Mahmoud Khalil is Free at Last

The Latest Tonight

Mahmoud Khalil — the Columbia University student detained by the Trump administration and held without charge for 104 days — was released Friday night from a Louisiana detention facility. As of this writing, he is hopefully back home in New York with his wife and newborn son.

Earlier today, U.S. District Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered Khalil’s immediate release, calling the government’s insistence on detaining him “highly, highly unusual.” The judge added that the government’s conduct “suggest[s] that there is at least something to the underlying claim that there is an effort to use the immigration charge here to punish the petitioner — and, of course, that would be unconstitutional.”

Khalil was arrested at his New York apartment on March 8 and transferred to a facility hundreds of miles from his family and legal team after the government accused him of being a national security threat. His alleged offense: acting as a mediator between Columbia University’s administration and students who were pushing for the school to divest from companies tied to Israel, amid Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza.

After holding Khalil without charge or evidence of a crime, the government was ordered to release him last week. Instead, in an effort to extend his detention, the government pivoted—accusing him of lying on his green card application, a charge Khalil denies. (The Hill)

I guess the judge got tired of the government's BS, finally?

While Khalil is free tonight, he 's not out of the woods. Expect the Administration to appeal the decision for Khalil's release and at the very least, push for his deportation.

This week, the Columbia Spectator reported that last year Khalil had been in discussion with then-trustee (and now acting president) Claire Shipman about the concerns of Palestinian students on campus.

Speaking briefly to reporters outside the detention center Friday night, Khalil said he would share more at a press conference on Saturday — but first, he needed to catch a flight home.

IRAN - ISRAEL WAR

It’s been one week since Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran, accusing the country of being on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Since then, Israel has killed an estimated 639 people in Iran and wounded more than 1,300, according to a Washington-based human rights group. Israeli officials say Iran has killed at least 24 people in retaliatory strikes.

This weekend, Iran’s foreign minister is in Geneva for high-level talks with EU leaders and diplomats from France, Germany, and the UK to discuss ways to de-escalate. Iran says it remains open to diplomacy — if Israel halts its attacks. These talks come just days after Israel’s first strike derailed scheduled talks between U.S. and Iranian officials in Oman on nuclear programs.

The latest on the ground:

• Israel has struck at least three hospitals in Iran and killed four members of the Iranian Red Crescent. On Monday, it bombed Iranian state TV while one of the country’s most well-known anchors was live on air. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz called the broadcaster an extension of the Iranian regime — an attempted justification to assault the press. Israel has killed at least 173 journalists in Gaza with impunity; it's hardly a surprise that they're openly targeting journalists in Iran. The Committee to Protect Journalists said it was “appalled by Israel’s bombing of Iran’s state TV channel while live on air.” (AP)

• Israel also condemned Iran for striking near an Israeli hospital — despite that hospital being located less than a mile from a military complex and despite Israel’s own record of repeatedly targeting hospitals in Gaza and now in Iran.

• White House officials conveniently leaked this week that Israel had proposed assassinating Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei but that Trump – bless his heart – talked them out of it. (AP | BBC)
• IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi warned that Israeli strikes on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility may have caused radiological and chemical contamination inside the site. External radiation levels remain normal, but uranium hexafluoride — used in enrichment and highly toxic if inhaled — poses serious internal risk. Grossi cautioned that continued attacks could endanger lives, stall inspections, and derail diplomacy. (ABC News)

Latest Political Developments

• President Trump said Friday he’s giving Iran two weeks before deciding on potential U.S. military action.
  • Earlier in the week, Trump abruptly left the G7 summit, saying he needed to return to Washington because of the Middle East crisis. (I suspect he was simply bored and looking for an excuse to leave.) Once back in D.C., he met with his national security team to review U.S. strike options. (NBC News)
  • When asked mid-week whether the U.S. would become directly involved in the conflict, Trump replied, “Maybe, maybe not,” — a response more aligned with playground bluffing than presidential decision-making. By Friday, he said he’d give Iran two weeks to come (back) to the table.

