ICE Drops Death Reporting After Release, Raising Concerns Over Detainee Mortality","description":"The Department of Homeland Security has changed ICE policies to stop reporting deaths that occur within 30 days of a detainee’s release, a move that experts warn could hide serious medical failings and increase mortality in detention.","summary":"ICE’s policy shift removes a key accountability checkpoint. Health professionals and former officials argue that excluding post-release deaths masks gaps in care and could result in preventable fatalities, as rates of both natural and suicide deaths among detainees continue to climb.","image":"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1590243830637-1b51bf0fe32e?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=400&w=800","text":"<p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\"><img src=\"https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1590243830637-1b51bf0fe32e?crop=entropy&cs=tinysrgb&fit=crop&fm=jpg&h=400&w=800\" alt=\"ICU monitoring in a detention center\" width=\"800\" height=\"400\" style=\"display:block; margin:0 auto; border-radius:8px;\"></p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">In a move that critics say could obscure the human cost of U.S. detention policies, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced that it will no longer report deaths of former detainees within 30 days of release. The change reverses a 2021 policy that was enacted under the Biden administration to ensure accountability for mortality that might otherwise be missed while a detainee is in custody.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">The Department of Homeland Security described the update as \"common sense,\" stating that once an individual is no longer in ICE custody, the agency would not be responsible for monitoring or reviewing subsequent deaths. The agency added that it remains committed to transparency and cites procedures for \"timely notification, review and reporting of deaths occurring in ICE custody,\" though the full revised policy remains undisclosed.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">ICE’s decision coincides with a troubling rise in detainee mortality. Since January 1st, at least 18 detainees have died in custody, outpacing last year’s record and the highest death toll in two decades. A steep increase in suicides has also been reported <a href=\"https://apnews.com/article/ice-suicide-deaths-detention-custody-takeaways-791ac441678f91f061ccd729f6285bc8\" style=\"color:#1a0dab; text-decoration:none;\">here</a>, with many other natural‑cause deaths likely preventable with timely medical care.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">Dr. Sanjay Basu, a UC‑San Francisco epidemiologist who analyzed over 270 ICE custody deaths, warns the policy change will “make mortality statistics appear lower without any real improvement in care.” He notes that deaths stemming from inadequate confinement‑time care become visible only after release, citing missed diagnoses, interrupted medication regimes and untreated infections.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">Health experts criticize the move as a willful disregard for a critical oversight period. Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer of New York City’s jail system, argues that “tracking deaths immediately after custody is a standard approach that allows health systems… to learn about gaps in care that may occur before a person leaves a facility.”</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">ICE denies allegations of medical neglect, claiming detainees receive \"comprehensive health care services.\" The agency’s holding levels have now surpassed 60,000 of detainees nationwide, up from roughly 40,000 at the onset of President Trump’s second term. The DHS acting assistant secretary, Lauren Bis, previously stated that no detention deaths occurred in May, the first month without a death since November, yet she did not address policy changes.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\">The policy change, announced Thursday, is a significant shift in oversight that may hinder the ability of journalists, advocacy groups, and the public to understand the full scope of health outcomes for detainees.</p><p style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;\" class=\"close\">\u2026 \u2026 \u2026</p>

Virginia Man Brendan Banfield Faces Sentencing Over Wife and Man’s Murder

Judge Dismisses Murder Charge Against Arkansas Sheriff Candidate Aaron Spencer

Karen Read Sues Massachusetts Police and Canton Over Alleged Misconduct in Investigation

