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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Sep 3, 2026· Updated

Texas Lets an ICE Agent Charged With Four Felonies in Minnesota Walk Out of Jail Rather Than Extradite Him — and Minnesota’s Attorney General Says Greg Abbott Has Turned Texas Into "a Sanctuary State for Accused Felons"

On Jan. 14, 2026, during Operation Metro Surge, ICE agent Christian Castro fired his gun through the closed front door of a north Minneapolis duplex and hit Julio Cesar Sosa-Celis, a Venezuelan immigrant, in the leg. Castro told investigators the men inside had assaulted him with a broom and a snow shovel; surveillance footage contradicted that account, and the assault charges filed against the two men were dropped. A Hennepin County judge found probable cause that Castro committed four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of falsely reporting a crime. He was arrested by the Texas Rangers on May 29 and held in the Carrizalez-Rucker jail in Cameron County. A governor's warrant for Castro's extradition sat on Gov. Greg Abbott's desk from June 3 forward, unsigned. Abbott said he had "serious doubts" Castro qualified as a fugitive under the Extradition Clause. Attorney General Keith Ellison sued Abbott on Aug. 18 to compel him to sign it. On Aug. 26 U.S. District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr. ruled the suit was not ripe and declined to intervene; Abbott answered Ellison on social media that "you guys are such bad lawyers." Texas law bars holding an extradition subject more than 90 days, and at 7 a.m. on Aug. 27 the Cameron County sheriff released Castro. DHS said he had been suspended without pay pending a federal investigation. The standoff is the first time in this administration that two states have gone to federal court against each other over whether one must hand over a federal immigration officer to face state criminal charges — a fight over the Constitution's Extradition Clause with an accused shooter now at liberty and Minnesota's case stalled.

“I've said all along that Christian Castro would face justice in Minnesota. And now that he's finally turned himself in in Texas, he soon will.”
Keith Ellison (D-MN) · Sep 3, 2026

Trump Signs an Executive Order Renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" — "All We Need Is an Ocean" — and Even Chris Christie Calls It "Completely Childish"

On August 27, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office directing the Interior Department to update federal geographic information systems to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America," effective immediately. The order asserts that because "the deepest parts of the Lake's waters" lie within United States territory, "the United States claims most of the Lake's volume," and that the lake "has long been an integral asset to American exploration, settlement, commerce, and defense." Trump had floated the idea two days earlier, on August 25, in the middle of the collapse of US–Canada trade talks and the Section 338 tariff fight. Asked what message he meant to send Canada, Trump said "No message" and then added that Canada "has been ripping us off for a long time on trade." He framed the order as a sequel to renaming the Gulf of Mexico: "we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean." The reaction from US officials was near-uniformly negative and unusually mocking. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, whose state borders the lake, called it "a juvenile effort" and "a pathetic attempt at distraction" from tariffs raising costs in Upstate New York. Gov. Kathy Hochul answered in five words on X: "New York won't be calling it that." Sen. Amy Klobuchar said that "on behalf of the great Lake Superior, I call that superiorly stupid." Sen. Chris Van Hollen called it "more evidence we elected a toddler as president," and Sen. Mark Kelly asked how renaming a lake helps Americans who "can't afford their lives right now." Elected Republicans were largely silent. Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called the order "Childish. Completely childish." Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO), asked the next day whether the body of water is Lake Ontario or Lake America, said he was "unaware of — what's the reference?" and then, "I don't know. I — I have other more pressing issues I'm working on. Goodness!" Canadian officials rejected the renaming outright. Prime Minister Mark Carney noted the name derives from the Wendat word Ontari'io and predates both Confederation and the Declaration of Independence; Ontario Premier Doug Ford said it "will always be Lake Ontario to all Canadians and the rest of the world." The lake's name in Canada is unaffected — the order reaches only US federal usage.

