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USAF v. Guahan: OSG Seeks Review in APA Challenge to Disposal of Hazardous Waste Munitions in Guam
Be honest—this is ridiculous.

Nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting natural and cultural resources in Guam brought action against Air Force, Department of Defense and their respective Secretaries, alleging failure to comply with National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before submitting Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit renewal application to Guam Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for disposal of hazardous waste munitions on beach through open burning/open detonation operations. The District Court of Guam granted defendants’ motion to dismiss for lack of standing, ripeness, and failure to state a claim. Organization appealed.
CA9 (Berzon, Miller; VanDyke (dis.)), reversed, holding that:
organization alleged its members sustained requisite concrete "injuries-in-fact" for Article III standing to bring action;
members’ purported environmental injuries were "fairly traceable" to Air Force’s decision to conduct operations without necessary environmental assessment (EA) or environmental impact statement (EIS), as required for Article III standing;
Air Force’s application constituted "final agency action" subject to judicial review under Administrative Procedure Act (APA);
Air Force’s application constituted final agency action "ripe" for judicial review under APA; and
Air Force was not exempt from complying with NEPA’s procedural requirements before submitting application.
The Air Force filed a petition for a writ of certiorari on November 14, 2025. The questions presented are:
Whether the federal government’s submission to a state or territorial regulator of an application to renew a RCRA permit is “final agency action” that is immediately reviewable under the Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. 704.
Whether the federal government must comply with the general environmental-review procedures of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., before submitting a permit-renewal application under RCRA, which sets forth its own specific procedures to review environmental impacts in the context of hazardous-waste treatment.

What is the most likely Democratic response to ICE once Democrats regain federal power?
Who's accountable for the results?

For several years, debate within the Democratic Party over U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been split between reform and abolition. Early on, many moderates pushed back on “abolish ICE” as rhetorically potent but politically risky, favoring narrower reforms like oversight, leadership changes, or jurisdictional limits.
More recently, however, polling and activist pressure appear to be shifting that balance. Support for abolishing ICE, or at least fully dismantling and replacing it, increasingly shows up as a mainstream position within the Democratic coalition rather than a fringe demand. This raises a practical question about what actually happens if and when Democrats regain unified control of the federal government.
Some possibilities that get discussed include:
Full abolition of ICE, with immigration enforcement folded into other agencies like CBP or DOJ.

Partial dismantling, such as eliminating Enforcement and Removal Operations while retaining investigative functions.

Structural replacement, creating a new agency with a narrower mandate and stricter statutory limits.

Symbolic or leadership-focused reforms that leave the agency largely intact.

Given how institutions tend to behave once they exist, and how difficult it is to unwind federal agencies in practice, what do people here think is the most realistic outcome? Is “abolish ICE” likely to translate into actual abolition, or does it function more as a pressure tactic that results in narrower reforms once Democrats are governing again?

Secret recordings reveal Cruz ripping Trump and Vance to donors: Report
Same show, different day.

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) was reportedly caught criticizing President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance to donors in secret recordings.

In comments made to donors at two separate meetings last year, Cruz had choice words for Trump and Vance, markedly different than the praise he usually heaps on them publicly. Two secret recordings of his comments were provided to Axios, amounting to roughly 10 minutes of conversation in total. His harsh comments primarily related to Trump’s tariff policy and Vance’s foreign policy stances and relationship to Tucker Carlson.

Cruz painted Vance as a pawn of Carlson, Axios reported, amid the Texas Republican’s prolonged public scuffle with the journalist and podcast host.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION MESSAGING ON ICE AT ODDS WITH PUBLIC SUPPORT

“Tucker created JD. JD is Tucker’s protégé, and they are one and the same,” Cruz reportedly said.

Cruz has accused Carlson of peddling antisemitism, celebrating Nazi Germany, and supporting all the U.S.’s adversaries.

Regarding Trump, Cruz mocked Trump’s usage of the term “Liberation Day” about tariffs, saying, “I’ve told my team if anyone uses those words, they will be terminated on the spot. That is not language we use.”

He relayed a private argument the two had over Trump’s tariff policies, with Cruz claiming it would devastate the economy.

“Mr. President, if we get to November of [2026] and people’s 401(k)s are down 30% and prices are up 10–20% at the supermarket, we’re going to go into Election Day, face a bloodbath,” Cruz said.

“You’re going to lose the House, you’re going to lose the Senate, you’re going to spend the next two years being impeached every single week,” he added.