Melinda French Gates Pledges $215 Million to Enhance Women’s Health Worldwide

Child Re‑Separated After Trump Administration Push – A Family’s Fight to Stay Together","description":"After five years of being separated from his mother, 11‑year‑old Ederson Galicia faces new persecution at Miami airport. The case exposes the resurgence of family separations despite a federal settlement that was supposed to end the practice.","summary":"The story of Ederson Galicia and his mother Mirsy Maricela Alva López highlights how families have been forcibly separated again despite legal protections. After a five‑year ordeal in Guatemala, the family has returned to Florida only to be targeted by federal agents once more. Their experience underscores the broader policy failure to uphold the settlement that barred such separations. Interviews with the family, ACLU attorneys, and DHS spokespersons paint a tense picture of ongoing government pressure on protected families.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/6a02930/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/599x399!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F3a%2F1b%2Fe424d296e0b128c446011160e4b3%2F78f68f47029f4739957ea4315821b4f5","text":"<p><b>Miami</b>, 2026. Eleven‑year‑old Ederson Galicia Alva watched the airplane wheel spin out of view as federal agents slipped his mother aside for questioning. “I was only a kid,” Ederson recalled. The moment that should have felt like a fresh start ended with a new wave of fear.</p> <p>In 2018, at the age of three, Ederson was taken from his mother’s arms at the U.S.–Mexico border under the first Trump administration’s family‑separation policy, and the family was kept apart for months in a government facility. Lawyers eventually secured a reunion, but in June 2025 a second separation drew them again into the hands of federal authorities, this time in the Florida suburbs of Miami.</p> <p>Ederson and his mother had fled to Guatemala in late 2024 after enduring a mentally and physically exhausting 11‑month stay in the remote highlands. A federal judge’s order later declared the government’s actions illegal, allowing the family to return to Florida in early May. The return felt like a miracle, but it was short‑lived. Within days of landing in Miami, DHS agents had Alva López in for a new round of questioning.</p> <p><b>“The government refused to acknowledge the horror of the initial separations and has now re‑separated these families,”</b> said Lee Gelernt, attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and lead counsel in the lawsuit that ended the policy. “These children have suffered enough without a new trauma.”</p> <p>Under the settled terms signed in 2023, families who were separated were granted legal protections, pathways toward asylum, access to attorneys, work permits and counseling services. The settlement also cut off illegal mass deportations and prohibited new separations until December 2031.</p> <p>Despite this, the Trump administration’s second term saw a resurgence of mass deportation claims and a rapid expansion of federal detentions. The ACLU filed a report showing that dozens of children had been re‑separated, and that protected family members were detained or deported without notice. In one email, an ACLU attorney pressed the Department of Justice for a release of a detainee who had been illegally held: <i>“We ask that you tell us why we were not notified of this class member’s detention within 24 hours. … this class member should not be removed,”</i> the email read.</p> <p>DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis said, <i>“DHS complies with all court orders, even as radical NGOs seek to thwart our operations.”</i> The statement underscored the agency’s insistence that enforcement is mandatory and that every removal restores law and order.</p> <p>When Alva López was last arrested, the process was bewildering. The agents, in brown uniforms, had no time to explain why she was stopped, nor did they give her a reason for the arrest. They transferred her to two Florida jails, then to ICE custody in Louisiana, and finally onto a flight bound for Guatemala City. The family was separated again for a week, before she earned her way back to the U.S. almost a year later under a judge’s order.</p> <p>Ederson’s view of life in Guatemala starkly contrasted with his memories of Miami. He described a tiny bedroom, a dusty adobe brick house, and a school where all lessons were in Spanish. “I had very few friends here,” he said. He fought back tears at the thought of losing the only family he could keep together.</p> <p>These repeated separations are not isolated. The ACLU’s latest figures show that more than 11,800 families were affected by the settlement’s intended protection, and the true number of separations is likely even higher. Families report that they are often asked to attend routine ICE check‑ins or placed on ankle monitors, disrupting their lives and threatening the safety of the children who have never been at risk.</p> <p>At the court level, the government had admitted no legal barriers to removing protected families. It argued that its statutory authority to execute removal orders was unchecked. However, court filings revealed that the Biden administration signed a 2023 settlement that specifically barred the practice of family separation. The contradiction fuels distrust among families and advocates.</p> <p>For many, such as Alva López, the outcome is uncertain. She received only two weeks of humanitarian parole upon her return, and officials have re‑examined every document she held in immigration office. The last known ruling cleared her to return, but no follow‑up has occurred, leaving her and her children in limbo.</p> <p>The fight continues. ACLU attorneys, legal nonprofits and advocates continue to discover that dozens of children are still being separated, even after the settlement that should have ended the practice. They call on the court to enforce the settlement’s directives and to close the gaps that allow new, ill‑directive separations to continue.</p>