• Meanwhile, the U.S. is shifting military assets into the region, including another aircraft carrier and multiple destroyers. Whether this is intended for defense or a prelude to war remains unclear. (Stars and Stripes)
• And in Congress: Lawmakers from both parties are pushing back, kind of. Reps. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT), introduced legislation requiring Trump to get congressional approval before any strike on Iran. Under the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war, but recent presidents have sidestepped that using broad post-9/11 authorizations or executive powers. With Republicans controlling the House, though, the measure faces long odds. (Kaine statement | Washington Post)
• Asked about DNI Tulsi Gabbard’s March 2025 testimony that Iran was not building a bomb, Trump dismissed it entirely: “I don’t care what she said. I think they were very close to having one,” he claimed — offering no evidence. (The Hill)
  • It’s worth noting: Gabbard was one of Trump’s fiercest critics on Iran during his first term, especially after he withdrew the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal.
  • Multiple senior administration officials told NBC News that Gabbard has been sidelined from internal discussions about the conflict. Even two of her allies acknowledged that her standing took a hit after she posted a video from Hiroshima warning of nuclear war. The video — which included simulated footage of American cities being destroyed — reportedly annoyed the White House. (NBC News)
  • Gabbard aside, four sources told CNN this week that “not only was Iran not actively pursuing a nuclear weapon, it was also up to three years away from being able to produce and deliver one to a target of its choosing.” Enriching uranium is only one part of the nuclear weapons process. To become a true nuclear power, a country must build, test, and deploy missiles—steps that take years and leave clear signs. If Iran had built or was building the infrastructure to launch a nuclear weapon, the evidence would be undeniable. Right now, there is none.
• In an unusual break from the MAGA chorus, Tucker Carlson and Marjorie Taylor Greene have come out against U.S. involvement. Carlson aired a segment criticizing the administration’s march toward war including an interview with Republican Sen. Ted Cruz while MTG said Americans have no appetite for more foreign entanglements. It’s a rare rift within Trump’s base — and a signal that politically, the cost of escalation may be higher than expected.

A Tale of Two Lies

From Gaza

• Israel killed hundreds more in Gaza this week including dozens as they sought aid from the ill-named Gaza Humanitarian Foundation. The total number of people murdered while trying to get aid is aorund 409, with another 3,203 injured according to the Gaza Government Media Office. In addition to starvation, UNICEF warns there is a drought because only 40% of the enclave's water treatment facilities are still functional. (Al Jazeera)
• The BBC has scrapped plans to air Gaza: Doctors Under Attack, a documentary following medics in Gaza, saying it would appear biased. The move comes after it pulled another Gaza doc earlier this year, citing concerns over the narrator’s family ties to Hamas. Filmmakers and BBC insiders called it censorship. Reporter Ramita Navai, featured in the film, accused Israel of war crimes and ethnic cleansing—statements BBC leadership reportedly felt conflicted with its neutrality rules. (The Guardian)

