Monday, June 8, 2026
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
On Our "Virtual Route 99" Around America
Officials in the Trump administration have worked hard to restrict the access of members of Congress to the detention centers it has established across the country. Although lawmakers have a constitutional duty to oversee executive agencies and courts have reiterated their authority to conduct unannounced visits to federal immigration facilities, officials have repeatedly tried to limit that access.
Last May they went so far as to arrest Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, for trespassing after he waited inside the gate of the privately operated Delaney Hall detention center where a staffer had asked him to stand after he accompanied three members of Congress to Delaney Hall, and then stepped outside when asked to leave. After they dropped the charges against Baraka days later, they charged Representative LaMonica McIver (D-NJ) with assault for her actions during a skirmish that broke out when immigration agents arrested Baraka.
On May 11, 2026, Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), tried again, issuing a memo that calls congressional visits “disruptive” and saying ICE will facilitate meetings of lawmakers with people in detention only if the lawmaker can specifically identify the individual in detention and provide “valid proof” that the detainee consents to a visit. Any such visit, they said, will require two days’ advance notice.
On May 22, after writing public letters to call attention to the crowded and unsanitary conditions inside Delaney Hall, the largest detention center in the Northeast, about 300 detainees began a hunger strike to demand the immediate release of young, elderly, and medically vulnerable detainees and to bring attention to the fact that immigration judges are ignoring their cases, leaving them incarcerated.
While much of the protest focuses on the horrific conditions inside the facility, the detainees themselves have focused on their lack of access to the legal system. They wrote: “We see with deep helplessness and frustration that our due process, rights, and defense have been violated, disregarding benefits granted under the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments of the UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION.”
“We are certain that we are not being processed equally under immigration laws and the Constitution….. We have seen judges in this detention center who are ready to carry out deportations and mass expulsions without properly reviewing cases. We live with anguish and fear of appearing in court. We are witnessing how judges are disregarding decisions of federal judges, for example not honoring HABEAS CORPUS rulings decided by a FEDERAL judge, depriving us of our liberty.”
They asked for help from senators and members of Congress and said, “[W]e trust in God and believe that justice will be done under the law of the United States of America, since it is a sovereign and constitutional country respected worldwide for upholding human rights.”
Since the Delaney Hall detainees began their strike, supporters outside have gathered to show support. Federal agents have clashed with them repeatedly, pepper-spraying Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) among others. MAGA activists went to the site to counter-protest, and Mayor Baraka established a curfew near the facility. Late last week, Governor Mikie Sherrill, a Democrat, deployed New Jersey state troopers after White House advisor Tom Homan—a former consultant for Delaney Hall operator GEO Group—threatened to send “tactical units” to New Jersey if the situation continued. The troopers arrested dozens of protesters.
Today New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport sued the GEO Group for refusing to allow inspectors into the facility in violation of state law. “If the GEO Group—with a $1 billion government contract—has nothing to hide and the conditions inside Delaney Hall are as safe and as sanitary as this private corporation and the Trump Administration claim, then there is no legitimate reason why my health inspectors are being kept from full access throughout the building,” Sherrill said. “The people of New Jersey deserve transparency and accountability, and I will continue using all the power of this office to advocate for the detainees and their families.”
In a May 29 interview with me on American Conversations, Senator Kim said that “the detainees were actually very clear with me… they’re concerned about the conditions, but the main reason they’re pushing forward right now, on this hunger strike and broader protest, is about the lack of forward movement when it comes to their cases. I remember one of them ran out of the room when I was talking to them, to go grab a piece of paper off a bulletin board…. The paper, when they brought it back, was about the court docket for the following couple days. And it showed that…this past Tuesday, when the courts opened up after the holiday weekend, this one judge that they are put in front of has 74 cases before her in just that one day, just on Tuesday. She had 74 cases on her docket. You know, I did the…math. I mean, that’s roughly about five minutes per case, if that’s everything is perfectly aligned…. [I]t’s just a…farce. This is not actual justice. This is not actual… legal proceedings as per our Constitution, and as per our laws.”
The destruction of the rule of law in Delaney Hall is part of the Trump administration’s destruction of the rule of law across the United States. This morning, Trump announced he is appointing the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, William Pulte, to become the acting director of national intelligence in addition to his job at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The director of national intelligence is the nation’s top intelligence official, and federal law requires that the director have “extensive national security expertise.” Pulte has none.
What he does have is willingness to use the power of the government to persecute Trump’s perceived political enemies. It was Pulte who came up with the scheme of going after Federal Reserve Board member Lisa Cook and New York attorney general Letitia James by accusing them of mortgage fraud. He also advocated investigating then–Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell for alleged overruns in the renovation of Federal Reserve buildings.