St. Paul Prosecutor Rejects State Charges for Protesters Who Disrupted Church Service

Kalshi Refers George Santos to DOJ over State‑of‑the‑Union Betting","description":"Online prediction market flags suspicious trades by Santos, leading to referrals to the Justice Department and the CFTC in a fresh insider‑trading probe","summary":"After boasting he’d attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech, former congressman George Santos allegedly placed a large bet against his own attendance on Kalshi, an online prediction market. Kalshi—while noting a 75% probability of Santos attending—reported suspicious moves to both the FBI’s Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The referrals have drawn attention to the growing scrutiny of prediction markets like Kalshi and Polymarket and their potential for insider‑trading, especially amidst post‑Trump congressional investigations. Santos, who was released from prison after a brief sentence for fraud, remains unresponsive to inquiries about his Kalshi account.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/4bc062b/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5151x3434+0+0/resize/1440x960!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F97%2Fbb%2F1d94341e19d95c13fcd921d0857a%2F04b42ab3edb74f57b307389b93f45f31","text":"<h1 style=\"font-size:24px; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:12px;\">Kalshi Refers George Santos to DOJ over State‑of‑the‑Union Betting</h1>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">A prediction‑market platform identified a series of trading activities by former U.S. Representative George Santos that raised questions about insider‑trading, prompting both the Justice Department and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to review the case.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">Santos, who served one term in Congress before being expelled in 2024, repeatedly touted his intention to attend President Donald Trump’s February 24 State‑of‑the‑Union address. In the hours leading up to the speech, Kalshi noted roughly a 75 % probability that the former congressman would appear. Minutes after the inaugural address, Santos posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he had been prevented from attending, leading many to suspect a bet against his own attendance in a prediction‑market platform.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">An anonymous source confirmed that Kalshi detected suspicious trades and referred the matter to the DOJ’s criminal investigation unit. The same platform also reported the activity to the CFTC, which has recently pledged to tighten enforcement against insider trading on prediction‑market platforms.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">Santos has not responded to media outreach and has neither confirmed nor denied having a Kalshi account. In a separate NPR interview, he said he was unaware of the investigation and refused to clarify his platform holdings.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">The case underscores the rising scrutiny of prediction markets, with lawmakers calling for stricter safeguards against insider‑trading. Kalshi and its main rival Polymarket have both claimed that they report suspicious activity to regulators, though previous cases have culminated in criminal charges such as a military officer’s use of classified information to profit on Polymarket.</p>\n<p style=\"margin-bottom:12px;\">This development comes amid a broader congressional debate on how lawmakers’ personal betting activities could influence policy, prompting the Senate to pass a bipartisan resolution restricting members from using prediction‑markets to influence official duties.</p>