More from the Executive Branch

• The State Department will now require new and renewing applicants for student and educational visas to make their social media profiles public as part of expanded screening requirements. (State Department)
  • A State Department cable obtained by POLITICO directs officials to review applicants’ online presence for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.” Embassies are also instructed to flag applicants who express “advocacy for, aid or support for foreign terrorists and other threats to U.S. national security” or “support for unlawful antisemitic harassment or violence.” Notably, the directive singles out antisemitism while making no mention of other forms of bias or hate. (Politico)
  • Explainer: Why the new law isn’t what it seems
  • Annual Reports: SSA | Treasury
• In its latest forecasts, the Federal Reserve predicts both inflation and unemployment will rise, driven in part by Trump’s sweeping new tariffs. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said interest rates will stay unchanged for now as officials assess the fallout. Meanwhile, Trump is demanding a drastic—and unprecedented—2.5% rate cut. (New Republic)
• The national suicide hotline run by SAMHSA in partnership with the Trevor Project will shut down on July 17. The hotline, which served LGBTQ+ youth, is being discontinued in what the agency says is an effort to “maximize efficiency” and “no longer silo LGB+ youth services.” But the decision has sparked outrage. Trevor Project CEO Jaymes Black called it “devastating,” adding: “The fact that this news comes to us halfway through Pride Month is callous—as is the administration’s choice to remove the ‘T’ from the acronym ‘LGBTQ+’ in their announcement. Transgender people can never, and will never, be erased.” (Politico)
• After a 43-hour manhunt, police arrested Vance Boelter, the man accused of fatally shooting Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and injuring State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Authorities say Boelter posed as a police officer to gain access to the victims. His motive remains unclear, but acquaintances describe him as a former pastor, missionary, and anti-abortion Trump supporter. That didn’t stop right-wing influencers from spreading misinformation blaming Democrats. (FOX 9)
• When asked whether he would call Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz—Kamala Harris’ running mate—Trump said it would be a “waste of time” and called Walz “whacked out.” As a reminder: "presidents traditionally contact governors and local officials to offer condolences and federal assistance in times of tragedy." (AP)

• Just days after Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) was slammed to the ground by federal agents and arrested for trying to ask DHS Secretary Kristi Noem a question at a press conference, ICE agents arrested NYC Comptroller and mayoral candidate Brad Lander during a visit to immigration court. Lander was there to observe proceedings when agents attempted to arrest an immigrant man as he exited the courtroom. Lander linked arms with the man and demanded to see a warrant. For more than 40 seconds, agents physically struggled to separate them, dragging both men down the hallway. Lander was charged with obstruction; DHS accused him of assaulting an officer. After his release, Lander said, “I am happy to report that I am just fine. I lost a button.” (AP)
  • In May, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and Rep. LaMonica McIver were also arrested after demanding access to a federal detention facility. Baraka’s trespassing charge was dropped; McIver was charged with assaulting and obstructing officers. (CBS News)

From the Courts

• A federal judge has ruled that transgender and nonbinary people can select “X” as their gender marker on U.S. passports — blocking a Trump executive order that aimed to eliminate the option.
  • The judge found that the “government failed to show that blocking its policy would cause it any constitutional injury… or harm the executive branch’s relations with other countries.” Meanwhile, the plaintiffs — transgender and nonbinary Americans — demonstrated that the Trump-era passport restrictions violated their constitutional right to equal protection. (NBC News)
• Separately, the Supreme Court ruled 6–3 that Tennessee can enforce its ban on gender-affirming medical care for minors. Three teens had sued the state, arguing the law violated their 14th Amendment rights to equal protection. The Court disagreed — allowing the state to restrict access to puberty blockers and hormone therapy for anyone under 18. (SCOTUSblog)

Headlines

• The FDA has approved lenacapavir, a twice-yearly injection to protect against HIV — marking a major medical breakthrough. Clinical trials have shown 100% effectiveness so far, potentially eliminating the need for daily preventative pills. “About half of new infections are in women, who often need protection they can use without a partner’s knowledge or consent.” In one large study in South Africa and Uganda, involving over 5,300 sexually active young women and teen girls, no one who received the shot contracted HIV, while about 2% in the comparison group (who took daily pills) did. (AP)
• It’s going to be a scorching start to summer. Triple-digit temperatures are expected in dozens of U.S. cities this week — including some that haven’t seen this kind of heat in decades. New York City hasn’t hit 100°F since 2012. Philadelphia last saw that kind of heat in 1994. (Weather.com)
• A new COVID variant called Nimbus is now responsible for more than one-third of new infections in the U.S. While it’s not necessarily more severe than previous strains, it does come with one distinct symptom: a searing sore throat — so intense it’s being dubbed “razor blade throat.” Just a reminder: summer COVID waves are a thing. (USA Today)