Today, under pressure from Senate Republicans who recognize that the optics of Trump’s $1.776 billion slush fund will hurt Republicans in the midterms and demanded the removal of that funding from the budget reconciliation measure they are working on to fund ICE and the Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Trump appears to have dropped that demand. But acting attorney general Todd Blanche told members of Congress today that he would not commit in writing not to proceed with the slush fund, and that the Department of Justice is not dropping the plan to provide Trump, his family, and the Trump Organization broad amnesty for any laws broken in past tax filings and a pass on future audits.
Just after midnight this morning, Trump posted that his criminal conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records and the civil fraud judgement against him in New York for manipulating his financial statements to get better tax and insurance rates be dismissed, saying he was “an innocent man who has been horribly treated.” As Sophie Brams of The Hill noted, he also called for criminal charges to be launched against New York attorney general James and Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, who brought the successful lawsuits.
Today the new secretary of homeland security, Markwayne Mullin, refused to assure a U.S. Senate Appropriations subcommittee that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would follow court orders. Repeatedly, he told Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) that DHS “will never break the Constitution, and we’re not going to break the law.” But he refused to agree that they would follow court orders. “If we didn’t think courts were politicized, then I would probably be able to answer that,” Mullin said. “But we see courts over and over again that use their bench for their political opinion, not just the rule of law.”
Kyle Cheney of Politico reported last month that the Trump administration has lost nearly 10,400 court cases over DHS immigration detentions while prevailing in about 1,200. That translates to a 90% loss rate. More than 425 judges—an overwhelming majority of them—have decided against the administration. Cheney notes that even a majority of the judges Trump himself appointed have decided against the administration on immigration.
In February, then–DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin explained away the administration’s dismal record by saying that “many activist judges have attempted to thwart President Trump from fulfilling the American people’s mandate for mass deportations.”
But Judge Joseph R. Goodwin of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia wrote: “Antiseptic judicial rhetoric cannot do justice to what is happening. Across the interior of the United States, agents of the federal government—masked, anonymous, armed with military weapons, operating from unmarked vehicles, acting without warrants of any kind—are seizing persons for civil immigration violations and imprisoning them without any semblance of due process…. It is an assault on the constitutional order.”
Today, after Mullin wouldn’t agree to obey the courts, suggesting instead that “we’ll hold each other accountable” if ICE breaks the law, Senator Murphy said: “Listen, if you’re a Republican or Democrat on this committee, you should be really, really freaked out.”
Former Border Patrol chief Gregory Bovino, who oversaw the operations during which federal agents shot and killed American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti, joined white nationalist Jared Taylor at a conference of far-right activists and influencers in Portugal over the weekend. As Marion Solletty of Politico reported, in an interview before the conference, Bovino embraced the white nationalism of the Great Replacement theory that says white Europeans and white Americans are in a fight to save their civilization from Black and Brown people.
He claimed that of the 342 million people in the U.S.—he said there were 420 million—100 million are undocumented immigrants who must be removed. But, he added, “our main battle is not with undocumented immigrants or unassimilated immigrants: it is with the bureaucrats of the status quo and the timid politicians, determined to suspend action or wait for the next election cycle.”
“If there is inspiration gained from the U.S. Border Patrol model and method,” he said, “then fantastic.”
Monday, June 1, 2026
On Our 'Virtual Route 99" Here in the United States: On the Eve of #Elections2026 Day
June is before us, and we welcome all!!