Muscatine, Iowa: 6 Dead in Family-Related Mass Shooting, Suspect Kills Himself","description":"A devastating shooting in Muscatine has left six relatives, including two students, dead as the accused, Ryan Willis McFarland, ends his own life.","summary":"Police investigate why 52‑year‑old Ryan Willis McFarland killed six family members in Muscatine before suicide. Two victims were students; the community mourns.","image":"https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/95f98f0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3792x2122+0+0/resize/599x335!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F74%2F09%2Fc27ed72f91dc6376b1440582800d%2F8b78d6715b45456592f5ef56c3733f3b","text":"<h1 style='font-size:24px; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom:10px;'>Muscatine, Iowa: 6 Dead in Family-Related Mass Shooting, Suspect Kills Himself</h1><p>In a devastating incident that has shaken Muscatine’s close‑knit community, authorities have confirmed that six people died Monday in a shooting that police believe was carried out by a relative.</p><p>The suspect, 52‑year‑old Ryan Willis McFarland of Muscatine, was found dead by suicide after police confrontation later that day.</p><p>Superintendent Clint Christopher of the Muscatine Community School District says two of the victims were students, though names, ages and grades remain undisclosed.</p><p>He added that two colleagues, employees of the district, also lost their lives. “Our hearts are broken for the family members, friends, classmates, and all those affected by this unimaginable loss,” Christopher said.</p><p>Police said the four initial victims were located in a Muscatine residence, and officials found a fourth victim inside a nearby business. Two of the victims were identified as relatives of McFarland.</p><p>Chief Anthony Kies announced at a brief press briefing that more victim details, including ages, would be shared during a Tuesday evening vigil. He declined to discuss motive or unfolding details.</p><p>“We just need the community to understand that the most powerful piece for us to move forward is to continue to love each other through this,” Kies added, his voice breaking with emotion.</p><p>In a tragic cascade, police officials later found McFarland on a city trail, where he took his life while authorities talked to him. The community has requested mental‑health resources and shared information about suicide prevention.</p><p>As the city mourns, the violent incident has been added to a growing list of family‑mass killings in the state—this marks the sixth recorded this year. A seventh, near Buffalo, NY, was later added to the database maintained by AP and USA Today.</p><p>Mass killings, defined as incidents in which four or more individuals are killed in 24 hours, not counting the perpetrator, have now totalled 13 across the nation.</p><p>Officers are still reopening the case for further clues while community members rally for support and hope the investigation brings resolution. Vigils, counseling and community outreach plans have been scheduled for the coming days.</p><img src='https://dims.apnews.com/dims4/default/95f98f0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3792x2122+0+0/resize/599x335!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.apnews.com%2F74%2F09%2Fc27ed72f91dc6376b1440582800d%2F8b78d6715b45456592f5ef56c3733f3b' style='width:599px; height:335px; margin-top:20px;' alt='Image from WQAD video of Muscatine shooting scene.'

Iowa Authorities Investigate Six Fatal Shootings in Muscatine","description":"Police investigate a series of murders believed to stem from a relative’s suicide at a Muscatine home.","summary":"Six people were found shot in Muscatine. Authorities say a 52‑year‑old relative allegedly killed them before taking his own life at a police‑occupied house. Two other men died in separate locations. Police seek witnesses.","image":"https://cdn.pulsewire.edu/muscatine_shootings.jpg","text":"<p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP)—Police are investigating the fatal shootings of six residents in Muscatine. Authorities say the victims were likely killed by a relative who, after being confronted by officers, took his own life at a police‑occupied home on Monday.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">Police arrived at the residence in Muscatine, about 50 miles southeast of Cedar Rapids, and found four people fatally shot, officials said. Deputy Chief Anthony Kies told reporters that, after speaking with the suspect, 52‑year‑old Ryan Willis McFarland, the man died by suicide on a city trail.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">In addition, two other men who are believed to be relatives of McFarland were found shot in separate locations. One was discovered in his own home, and the other inside a local business. The identities of all six victims remain unpublicized, and the police have not released details about their backgrounds.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">“Today I simply do not have the words,” Chief Kies said. “This act of evil has wounded our community.”</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">The Muscatine Police Department is continuing the investigation, processing crime scenes and conducting interviews. The department urges anyone with information to contact the Major Crimes Unit at (555) 123‑4567.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1rem;\">Kies confirmed that McFarland had a criminal record but declined to disclose specifics.</p>

