Good evening everyone. What a day of news. The knives are out in the White House as officials appear to be throwing one another under the bus, from Stephen Miller to Kristi Noem to Greg Bovino. At the same time, House Democrats say they will move to impeach Kristi Noem if President Trump does not fire her, while ICE continues operations across Minnesota despite earlier signals that the administration might pull back.

Meanwhile, the measles outbreak in South Carolina is accelerating, and the United States is now on the brink of losing its measles elimination status.

One note: tomorrow morning’s update may arrive a bit later than usual. I am working nonstop to report the facts as they happen. Independent journalism is essential in moments like this.

I will keep fighting to ensure the public has access to accurate, timely, and accountable reporting. But I cannot do this alone. If you believe this work matters, I ask you to stand with me and support my reporting. I am not stopping.

Here’s the news:

There are people within the Trump Administration who want to dump Stephen Miller and save Kristi Noem. Axios is now reporting that Stephen Miller, the White House deputy chief of staff, directed DHS to use misleading and inflammatory language after the murder of Alex Pretti, pushing claims that Pretti intended to “massacre” agents based largely on reports that he had a gun, despite limited confirmed information and later video evidence contradicting that narrative.

The episode highlights Miller’s outsized influence within the Trump administration and created internal White House friction, as some officials objected to the statement after it was posted, Trump later grew frustrated as footage emerged, and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem privately emphasized that she acted at the direction of Miller and the president, even as the White House maintains both Miller and Noem remain in good standing.

Trump threw Greg Bovino under the bus:

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats will begin impeachment proceedings against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem if she is not “fired immediately,” escalating pressure on the Trump administration amid fallout over recent immigration enforcement actions and fatal shootings involving federal officers.

Donald Trump has started a firestorm within the Republican Party today suggesting that Alex Pretti should not have carried a firearm, despite him being legally able to do so. Gun rights activists have now come out in droves to condemn the President over the remarks exposing a major internal rift:

Despite claims that the Trump Administration is pulling back ICE and CBP officials from Minnesota, there are still very graphic videos coming out of Minnesota today showing ICE stops:

CNN confirmed that an initial Homeland Security/CBP report to Congress says that during the murder of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, two officers fired their guns, with one Border Patrol agent yelling “He’s got a gun!” multiple times before both a Border Patrol agent and a Customs and Border Protection officer shot and killed Pretti.

President Trump said he “felt horribly” about Renee Good’s death and noted that he was told her parents — especially her father — were big supporters of his, adding that he hopes her father still feels that way, while speaking about Alex Pretti’s murder:

A person is in critical condition after being shot in an incident involving U.S. Border Patrol in southern Arizona, with the unidentified individual now in custody and hospitalized, authorities saying the circumstances remain unclear as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department—assisted by the FBI—leads an investigation amid heightened scrutiny of federal immigration officers following recent fatal shootings and nationwide criticism of DHS leadership.

A video circulating on social media shows ICE agents positioned near a bus stop in Eden Prairie, which local accounts describe as “camping out” while conducting immigration enforcement activity.

The Trump administration released a Minnesota immigration detainee after a federal judge threatened to hold the acting ICE director in contempt, with the judge citing repeated violations of court orders requiring a bond hearing or release and warning that ICE’s failure to comply had caused widespread hardship, amid intensifying scrutiny of the administration’s immigration enforcement in the state.

A major federal workers’ union representing Border Patrol agents, the AFGE, called for the resignation or firing of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and White House adviser Stephen Miller, blaming them for the policies and rhetoric that preceded and followed the murder of Minneapolis ICU nurse Alex Pretti, and accusing Miller of aggressively driving an immigration agenda enforced “without regard for the consequences.”

Families of two Trinidadian men killed in a U.S. military strike on an alleged drug-smuggling boat filed the first wrongful death lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing the government of extrajudicial killings and challenging its claim that it is in an armed conflict with drug cartels, as the suit argues the men were civilians returning home from work and that the October strike was part of a broader campaign that has killed at least 125 people.

Italy is facing political backlash after it emerged that Homeland Security Investigations, an ICE-linked unit, would assist with U.S. security at the Milan–Cortina Winter Olympics, with Italian officials and opposition lawmakers condemning any ICE affiliation amid anger over the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown and recent fatal shootings by U.S. agents, even as U.S. and Italian authorities stressed that the role is limited, defensive, and remains under Italian control.