By Cruz’s account, Trump responded, “F*** you, Ted.”

The Washington Examiner reached out to Cruz for comment.

CRUZ CITES AMERICA’S ‘HISTORY OF ACQUIRING NEW LANDS’ IN DEFENDING TRUMP’S GREENLAND PUSH

After an infamously personal and ugly primary against Trump in 2016, Cruz repositioned himself as one of the president’s biggest allies in the Senate. Any criticism of Trump after 2016 has been exceedingly rare, but the alleged recording shows his support isn’t as unconditional as publicly shown.

Analysts believe Cruz is positioning himself for a 2028 White House run, 12 years after his previously unsuccessful attempt. His comments show that he may be looking to portray himself as a classical free-trade, interventionist Republican of the pre-Trump era. One of the aspects of his relationship with …

Not to brag (although I suppose I am bragging), I think I'm the 1st person to properly analyze what happened in the Minneapolis Ice shooting...
Every delay has consequences.

Former big city LEO, fwiw.
My comment here was one of many in a video that I shared showing a clearer angle of the incident.
"Looking at this video a bit closer, you'll see a stocky agent with a grey jacket, hat and dark pants. At 0:27, he kicks what looks like a travel coffee mug out of the way. At 0:30, you can see what I believe to be one of the victim's magazines on the ground, near the agent's foot.
Shortly thereafter, I believe he sees the gun and moves in to retrieve it. At 0:40, the agent can be seen walking away with what appears to be a gun, presumably that of the shooting victim.
Now here's what *may* have happened, and I'm just not sure.
Also at 0:40, it's possible that the stocky agent fired one round accidentally from the retrieved handgun. The video is not conclusive, but based on the position and movement of the gun, this appears to be a possibility.
Other agents, having been made aware that the man was armed and now believing that he was shooting, open fire on him. This would explain the gap between the first single shot, and the volley of shots that occurred after a brief delay."
I was asked to link to this video again, so here it is:

Judge blocks DHS from ‘destroying or altering’ evidence in Alex Pretti shooting
This affects the entire country.

A U.S. district judge ruled in favor of Minnesota agencies requesting access to evidence in the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti on Saturday.

Pretti, 37, was shot and killed by a Border Patrol agent on Saturday morning, the second fatal shooting by federal law enforcement in Minneapolis since Renee Good’s shooting death on Jan. 7. As a result, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office filed a joint restraining order against the Department of Homeland Security from destroying evidence from this shooting.

Earlier this month, when Good, 37, was fatally shot by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer, the BCA said it was excluded from the investigation into the shooting. The lawsuit on Saturday night is meant to prevent these agencies from being shut out again.

SENATE DEMOCRATS GEAR UP TO DERAIL APPROPRIATIONS PASSAGE AFTER FATAL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLISDHS ALLEGES CHILD TAKEN INTO CUSTODY ONLY AFTER MOTHER ‘ABANDONED’ HIM

U.S. District Judge Eric C. Tostrud issued a temporary restraining order within hours of the suit’s filing, blocking DHS from “destroying or altering evidence related to the fatal shooting involving federal officers that took place in or around 26th Street and Nicollet Avenue in Minneapolis on January 24, 2026.”

Tostrud was nominated by President Donald Trump in February 2018. While Tostrud worked for the law firm Lockridge Grindal Nauen, his pro bono work included representing military veterans in the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Notably, Pretti was an intensive care unit nurse for Veterans Affairs. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty promised in a statement after filing suit that “I will not rest, my team will not rest, until we have done everything in our power, everything within our authority, to achieve transparency and accountability.”

“Our office has jurisdiction to review this matter for potential criminal conduct by the federal agents involved and we will do so,” Moriarty said. “This collaborative lawsuit is just one of the many actions our office is taking to ensure that a thorough and transparent investigation can be completed at the state level.”

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison promised in a statement that “justice will be done.”

DHS ALLEGES CHILD TAKEN INTO CUSTODY ONLY AFTER MOTHER ‘ABANDONED’ HIM

“Federal agents are not above the law and Alex Pretti is certainly not beneath it,” Ellison said. “A full, …

Bondi offers path to end ‘chaos’ in Minnesota in letter to Walz seeking voter rolls
This affects the entire country.

Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote to Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) on Saturday outlining how to “bring an end to the chaos” amid the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, including demands for access to voter rolls and an end to the state’s sanctuary city policies.