A number of states, including California, are holding Primaries on June 2. Our team chose this snapshot courtesy of the team at Politico on the State of Politics in the United States right now:
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By Adam Wren with Dasha Burns | ||||
With help from Eli Okun, Ali Bianco and Irie Sentner Good Friday morning, this is Adam Wren coming to you from beautiful and crisp Michigan, which feels these days like the center of the midterm universe. Get in touch. In today’s Playbook … — What we learned about 2028 from the Midwestern Davos. — Pam Bondi prepares to sit for Epstein interview. — The Boldfaces: Gretchen Whitmer, Pete Buttigieg, Elissa Slotkin, David Axelrod, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Scott Bessent, Brooke Rollins, Frederica Wilson, Pope Leo XIV, Jill Biden and more. | ||||
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MACKINAC ISLAND, Mich. — The factional and fiery Michigan Senate Democratic primary is shaping up to be a microcosm and harbinger of the party’s looming 2028 pileup. 2028 chatter and jockeying, both private and in the open, coursed through almost every meeting of the Midwestern Davos known as the Mackinac Policy Conference this week. On this bougie island frozen in time and reachable only by plane and ferry, one that in many ways celebrates the past — no cars allowed — the potential presidential candidates had all eyes on the future. There was news that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, spending her last summer at the governor’s residence on the island, would, in her words “not be one” of “a robust group of people running for president” in 2028, she told a Detroit TV station (That was before a person familiar with her thinking tried to give her some wiggle room, telling Playbook: “Sometimes she does change her mind.” Hours later, she walked it back herself: “Never say never.”) Then there was the private huddle that happened over drinks between Sen. Elissa Slotkin and fellow Michigander Pete Buttigieg, Playbook learned, both of whom are weighing potential 2028 bids. “I mean, we did not discuss it outright,” Slotkin told Playbook. A spokesperson for Buttigieg declined to comment. And there was another potential progressive dark horse no one saw coming, but who’s been increasingly talking about 2028 on the campaign trail. Earlier this year, Abdul El-Sayed, who’s surging in the battleground state polls and led his rivals Haley Stevens and Mallory McMorrow on ActBlue fundraising last month, re-registered three eyebrow raising domains: elsayedforpresident.com, elsayedforpresident.org and abdulforpresident.org. In an interview aboard a horse taxi, El-Sayed acknowledged registering the domains in 2017 “so nobody can misuse them.” “I am closing the door to 2028 — really not interested at all. I want to have a massively outsized impact on who gets elected in 2028. I want to make sure they want to get money out of politics, put money in your pocket, and pass Medicare For All,” he said. “I want to be able to demonstrate that you can win in this state that everybody seems to call purple.” | ||||
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The way he sees it, the 2026 Michigan Senate Democratic primary could shape 2028 and beyond. “We take it for granted here, but we live in the carotid artery of American politics. All roads lead through Michigan,” El-Sayed said in Troy on May 16. That’s the real news out of Mackinac: The Michigan Senate Democratic primary offers the best 2028 proxy on the map. As Democratic strategist David Axelrod put it to Playbook: “Does the outcome of this race tell you who’s going to win the nomination? No. But it does tell you there’s a lot of support around a populist economic platform.” Amid it all, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are jockeying for influence. Sanders endorsed El-Sayed, while Warren backed McMorrow. And just like the 2028 field, everyone is waiting to see what Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) will do. If AOC weighs in here — where her Bernie-lane rival Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) is expected to stump for El-Sayed next month — that could signal an attempt to broaden her base in a battleground state. “Obviously we’d be honored to earn her endorsement, but you know, she's got a whole set of calculations she has to make about how she wants to play,” El-Sayed said. A spokesperson for AOC declined to comment. Put simply: 2028, in a lot of ways, is pure Michigan. On today's Playbook Podcast: Adam and Megan Messerly discuss the vibes out of Michigan, and why the Trump administration can't seem to land an economic message. | ||||
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EPSTEIN FILES FALLOUT: Pam Bondi will sit for a transcribed interview with the House Oversight Committee about the Jeffrey Epstein files at 9 a.m. But Epstein hawks on the panel are frustrated that she’s no longer required to be sworn in under oath or recorded after her firing and deposition downgrade, POLITICO’s Hailey Fuchs reports. Assistant AG Harmeet Dhillon’s presence has also raised questions. It remains to be seen how many answers Bondi will provide; a group of Epstein survivors will be outside the room, publicly demanding them. IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID: Plenty of economic policy heavyweights are in Simi Valley, California, for the annual Reagan National Economic Forum, which will feature Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaking at 2:40 p.m. Eastern and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins at 5:20 p.m.
TRAIL MIX: Rep. Jim Clyburn hosts his annual fish fry today — a famous South Carolina stop for would-be presidents — with Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) in attendance this year. … All eyes in Florida are on possible retirement news (or not!) from Democratic Rep. Frederica Wilson, who’s teed up a “special announcement” at an event today. WAR REPORT: Israeli and Lebanese officials return to D.C. today for talks on their fragile ceasefire. (It hasn’t stopped ongoing heavy attacks by Israel, which killed at least 14 more people overnight Thursday, and Hezbollah.)
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Watch the season finale of On the Road with Jonathan Martin On the Road with Jonathan Martin wraps Season 1 in South Philly with Gov. Josh Shapiro, who weighs in on the future of the Democratic Party, voter trust, 2028 speculation and more — from inside Angelo’s Pizzeria. Watch the finale and catch up on the full season. | ||||
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NOT SO FAST: Democratic-led states have started coalescing behind the idea of completely taxing all money any residents get from Trump’s controversial “Anti-Weaponization Fund.” But if those unusual plans can make it through state legislatures, it’s an open question whether they’d hold up in court, POLITICO’s Bernie Becker and colleagues report. BRAVE NEW WORLD: Pope Leo XIV’s landmark encyclical warning about the perils of unmitigated AI has landed smack in the middle of American political debate — and ticked off Silicon Valley’s anti-regulation accelerationists, POLITICO Magazine’s Calder McHugh reports. It also places Vance in an unusual spot between his Catholic faith, allies like Peter Thiel, laissez-faire administration officials and an emergent AI backlash on the right.