The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved its “Doomsday Clock” to 85 seconds before midnight, the closest ever, citing escalating nuclear risks, climate change, geopolitical conflicts, and the unchecked use of artificial intelligence as growing threats to humanity’s survival, while warning that collapsing international cooperation is accelerating global danger.

Composer Philip Glass withdrew the planned premiere of his “Lincoln” symphony from the Kennedy Center, saying the institution’s current leadership and values conflict with the message of the work, making him the latest prominent artist to cancel or pull out amid controversy following President Trump’s takeover of the center’s board and growing backlash from parts of the arts community.

New Census Bureau estimates show that President Trump’s immigration crackdown contributed to a sharp slowdown in U.S. population growth in 2025—down to 0.5% from nearly 1% the year before—as immigration gains fell by more than half, dragging down growth in immigrant-heavy states like California, Florida, and New York, even as the total U.S. population reached nearly 342 million and demographers warned growth is likely to slow further.

South Carolina’s measles outbreak has surged to at least 789 cases—now the largest U.S. outbreak since measles was eliminated 26 years ago—surpassing the 2025 West Texas outbreak, spreading across state lines, and largely affecting unvaccinated children and teens, with hundreds under quarantine, low vaccination rates at schools fueling transmission, linked cases reported in multiple states, and public health officials warning the U.S. could lose its measles elimination status as early as this fall if the virus continues circulating uninterrupted.

More than 80,000 McCafé Premium Roast Decaf Keurig pods were recalled after a labeling error meant some may contain regular caffeinated coffee, prompting the FDA to issue a Class II recall over potential temporary health effects, with the affected products distributed through a single retailer in California, Indiana, and Nevada.

Eleanor Holmes Norton, the District of Columbia’s nonvoting delegate to Congress since 1991, announced she will retire at the end of her term, ending a 36-year tenure marked by fierce advocacy for D.C. statehood and local autonomy as questions about her health and leadership succession reshape the race to replace her in 2026.

UPS announced plans to cut up to 30,000 more jobs and close 24 facilities in 2026 as it accelerates its move away from low-margin Amazon deliveries, continuing a major restructuring after tens of thousands of layoffs last year aimed at boosting profitability and shifting toward higher-margin shipments despite a volatile global trade environment.

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The U.S. announced multi-day aerial military drills in the Middle East, deploying a carrier strike group led by the USS Abraham Lincoln as tensions with Iran escalate, with the exercises meant to showcase U.S. airpower and readiness amid Trump’s warnings over Iran’s violent crackdown on protesters, even as he signaled openness to talks and regional allies expressed concern about being drawn into a conflict.

The Guardian confirmed that Bari Weiss sought to reassure skeptical CBS News staff during her first town hall as editor in chief, acknowledging internal turmoil, defending her decision to briefly pull a 60 Minutes segment, and outlining plans to remake the network for a broader centrist audience, while conceding the transition may prompt some employees to leave and insisting she aims to rebuild trust through transparency and “revelatory” journalism.

Texas sued a Delaware nurse practitioner who mails abortion pills to patients in states with bans, escalating a cross-state legal fight over abortion access, as Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton targets providers operating under “shield laws” meant to protect telemedicine abortion care from out-of-state prosecution after the fall of Roe v. Wade.

Good news:

Six American bison were reintroduced to an Illinois prairie for the first time in 200 years, marked by a ceremonial release with drumming and songs led by members of the Santee Sioux, as part of a partnership aimed at restoring native grasslands and reviving an ecologically and culturally vital species long absent from the region.

A man in western France donated a large inherited field to his hometown on the condition it be turned into a shared community orchard and garden, a project now underway in the small village of Clussais-la-Pommeraie that has already brought residents together to plant fruit trees and reclaim the land for public use.

An animal shelter in Nova Scotia temporarily closed after being completely emptied by a surge of rapid adoptions, with cats and dogs— including seniors and animals with medical needs—being adopted almost immediately as demand spiked, leaving cages empty and staff calling the pace “nonstop.”

A stunning new James Webb Space Telescope image reveals the Helix Nebula’s dying star expelling its final “breaths” in column-like streams of gas, showing in unprecedented detail how stellar material cools, spreads into space, and ultimately becomes the building blocks for future stars and planets.

Michigan researchers found that encouraging American kestrel falcons to nest in cherry orchards dramatically reduced crop damage and food-borne disease risk, with kestrel-protected orchards seeing far fewer fruit-eating birds, an 81% drop in damaged fruit, and much lower levels of harmful pathogens, offering farmers a natural, low-cost alternative to chemical pest control.

See you in the morning.

— Aaron