The conditions Bondi demanded on Saturday are likely nonstarters and highly unlikely to be accepted by the state’s Democratic administration. The attorney general laid out three primary demands: sharing Minnesota’s records on Medicaid and other welfare programs, a repeal of the “sanctuary policies” and cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and access to Minnesota’s voter rolls.

“Unfortunately, you and other Minnesota officials have refused to support the men and women
risking their lives to protect Americans and uphold the rule of law. Because Minnesota,
Minneapolis, and St. Paul have chosen to ignore federal immigration law by enacting sanctuary
laws and policies, the federal agents led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)
and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have operated alone,” Bondi wrote, decrying incendiary comments by officials within the state, such as comparisons of federal authorities with the Nazis and Gestapo.

RNC REGROUPS AND RECALIBRATES FOR MIDTERM ELECTION FIGHT

The immigration enforcement operation targeting Minneapolis and St. Paul was largely triggered by allegations of fraud from Somali daycares, which explains one of Bondi’s demands, the sharing of Minnesota’s records on Medicaid and Food and Nutrition Service programs.

“Allowing the federal government to efficiently investigate fraud will save Minnesota taxpayers’
money and ensure that Minnesota’s welfare funds are being used to help those in need, not enrich
fraudsters,” she wrote.

Bondi’s second demand, to end Minnesota’s sanctuary policies, likely refers to Minneapolis and St. Paul being sanctuary cities, forbidding cooperation with immigration authorities. The attorney general outlined the different cooperation measures that must be taken with ICE.

“All detention facilities in your state should cooperate fully with ICE, honor immigration detainers, and permit ICE to interview detainees in custody to determine immigration status. I urge you to reach an agreement with ICE that allows them to remove illegal aliens in custody of Minnesota’s prisons and jails and avoids pushing these interactions into your streets,” she wrote.

The final demand, to give the …

Trump says it 'is too late' to stop the White House ballroom construction amid lawsuit
What's the administration thinking here?

President Donald Trump said Sunday that it was "too late" to halt construction of a new ballroom at the White House, despite a newly filed lawsuit challenging the project.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the ballroom as "a GIFT (ZERO taxpayer funding) to the United States of America," estimating its cost at $300 million and saying it was financed through private donations.
Trump said the lawsuit was brought by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, criticizing the group for filing it after construction was already underway.
FEDERAL JUDGE QUESTIONS TRUMP AUTHORITY ON WHITE HOUSE BALLROOM PROJECT
"Why didn’t these obstructionists and troublemakers bring their baseless lawsuit much earlier?" he wrote.
Trump added that the East Wing was "changed, built and rebuilt over the years" and that "it bore no resemblance or relationship to the original building."
On July 31, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt announced the planned construction of a 90,000-square-foot ballroom. The sprawling ballroom will accommodate approximately 650 seated guests and will stay true to the classical design of the White House.
The White House does not have a formal ballroom, and the new ballroom will take the place of the current East Wing of the White House. 
Since his return to office, Trump has wasted no time in reshaping the look and feel of the White House and the National Mall.
SUPREME COURT SET TO HEAR CASE IN TRUMP FIGHT OVER LISA COOK’S FED SEAT
Trump has previously unveiled a new monument dubbed the "Arc de Trump," which is planned to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary next year.
He said the large arch, a near twin of Paris’s iconic Arc de Triomphe, will welcome visitors crossing the Arlington Memorial Bridge from Arlington National Cemetery into the heart of the nation’s capital.
Trump's taste for opulence is unmistakable in the Oval Office, where golden accents now decorate the nation’s most iconic workspace, a reflection of his personal style.
Since then, Trump has added gold accents throughout the Oval Office to include decorative details along the ceiling and around the doorway trim. Even the cherubs inside the door frames were given a gilded makeover.
TRUMP GAVE THE OVAL OFFICE A GILDED MAKEOVER – AND COVERED THE COST HIMSELF
Outside the Oval Office, the Trump administration unveiled the "Presidential Walk of Fame," a series of portraits of past presidents now displayed along the West Wing colonnade.
The portrait of former President Joe Biden features his signature, created with an autopen, a machine that holds a pen and reproduces …

Deputy AG defends ICE agents in Minnesota, says officers are 'acting humanely'
This affects the entire country.

Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the actions of federal law enforcement in Minnesota on Sunday as Minneapolis reels from a second killing of an anti-ICE protester.
Blanche made the comments during an appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press," telling host Kristen Welker that the vast majority of ICE's operations have gone forward without incident.
Welker highlighted a handful of examples that have faced criticism, including the deadly shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti this month.
"Yes, our agents are acting humanely," Blanche said.
TRUMP CITES ARMED SUSPECT, LACK OF POLICE SUPPORT FOLLOWING FATAL BORDER PATROL SHOOTING IN MINNEAPOLIS
"Their jobs are very, very difficult," he continued. "It is a very difficult place to be going out and trying to arrest these violent felons with no support from local law enforcement, with no support from the governor."
Blanche went on to state that there have been "thousands of arrests" in Minnesota, but critics focus on "two or three things that are pointed to as being wrong or being too aggressive or not being appropriate."
"That’s not fair to the men and women that are doing this every day," he added.
FREY, KLOBUCHAR CALL FOR ICE TO LEAVE MINNEAPOLIS FOLLOWING DEADLY CBP SHOOTING IN CITY
Blanche's appearance comes as investigations into the Pretti's death are just beginning. Homeland Security Sec. Kristi Noem said the victim, who was armed, "violently resisted" arrest and that the federal agent fired his weapon "fearing for his life."
Footage of the incident shows an agent disarmed Pretti shortly before he was killed. He entered into the initial scuffle with agents as he tried to assist another protester who had been pushed by law enforcement.
A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from "destroying or altering evidence" related to the shooting on Sunday.
Pretti's parents, Michael and Susan Pretti, said Saturday that they are "heartbroken but also very angry," and condemned the version of events presented by law enforcement as "sickening lies."
"Alex was a kindhearted soul who cared deeply for his family and friends and also the American veterans whom he cared for as an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA hospital," the couple wrote.
"The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down all while being pepper sprayed," …

@Landeur's take on what likely happened in Minnesota
Equal justice apparently isn't equal anymore.

Anybody else seen this?
His breakdown is that: - the ICE agents were made aware that Pretti had a gun during the scuffle, - in the commotion one of the agents disarms Pretti (but others don't see this), - the gun discharges while the officer is carrying it away, - the other agents get spooked thinking the shot's come from Pretti and one of them starts firing.
Seems pretty plausible to me but curious to hear what you think

White House accuses Walz of undermining law enforcement, blocking ICE cooperation
Who's accountable for the results?

The Trump administration is sharply criticizing Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, accusing him of undermining law enforcement and blocking cooperation with federal immigration authorities.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt took aim at Walz in a social media post, writing that the governor has failed to cooperate with federal agencies, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), during large-scale enforcement operations.
"Tim Walz does NOT believe in law and order," Leavitt’s post read. "No amount of propaganda from his allies in the liberal media will convince the American people otherwise."
Walz has sharply rebuked the federal presence following several controversial shootings involving immigration agents, including the death of Minneapolis resident Renée Good in early January and again on Sunday a day after another fatal ICE shooting that resulted in the death of 37-year-old Alex Pretti.
BONDI VOWS ACCOUNTABILITY AFTER CHURCH ATTACK, SAYS MINNESOTA ‘A MESS RIGHT NOW’
"Minnesota believes in law and order," Walz wrote in a post on X earlier Sunday. "We believe in peace. And we believe that Trump needs to pull his 3,000 untrained agents out of Minnesota before they kill another American in the street."
Leavitt claimed the governor has refused to allow law enforcement to work with ICE to arrest and remove what she described as "dangerous criminal illegal aliens."
According to Leavitt, since President Donald Trump took office, Walz has released "nearly 500 criminal illegal aliens back onto Minnesota’s streets" rather than transferring them to federal custody.
MAYOR FREY SHARES HIGHLY PRODUCED VIDEO SPEAKING ON LATINO RADIO STATION: 'YOU'RE BRAVE AND YOU'RE TOUGH'
She further accused Walz of spreading "malicious lies" about federal law enforcement officers, saying his rhetoric has put officers in danger while they carry out immigration enforcement operations.
Leavitt said Walz has encouraged "left-wing agitators to stalk and record federal officers," leading to officers being "doxxed, targeted, impeded, and placed in extremely dangerous situations."
She also pointed to Walz’s handling of civil unrest in 2020, writing, "Don’t forget, this is the same Tim Walz who allowed rioters to burn Minneapolis in the summer of 2020" following the murder of George Floyd.
She further accused Walz of overseeing "massive fraud schemes" in Minnesota that she said resulted in "tens of billions of dollars in stolen American taxpayer funds."
Leavitt said Trump "will never back down" from his pledge to deport violent criminal illegal aliens, a promise she said nearly …