Virginia Bus Crash Driver Faces New Indictment","description":"The bus driver of a deadly chain‑reaction crash is now indicted on additional involuntary manslaughter charges, adding to an already‑heavy legal burden.","summary":"Jing Sheng Dong, a 48‑year‑old Staten Island bus driver, has been indicted on three new involuntary manslaughter counts and one reckless‑driving charge following the deadly Virginia crash that killed five people and injured dozens. His past speeding infractions and the continuing investigation by the NTSB cast a grim light on the incident.","image":"https://apnews.com/images/2026/virginia-bus-crash.jpg","text":"<p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">A bus driver with a history of speeding accusations was indicted on additional charges Monday following a disastrous chain‑reaction crash in Virginia that killed five people and wounded dozens.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">Jing Sheng Dong, 48, of Staten Island, New York, had already been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter after the crash on Interstate 95 early Friday morning. On Monday a grand jury added three more counts of involuntary manslaughter and a charge of reckless driving, the Stafford County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office announced.\</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">The driver was operating a motorcoach from New York to North Carolina when, according to authorities, he plowed into a line of vehicles that were slowed in a work zone. The hit‑and‑run roller‑coaster of collisions led to the fatal deaths of a four‑member family from Greenfield, Massachusetts, and a 25‑year‑old woman from Worcester, Massachusetts.</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">Dong remains hospitalized. He had already been fined $219 for violating speed limits (73 mph in a 55 mph zone) and had pending legal trouble in Mecklenburg County, Virginia, for alleged trespassing.\</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">The bus involved was run by E&amp;P Travel Inc., headquartered in Kings Mountain, North Carolina. The National Transportation Safety Board is now investigating the crash.\</p><p style=\"margin-bottom:1em;\">The case that includes no attorney representation has left prosecutors scrambling for comments. Prosecutor Eric Olsen said Dong will be moved to jail when he is released from the hospital.</p>

South Carolina Jury Acquits Convenience Store Owner in 2023 Shooting of 14‑Year‑Old

Banda Endures 48 °C Heatwave: Residents Adapt to an Eternal Daylight

Pentagon Turns Press Room Into Classified Space, Bans Journalists From Entry

United Flight Diverted to Madison After Passenger Goes Unruly","description":"A United Airlines flight heading to Minneapolis was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, late Friday night after authorities detoured a problematic passenger.","summary":"In the late hours of a Friday night, a United Airlines Boeing 737 bound for Minneapolis was redirected to Madison, Wisconsin, upon the request of flight crew and air traffic controllers. A passenger in his 70s displayed disturbing behavior, prompting rapid containment by the crew and subsequent removal by local law enforcement. The aircraft landed safely in Madison, was inspected, and then landed in Minneapolis the following morning with no injuries reported.","image":"https://assets.apnews.com/39/ef/c25dfd96b5d66539b0761b70aa6d/8a263c59529e41ca87a5bac728b03f92","text":"<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 1rem 0;\">A United Airlines flight from Chicago to Minneapolis was diverted to Madison, Wisconsin, late Friday night after the crew and air traffic control identified an unruly passenger. The flight, United 2005, was a Boeing 737 carrying 147 passengers and six crew members.</p>\n\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 1rem 0;\">According to United, the plane landed safely at Dane County Regional Airport after authorities were called to handle a security concern. Air traffic controllers relayed that the crew had “took some time” for the incident but it was resolved before landing. Deputies from the Dane County Sheriff’s Office arrived immediately upon touchdown and cordoned off the passenger, who was handcuffed and taken off the plane.</p>\n\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 1rem 0;\">Passenger accounts suggest the man was in his 70s and appeared confused. One passenger, Mike Rundle, described the ordeal: “I didn’t have a clear view of what happened, but the person next to me on the aisle said they saw him ‘reach’ for a flight attendant and it took a few guys to hold him back.” Rundle went on to say the flight crew handled the situation calmly and the passenger stayed quiet for the remainder of the flight.</p>\n\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 1rem 0;\">Law‑making authorities have stated the incident was contained with no injuries reported. Federal investigators are now looking into the details of the security breach.</p>\n\n<p style=\"font-family:Arial,sans-serif;line-height:1.6;margin:0 0 1rem 0;\">The flight, after a brief stay in Madison, continued to Minneapolis and landed early Saturday morning, completing the mission safely.</p>

UK Home Office Revokes Visas of Two US Streamers Over Anti-Israel Comment

Colorado Governor Commutes Sentence of Conspiracy Theorist Tina Peters – Release from Prison Scheduled for Monday

Drone Strike on Romanian Apartment Block Shakes Residents: “No‑One Feels Safe Now”

Ebola Spreading Rapidly in DR Congo – MSF Warns of Deeply Alarming Situation

Trump Calls Off US Freedom 250 Fest After Artists Drop Out, Ponders Rally