“President Trump's inane executive order is a weak attempt to distract from the fact that the Trump administration has raised costs on hardworking families, caused gas prices to skyrocket, and cut the programs that Americans rely on to get healthcare and put food on the table. Instead of renaming Great Lakes for no good reason, the president should stop the political games, get back to the negotiation table, and make a deal that lowers costs for New York families. I am proud to announce this legislation to restore Lake Ontario's original name, and I look forward to getting it passed.”
Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) · Sep 3, 2026

Trump Floats Renaming the Strait of Hormuz "TRUMP STRAIT" on Truth Social — Then Says Hours Later "I Was Just Throwing That Out" — as Sanders Tells Him "You're the President, Not a Mad King"

On September 2, 2026, hours after a wave of US Central Command strikes on roughly 100 IRGC targets and Iranian retaliation against bases in Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain, President Trump posted on Truth Social: "Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name Hormuz Strait to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be 'hotter' than ever before!" Asked about it in the Oval Office later the same afternoon, Trump backed off the idea, saying he had just been throwing it out. The White House's official X account nonetheless posted a map showing a Trump-branded Strait of Hormuz and said the name had "a nice ring to it." The post landed three weeks after Trump said he would declare the strait US territory when the Iran war ends, and days after he signed an order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" during the trade fight with Canada — a renaming a Reuters/Ipsos poll found 63% of Americans opposed. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer both told Trump to drop the renaming and focus on fuel prices and ending the war.

“No, no I was just throwing that out.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 2, 2026

Two Democrats Cross the Aisle to Save a Republican Rule After Five Republicans Kill It — the Rule Passes 210-208, and Their Own Leadership Calls It "a Significant Breach of Trust" and Sends It to the Caucus Rules Committee

On Tuesday, September 1, 2026, the House adopted a Republican rule — the procedural resolution setting the terms of floor debate — by 210-208. It only got there because two Democrats voted yes. Five Republicans had defected: Reps. Andy Harris (MD), Clay Higgins (LA), Ralph Norman (SC), Chip Roy (TX) and Pete Sessions (TX), several of them angry that the rule handled the Senate's continuing resolution the way it did. That left the rule short. Reps. Jared Golden (D-ME) and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), both Blue Dogs, supplied the votes that saved it. By long-standing House custom the minority votes against rules as a bloc, regardless of what they think of the underlying bills. The rule Golden and Gluesenkamp Perez rescued teed up a batch of Republican bills — including the resolution condemning socialism "in all its forms" bolted to the SAVE America Act — as well as Golden's own Northeast Lobstermen Protection Act. Democratic leaders said they got no advance notice. Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Whip Katherine Clark and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar issued a joint statement the same day calling it "a significant breach of trust" and referred the matter to the Committee on Caucus Rules, which met the next day. Members floated stripping committee assignments — a live threat for Gluesenkamp Perez, who sits on Appropriations and is among the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents on the map. Golden is retiring at the end of the term. Gluesenkamp Perez told reporters on Wednesday that she was undeterred.

“If that’s what they feel they need to do, it’s not going to change.”
Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA) · Sep 2, 2026

The Justice Department Withdraws a Clinton-Era Opinion and Tells Every Agency of Every State — DMVs and Public Universities Included — to Report Undocumented Immigrants to DHS or Put $76 Billion in Welfare Money at Risk

On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel published an opinion withdrawing a 1998 Clinton-administration opinion and sharply expanding which parts of state government must report people they know to be unlawfully present in the United States to the Department of Homeland Security. The 1996 welfare-reform law conditions participation in Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and Supplemental Security Income on reporting known undocumented immigrants to federal immigration authorities. The 1998 opinion read that duty narrowly, as binding only the state agencies that actually administer TANF and SSI benefits. The new opinion reads it to reach every agency of any state that takes the money — motor vehicle departments, public universities, and state and local bodies that never touch a welfare file. The stakes are large: federal TANF block grants run past $16.4 billion a year and federal SSI benefits exceed $60 billion. The Office of Legal Counsel said states that do not want the obligation are free to stop taking the funds. The opinion arrived days after a coalition of Democratic attorneys general sued to stop DHS from getting TANF data at all, and it is expected to draw its own legal challenge from Democratic-led states.

“Our clarification does not impose new obligations on states. It simply restores the original meaning of the statute Congress enacted and ensures that DHS receives the information it is legally entitled to.”
Joshua Craddock (R-DC) · Sep 2, 2026

Trump Signs Two New Executive Orders Restricting Birthright Citizenship Five Weeks After Supreme Court Loss

On August 6, 2026, President Trump signed two executive orders in a fresh attempt to narrow birthright citizenship, five weeks after the Supreme Court struck down his original 2025 order 6-3 in Trump v. Barbara. The first order, "Continuing to Protect the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship," seeks to exclude from automatic citizenship children born to foreign-government employees, members of foreign terrorist organizations, and parents engaged in citizenship fraud. The second targets commercial "birth tourism" with visa and entry restrictions. Democrats said the orders will meet the same fate as the last one, and the ACLU and Democratic state attorneys general signaled new lawsuits.

