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ICE arrests reach new high

Investigators work near the Houston location of a fatal ICE shooting July 7. Statistics released July 20 show a record number of immigration arrests in June and an even higher rate in early July. (Photo by Jon Shapley/The Texas Tribune) Immigration arrests reached 1,593 per day in early July in a new push to detain and deport immigrants that has led to deaths in traffic stops. There were more than 43,000 arrests in June, the highest recorded by the Trump administration, according to statistics released Monday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reflecting new bookings into detention facilities.  The June monthly total surpassed the 42,000 arrests in December, which included Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis. If the rate for the first 11 days of July continues for a month it could be even higher, about 49,000 arrests. Following fatal shootings, ICE officers ordered to wear body cameras at traffic stops Arrest numbers reached as high as 2,000 per day over a five-day peri...
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Private investment in youth sports draws state, federal scrutiny

David Faulk played soccer for his high school, shown here, as well as for club teams before transitioning to football. His family paid thousands each year for his sports, a cost that approached $20,000 during his final years of high school. The money that families pour into youth sports has made it increasingly attractive to private investors, including private equity firms. (Photo courtesy of Tiffany Whitlow) Courtney Hamby and her husband spend close to $6,000 per year for their daughter Ellie’s cheer and tumbling classes, competition fees and uniforms. That doesn’t include their travel expenses for multiple out-of-town competitions, including hotel rooms, gas, meals, and sometimes even flights. “This should be something that everyone gets to play, and it shouldn’t be only the people who can afford it,” said Hamby, who lives in Madison, Alabama. “But if you don’t have money, you’re not doing competitive cheer.” Youth sports is now a $40 billion industry. It’s a sprawling, commerc...
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Trump administration ramps up pressure on indefinite immigrant detention

Fomer U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi speaks last year  at Louisiana State Penitentiary to announce the opening of Camp 57, a facility at the prison that will house immigrant detainees. An appeals court covering Louisiana and other states with large detention centers is at the center of a court fight over mandatory detention for many immigrants. (Photo by Piper Hutchinson/Louisiana Illuminator) Seeking to stop a “flood” of court cases freeing immigrants from mandatory detention, the Trump administration is asking an appeals court to put three immigrants back in detention. The immigrants were freed by Texas federal judges in February and March in a case that was upheld by an appeals court panel for Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas, which found that such immigrants have the right to bond hearings within 90 days of being detained. That decision was reversed by the full 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hold a full hearing on the case in September.  In court papers filed ear...
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Trump administration should preserve Reflecting Pool evidence, judge says

A worker cleans the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool on the National Mall on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) WASHINGTON — A D.C. Superior Court judge on Monday encouraged the Trump administration to preserve the sections of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool that it says a Maryland man damaged to ensure the case moves forward.  Associate Judge Todd E. Edelman warned during a status hearing in the case against former Olympic canoeist David Hearn that the government may be “operating at its own peril” if it does not preserve the pool for the defense attorneys and their expert to examine and test.  Edelman questioned why the Trump administration couldn’t “maintain the status quo” for the rest of the week to ensure access to the evidence doesn’t become an “issue in this trial.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Reddington said the Interior Department was in the middle of remedial work on the Reflecting Pool after draining it.  Reddington said prosecutors “certainl...
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FDA: Taylor Farms iceberg lettuce sample produced a false positive for cyclospora

The main entrance of Food and Drug Administration Building 1 on the FDA campus in Silver Spring, Maryland. (Photo by Michael J. Ermarth/FDA) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Sunday that the Taylor Farms lettuce sample that tested positive for the parasite cyclospora was actually a false positive.  The announcement comes after the FDA previously reported on Saturday that a sample of iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms in central Mexico had tested positive for the parasite. As of Sunday,  the FDA said there are no confirmed samples of Taylor Farms lettuce testing positive for cyclospora. The FDA did not cite any other positive tests for the source of the outbreak, which has been linked to severe gastrointestinal illness. As of Monday morning, a banner on an FDA webpage tracking the outbreak still reads: “Do not eat recalled iceberg lettuce from Taylor Farms de Mexico. FDA’s investigation is ongoing.” The FDA also said: “Due to the complexity in detection o...
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The Tuberville residency case is a test for the Alabama Supreme Court

U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville gives an acceptance speech after winning the Republican nomination for Alabama's governor at his primary election victory tailgate at the Vulcan Park in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 19, 2026. A lawsuit challenging Tuberville's ability to run for governor was dismissed by a lower court earlier this month, but has been appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court. (Anna Barrett/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Supreme Court is about to face a test. It’s not about Tommy Tuberville’s eligibility to run for governor. At least, not yet. The question for justices: Can a court even determine whether a candidate for public office can serve in it? GET THE MORNING HEADLINES. SUBSCRIBE This should be easy. It says quite a bit about the state — and Alabama’s high court — that it isn’t. But we deserve a hearing on the issue. ...
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Taco Bell removing lettuce nationwide linked to cyclosporiasis in 5 states

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on July 17, 2026, it has linked an outbreak of cyclosporiasis in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants. (Photo courtesy Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday that public health officials have linked the ongoing outbreak of cyclosporiasis in five states to shredded iceberg lettuce from Taco Bell restaurants. The fast food chain wrote in a statement that it plans to remove the “potentially impacted lettuce” from its “supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours in select states.” “While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” the statement said. “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant ...
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