SmartNews

In a scathing letter from Democratic lawmakers, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem was chastised for unlawfully obstructing members of Congress from visiting detention centers used to house undocumented immigrants, and was reminded of one of her more controversial moments in recent years.

Signed off by Reps. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Lou Correa (D-CA) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the letter condemns Noem for new policies enacted by Immigration and Customs Enforcements, an agency under DHS, that unlawfully restrict members of Congress from visiting ICE facilities, a violation, they say, of Congress’ constitutional oversight duties over the executive branch.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) told podcaster Galen Druke that she might be open to leaving the Republican Party, and even caucusing with Democrats as an independent, as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) or Angus King (I-ME) do.

But a lot would have to happen to get her to that point.

President Donald Trump mocked Iran's response to the United States' bombing of three of its nuclear facilities over the weekend in a series of posts on his social media network, Truth Social.

Iran fired 14 missiles at the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar early Monday. Trump confirmed suspicions that Iran gave the U.S. a heads-up before attacking the base. No U.S. or Qatari casualties were reported.

Attorney General Pam Bondi lashed out at Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA) for asking a question about failures to disclose foreign lobbying for Qatar.

"The three hallmarks of this administration are incompetence, corruption, and cruelty," Dean said during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Monday. "Attorney General, have you ever been registered as an agent of a foreign principal under the Foreign Agents Registration Act?"

A former official with the U.S. State Department said on Monday that President Donald Trump deserves to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his decision to bomb three nuclear facilities in Iran over the weekend.

Ellie Cohanim, who served as Trump's deputy special envoy to combat antisemitism in his first term, made the comments on Fox News' daily show, "America Reports with Sandra Smith and John Roberts.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) admonished Attorney General Pam Bondi for failing to increase fentanyl seizures under President Donald Trump.

"Fentanyl seizures are down 30% compared to last year," DeLauro told Bondi during a Monday House Appropriations Committee hearing. "And that data is coming from the Customs and Border Patrol, CBP."

Fewer women are moving to red states with severe abortion restrictions, and that poses risks for some state economies, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

The report analyzed the findings of 55 different studies about the impact of state-level abortion bans following the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. The Dobbs decision overturned the Roe v. Wade precedent, which protected a woman's right to receive an abortion.

Senate Democrats have successfully removed part of President Donald Trump's “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which would have blocked “federal government policies with injunctions or restraining orders,” according to a report from NBC.

According to a Democratic aide, the rule was removed because “it did not comply with the ‘Byrd rule,’ which says provisions must be directly related to taxes or spending.”

A judge who handed Donald Trump a major legal victory was actively lobbying for a federal position — which he has now won, according to newly disclosed Senate records.

Florida Judge Ed Artau was secretly meeting with Republican Sen. Rick Scott's staff about securing a Trump nomination in November, just days after the election. Then, in February, he delivered a ruling for Trump in his lawsuit against the Pulitzer Prize Board.

A prominent immigration attorney is hitting back against the Department of Homeland Security, which claimed in a video posted on X that a person "assaulted federal law enforcement with a weed whacker."

The Homeland Security account on X wrote Monday that the man "ASSAULTED federal law enforcement with a WEED WHACKER."

President Donald Trump has gone from “showman” to “strongman” and is becoming more hawkish and dangerous, according to The Guardian’s Washington D.C. bureau chief, David Smith.

Last week, Trump brought a military parade to the streets of Washington, D.C. Yet, Smith believes it could also be seen as “more than just an authoritarian ego trip. It was a show of strength and a statement of intent.”