“We crafted the EO around, and in concurrence, and understanding what the Supreme Court said in their decision.”
Todd Blanche (R) · Sep 2, 2026

immigration

birthright citizenship

executive orders

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Sep 1, 2026

The Secretary of Defense Posts a Photo of Two Teenage Canadian Cadets and Writes "This Is Real" — the Pentagon Says the Post "Speaks for Itself," and an Arizona Senator Answers That These Are "Sycophants" Putting American Security at Risk

On Monday, August 31, 2026, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X an image taken at the Cadet Training Centre in Vernon, British Columbia — two young women in uniform — captioned "this is real" beside a Canadian flag. The Royal Canadian Army Cadets is a youth program; its members are not members of the Canadian Armed Forces. The replies filled with commentary on the cadets' appearance. The post was the third disparagement of Canada's military by a senior Trump administration official inside nine days. Vice President JD Vance told an audience in Brewer, Maine on August 24 that Canada "quite literally would get invaded by a foreign country" without American protection. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said on Fox News Sunday on August 23 that Canada "doesn't have a military." All of it landed while the 50 percent Section 338 tariffs were in force and Ottawa was preparing retaliatory duties for September 8. Asked about the backlash on Tuesday, September 1, Pentagon deputy press secretary Jacob Bliss said only: "The X post speaks for itself." Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), a Marine veteran and a member of the Armed Services Committee, was the sharpest American voice against it. Prime Minister Mark Carney's government said the remarks were "beneath their office," and B.C. Premier David Eby called the whole episode an embarrassment. Canada has 158 war dead from Afghanistan, a war it entered after the United States was attacked.

“It’s stupid, and it’s really deeply disrespectful to the men and women of Canada that have died fighting with us.”
Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) · Sep 1, 2026

Ten Days Before the 25th Anniversary of 9/11, DHS Is Still Holding Back $87 Million of New York’s Counterterrorism Money — the Governor Calls It "Defunding the Police" and the Homeland Security Secretary Says Sanctuary States Should Not Get "One Federal Penny"

Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared together in midtown Manhattan on September 1, 2026 to demand that the Department of Homeland Security release roughly $87 million in federal counterterrorism grant money that New York says it is still owed — about 40 percent of the state's expected allocation. New York was originally cut by $187 million, some 86 percent of what it expected. A federal court order restored roughly $100 million of that, but state and city officials say the remaining shortfall still hits NYPD counterterrorism and intelligence operations, FDNY specialized teams, National Guard deployments and bomb squads. Hochul turned the administration's own slogan back on it, saying that withholding the money amounts to "defunding the police." The state's congressional Democrats — Schumer, Gillibrand, Jeffries, Nadler, Goldman, Meng, Morelle, Latimer, Mannion and Kennedy — pressed the same point, repeatedly invoking the approaching 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks. DHS answered that New York is sitting on $300 million in unspent FEMA money, and Secretary Markwayne Mullin said separately that he does not think sanctuary jurisdictions should receive "one federal penny."

“Donald Trump repeatedly claimed to be the law-and-order President. Instead, he has visited lawlessness and disorder upon the American people.”
Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) · Sep 1, 2026

The Trump Administration Brings a Sanctioned Russian Finance Minister to a G20 Meeting on American Soil — Europe Refuses the Family Photo and Shaheen Says the White House Is Handing Putin a Platform

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov — sanctioned by the United States in April 2022 — attended the U.S.-hosted G20 finance ministers' meeting in Asheville, North Carolina on August 31, 2026. It was his first in-person G20 appearance since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and he was there at the Trump administration's invitation. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met Siluanov bilaterally on the sidelines. According to Reuters, when Siluanov raised areas of possible cooperation, Bessent cut him off, saying nothing was possible until the war ends. European finance ministers objected loudly: German Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil called the invitation "quite troubling" and said he would not pose for a photo with his Russian counterpart, and Siluanov was ultimately left out of the traditional family photo. Trump defended the invitation the next day. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, tied the episode directly to the stalled Russia sanctions bill that the Senate passed 86-11 in August and that the House has not taken up. The meeting landed the same week Russian strikes killed civilians in Kyiv for a sixth consecutive day.

