Governor Greg Abbott turned Texas into a sanctuary state for one ICE agent.
Christian Castro shot a Venezuelan man through the front door of a Minneapolis home in January, then lied about it so thoroughly that federal prosecutors charged the man he shot. Minnesota later charged Castro with felony assault, Texas Rangers arrested him, and a judge has held him in jail since May. On Tuesday, Minnesota asked a federal court to force his extradition.
Abbott doesn’t dispute the charges or the warrant, but still won’t sign. He says he won’t respond at all until Minnesota repays the federal government for welfare fraud. The governor who made war on sanctuary cities has now protected an accused shooter for eleven weeks.
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Official White House account tells CNN's Kristen Holmes her children will someday be "sickened and embarrassed" after she asked Trump to respond to Ossoff criticism.
Today’s GovBrief News
Rubio sanctions ICC President Tomoko Akane and a senior trial lawyer as the State Department pursues its declared campaign to dismantle the court.
Source: Euronews
August 18, 2026
Trump says no Iran talks are underway or scheduled nearly six months into a war he predicted would last six weeks.
Source: CBS News
August 18, 2026
Appeals court unanimously upholds EPA's hazardous designation for 2 forever chemicals, keeping polluters liable for Superfund cleanup over industry objections.
Source: NOTUS
August 18, 2026
USDA moves to rescind the 2001 roadless rule protecting tens of millions of forest acres from road construction, logging, and mining.
Source: NPR
August 18, 2026
Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro orders data centers to win local approval and ends their expedited permitting, reversing his embrace of an industry now facing bipartisan backlash.
Source: NBC News
August 18, 2026
Trump pauses 50% Canadian tariffs for three days after announcing a trade deal with terms neither government has detailed.
Source: Deutsche Welle
August 18, 2026
DOJ appeals the dismissal of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's smuggling charges after a judge ruled the prosecution punished him for fighting deportation.
Source: UPI
August 18, 2026
DOJ whistleblowers tell Congress the university antisemitism probes worked backward from predetermined findings, with attorneys pressured after finding no violations at Brown.
Source: Courthouse News Service
August 18, 2026
Former Fauci adviser Dr. David Morens pleads guilty to conspiring to conceal federal records about COVID origins research using his private email.
Source: The Associated Press
August 18, 2026
Judge allows paint tests on the granite Eisenhower Executive Office Building while weighing whether Trump illegally seized GSA authority over the project.
Source: The Independent
August 18, 2026
Ninth Circuit rules Nevada US Attorney Chattah was unlawfully appointed, ending the maneuver that kept her in office a year past her interim term.
Source: KLAS Las Vegas
August 18, 2026
Minnesota sues Texas Governor Abbott for refusing to extradite the ICE agent charged with shooting a man during Operation Metro Surge.
Source: KSTP St. Paul
August 18, 2026
Raleigh Jane English gets more than six years in prison for a confessed plot to assassinate Treasury Secretary Bessent on his confirmation day.
Source: The Hill
August 18, 2026
Judge Dolly Gee orders independent monitoring of children in immigration detention after finding families denied soap, held in freezing cells, and delayed medical care.
Source: The New York Times [gift link]
August 18, 2026
Liberia agrees to accept up to 1,200 US deportees, most of whom won court protection after judges found they risked torture at home.
Source: Reuters
August 18, 2026
Rep. Pingree says the man ICE killed in Maine had no final removal order and wasn't the intended target, contradicting the agency's account.
Source: The Lewiston Sun-Journal
August 18, 2026
National Park Service installs Flock license plate readers in Yosemite, extending warrantless-search camera networks into public lands as rangers object.
Source: 404 Media
August 18, 2026
Reflecting Pool contractor returns to fix the failed liner as new Park Service signs still blame vandals for damage DOJ attributed to botched installation.
Source: The Washington Post
August 18, 2026
Connecticut launches its first state-funded mobile methadone units, investing $4 million in settlement funds to reach rural corners where treatment is hours away by bus.
Source: The Connecticut Mirror
August 18, 2026
Disney sues the FCC and Chair Carr to halt the early license review of all eight ABC stations, calling it retaliation for speech Trump dislikes.
Source: Ars Technica
August 18, 2026