed to a social media post from Communications Director Steven Cheung, “who told a user questioning Bove's attendance to ‘Stop ... pearl-clutching.’” (Axios)
• A federal judge has approved the release of grand jury records related to Ghislaine Maxwell under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which requires all relevant materials to be made public by December 19. (Washington Post)

• TIME named “the Architects of AI” its 2025 Person of the Year — the tech executives and engineers driving artificial intelligence’s explosive growth and societal reach.
• Miami voters elected Eileen Higgins as mayor — the city’s first Democratic mayor in nearly 30 years and first woman ever to hold the job — decisively beating the Trump-endorsed Republican in a December runoff. Like New York City’s Zohran Mamdani, Higgins ran on affordability.
• 2025 could end up being the second or third hottest year on record.
• There’s a new measles outbreak in South Carolina. “This is a very clear example of the damage that the anti-vaccine movement has done in the United States,” said Fiona Havers, adjunct associate professor at the Emory School of Medicine and a former infectious disease staffer at the CDC. 
• CBS has named Tony Dokoupil — who has repeatedly drawn criticism for overtly pro-Israel commentary — as the new anchor of CBS Evening News.
• Australia has implemented the world’s first social media ban for children under 16.

• UNRWA says their East Jerusalem headquarters were raided by police, their communications were cut and property seized. “This latest action represents a blatant disregard of Israel’s obligation as a United Nations Member State to protect and respect the inviolability of UN premises.”
• More mass graves were discovered near Gaza’s Al Shifa Hospital this week. Local officials say its part of Israel’s genocide assault on the enclave.
• Reporters Without Borders says that 43% — nearly half — of all journalists killed in the last year were killed by Israeli forces in Gaza. Since October 2023, the Israeli military has “killed nearly 220 journalists, at least 65 of whom were slain either due to their work or while they were working.”
• There are 68 million tons of rubble in Gaza — the equivalent weight of 168 Empire State buildings or 162 Golden Gate bridges.
• Despite a so-called ceasefire, thousands of children in Gaza are still suffering from malnutrition. UNICEF reports that 9,300 children were treated for malnutrition in October— a “shockingly high” number.