“We like getting along with everybody. One of the reasons that I’m so successful, I get along with everybody.”
Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 1, 2026

An 80-Year-Old Senator Beats the 47-Year-Old Congressman Who Ran on Generational Change by Roughly Two to One — Ed Markey Says "Tonight Is a Testament to the Power of the Progressive Movement," and Seth Moulton Says the Conversation Still Needed Having

On September 1, 2026, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) beat Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) in the Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary, taking roughly two-thirds of the vote. It was the most direct test yet of the generational-change argument that has been running through Democratic primaries all cycle — and the incumbent won it going away. Moulton, 47, built his challenge on the proposition that Markey, 80, is too old for another six-year term, invoking Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Dianne Feinstein and Joe Biden as cautionary tales. Markey answered by consolidating the left: Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez all endorsed him, and he campaigned on the same young-progressive coalition that saved him from Joe Kennedy III in 2020. In his victory speech in downtown Boston he called the win a "testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation," told the crowd "there is a big blue wave coming to drown out all those red MAGA hats," and answered the age question directly — "I'm always the youngest guy in the room when it comes to new ideas." Moulton conceded the night of the primary, said he had called Markey to congratulate him, and pledged his full support for the general election while refusing to retract the argument he had run on. His House seat in the 6th District is now open. Markey advances to the November 3 general election against Republican John Deaton, in a state he carried with 66 percent in 2020. Elsewhere on the ballot, incumbents held: Rep. Richard Neal survived his primary in the 1st District, and Mike Minogue won the Republican gubernatorial primary to face Gov. Maura Healey.

“Tonight is a testament to the power of the progressive movement of our nation.”
Ed Markey (D-MA) · Sep 1, 2026

The House Censures Chuck Edwards 413-2 After the Ethics Committee Finds Two Years of "Persistent Unprofessional and Inappropriate Conduct" Toward Two Young Female Staffers — and He Calls the Investigation "a Russian Show Trial"

On September 1, 2026, the House voted 413-2 to censure Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), the first time the Ethics Committee has recommended a censure since 2010. The only two no votes were Edwards himself and Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC), who said he would not vote to censure Edwards while House Republicans had declined to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett over her contacts with Jeffrey Epstein. The bipartisan Ethics Committee found substantial evidence that Edwards violated the chamber's prohibition on sexual harassment through "persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers" over roughly two years — deeply personal late-night text messages, poetry, one-on-one dinners and trips, and a stream of gifts that included jewelry, guns, shoes, a KitchenAid mixer and a robotic vacuum. The panel stopped short of finding a quid pro quo, resting instead on a hostile work environment, and wrote that Edwards had "refused to acknowledge the reality of the power imbalance between a Member of Congress and young staffers." Edwards had already abandoned his re-election bid on August 5, after the committee recommended censure. He nonetheless fought the vote, circulating a twenty-page letter to colleagues and using his floor time to argue the findings did not amount to harassment. After the vote he stood in the well of the House while Speaker Mike Johnson read the resolution aloud, and told reporters on his way out that the investigation was "very much akin to a Russian show trial." All thirteen of Edwards's North Carolina colleagues voted to censure him. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández (D-NM), who chairs the Democratic Women's Caucus, argued censure was far too light a penalty and called for rules changes stripping committee assignments or allowing expulsion; she and Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL), her Republican Women's Caucus counterpart, have been drafting a bipartisan overhaul of how the House handles sexual misconduct.

“I don’t need a letter to convince me of what I’ve already decided on.”
Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) · Sep 1, 2026

DHS Names Its New York Immigration Sweep "Operation Rotten Apple" and Says It Ran It Because the City Elected a Socialist — 2,197 Arrests, and the Governor Answers That the Federal Government Counts "Anybody Who Crossed the Border" as a Criminal

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin came to Manhattan on September 1, 2026 to announce the results of a month-long ICE surge across New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley: 2,197 arrests between July 27 and August 29, in an operation the department named "Operation Rotten Apple." Mullin framed the sweep explicitly as a punishment for New York's politics rather than as routine enforcement, saying the operation was undertaken "because you have a very liberal-slash-socialist mayor here in New York City," calling New York a "crime-ridden city," and promising to send "as many people as we have possible" now that a new state law has forced local agencies out of 287(g) partnerships with ICE. Pressed on whether everyone arrested was a criminal, he answered that entering the country outside legal channels is itself the crime. Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani rejected the arrest tally at a competing press conference the same day, with Hochul saying there is "no way" that number reflects crimes as New York defines them and Mamdani defending the city's sanctuary policies as bipartisan in origin.

“Operation Rotten Apple did what sanctuary politicians in New York refuse to do: made the Empire State safer.”
Markwayne Mullin (R) · Sep 1, 2026

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