FIRST AMENDMENT WATCH: ABC slammed FCC Chair Brendan Carr for trying to mess with its broadcast stations’ licenses, POLITICO’s John Hendel reports. The network wrote that Carr’s order, which he maintained yesterday arises from a legitimate inquiry into Disney’s diversity practices, amounts to an “effort to suppress speech under the guise of bureaucratic process.” LOOK WHO’S BACK: Jill Biden’s reemergence with viral thoughts about that debate as she releases her memoir — on top of other new headlines from Joe and Hunter Biden — has many Democrats wishing 2024 would go away again, POLITICO’s Lisa Kashinsky, Dasha Burns and Andrew Howard report. LISTEN TO THIS: “The Conversation” is officially a year old — and Dasha is handing over the mic to you for a special anniversary episode answering questions about everything from prepping for interviews to managing her self-described “hot mess” news diet. Plus, she gets a few surprise calls from friends of the show, including Bret Baier and Abby Phillip. Listen and subscribe on Apple or Spotify | ||||
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1. MAKING MOVES IN LATIN AMERICA: The U.S. and Guatemala may start launching joint attacks against drug traffickers as early as June, having reached an agreement to cooperate last week, NYT’s Maria Abi-Habib and Eric Schmitt report. Guatemala follows Ecuador, and Honduras is next in the administration’s sights for an agreement. “The White House’s broader strategy is to normalize an American military presence across Latin America to gain leverage over Mexico” and force it to cooperate, too, an idea backed by Stephen Miller. 2. DEMOCRACY WATCH: A federal judge for now turned away Democratic and civil rights groups’ efforts to stop Trump’s anti-mail-voting executive order. Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, said a preliminary injunction would be premature because any harm from Trump’s restrictions hasn’t happened yet. More from Roll Call 3. E-RING READING: In the wake of Dell’s $9.7 billion contract with the Pentagon, ethics watchdogs are raising questions about conflicts of interest and whether Trump’s stock trading positions him to reap the benefits, WaPo’s Maegan Vazquez reports. The White House and Trump Organization say he isn’t involved with his investments. On a related note, ProPublica’s Robert Faturechi reveals Peter Navarro stepped in to request that the Pentagon loan $620 million to Vulcan Elements, a firm with ties to Donald Trump Jr. — “the first time the awarding of a contract from a federal agency has been directly linked to White House intervention.” 4. SCARY STUFF: Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s Virginia home was apparently swatted this week, per National Review. Police responded to what turned out to be a fake call — a practice that can be dangerous — though Barrett was in court like usual the next day. 5. TOP TALKER: In Slate, Ben Jacobs revealed that Kip Talley, chief of staff to Rep. Mike Collins (R-Ga.) was in a large group chat that included white nationalists Nick Fuentes and Richard Spencer. In it, Talley detailed his efforts to look into the incarceration of Holocaust denier Charles Johnson: “I’m going to try and use the levers of the legislative branch to check into his detention,” he wrote. Talley responded to Slate that he “acted solely in my personal capacity” and didn’t use official resources: “I was simply trying to help a suffering inmate connect with counsel.” THE WEEKEND AHEAD FRIDAY PROGRAMS … POLITICO “The Conversation”: One-year anniversary episode. C-SPAN “Ceasefire”: John Feehery and Meghan Hays … Mark Kimmitt and Nayyera Haq. PBS “Washington Week”: David Ignatius. SUNDAY SO FAR … Fox News “Sunday Morning Futures”: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent … Texas AG Ken Paxton … Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins. NBC “Meet the Press”: Mike Pence … Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear. Panel: Leigh Ann Caldwell, Val Demings, Garrett Haake and Steve Hayes. MS NOW “The Weekend: Primetime”: Rep. Rob Menendez (D-N.J.) … Texas state Rep. Gina Hinojosa … Alex Bores. FOX “Fox News Sunday”: National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett … Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) … Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.). Panel: Michael Allen, Mark Bednar, Francesca Chambers and Juan Williams. CBS “Face the Nation”: Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) … Cindy McCain … Mike Pence. ABC “This Week”: Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.). Panel: Donna Brazile, Chris Christie, Faiz Shakir and Patrick McHenry. CNN “State of the Union”: Panel: Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-Ariz.), Rep. MarÃa Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.), Kate Bedingfield and David Urban. NewsNation “The Hill Sunday”: Panel: Margaret Talev, Andrew Desiderio and John Tamny.
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