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What Happened Today – February 25, 2026

The body count from federal immigration enforcement keeps climbing and nobody is changing that.

Tonight we learned Nurul Amin Shah Alam is dead. Shah Alam was a 56 year old Rohingya refugee in county jail, released improperly to Border Patrol. Agents held him four hours, realized they had no reason to, and dropped him at a coffee shop five miles from his home without telling anyone. A nearly blind man who couldn’t speak English or use a phone wandered Buffalo for days. His body was discovered hours ago.

And today in Texas, a grand jury refused to indict the HSI agent who shot 23 year old U.S. citizen Ruben Ray Martinez three times through his car window on South Padre Island last year. DHS hid their involvement for a year. The only witness who contradicted their story died in a car crash Saturday.

Call your representatives and demand DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s resignation or impeachment. Too many have died at the hands of her agents enforcing her policies.

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🚨 GovBrief Intensity Score 192
Extreme. History will remember.
Volume: High (22)
Severity: Moderate (2.18)
Defining Moments: 0
Previous 5 Days
🔴148|🚨248|🟢61|🚨152|🚨248
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
Ukraine/Iran/Gaza talks should not be spearheaded by Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff. Kushner and Witkoff are very accomplished business people. I’m sure they’re good negotiators, but they’re not subject to Senate confirmation and they’re not subject to oversight.
Sen. Tillis (R-NC) on February 25, 2026 and quoted by ABC's Jonathan Karl.
Yesterday's Most Read

Rep. Tony Gonzales refuses to resign over allegations he had an affair with a district staffer who later died by setting herself on fire.

Today’s GovBrief News


Dissent 1 of 22

Capitol Police arrest Rep. Omar's State of the Union guest Aliya Rahman for standing silently during the speech, weeks after federal agents dragged her from her vehicle in Minneapolis and injured both shoulders.

Hospitalized at GW after the arrest

Source: KARE Minneapolis

February 25, 2026

Foreign Relations 2 of 22

Cuban coast guard kills four and wounds six on a Florida-registered speedboat after Cuba claims the crew opened fire first, as Rubio says the U.S. will verify independently.

Boat 1 mile from shore

Source: Newsweek

February 25, 2026

Foreign Relations 3 of 22

Treasury blocks Venezuela from paying Maduro's legal fees less than three hours after approving them, lawyer says move violates Sixth Amendment right to counsel.

Seized in stealth nighttime military raid

Source: CBS News

February 25, 2026

Foreign Relations 4 of 22

Treasury sanctions 30 Iranian entities tied to missiles, drones, and oil smuggling one day before U.S. and Iran resume nuclear talks in Geneva through Omani mediators.

U.S. bombed three nuclear sites in June

Source: The Associated Press

February 25, 2026

Foreign Relations 5 of 22

US embassy will offer passport services inside illegal West Bank settlement for the first time, breaking longstanding policy as Palestinians call it a violation of international law.

500,000+ settlers, 3 million Palestinians

Source: The Guardian

February 25, 2026

Health 6 of 22

Surgeon general nominee Casey Means tells Senate committee that vaccines "save lives" after questioning childhood vaccine safety on Joe Rogan's podcast, while senators flag her inactive medical license.

Quit residency before completing it

Source: UPI

February 25, 2026

Health 7 of 22

Vance and Oz announce $259 million Medicaid payment freeze to Minnesota, citing fraud from a COVID-era nutrition scandal as Walz calls it "a campaign of retribution."

More states "soon," Oz warned

Source: Reuters

February 25, 2026

Epstein Sex Crime Network 8 of 22

Justice Department says it is reviewing whether FBI interview summaries with a woman who accused Trump of sexual assault as a minor were "mistakenly withheld" from Epstein file release.

Only one of four interviews released

Source: The Associated Press

February 25, 2026

Voting Rights 9 of 22

DHS election integrity official with ties to the 2020 election denial movement tells state election chiefs that ICE agents won't appear at polling places, as secretaries of state say they're unconvinced.

First federal election contact in months

Source: NBC News

February 25, 2026

Censorship 10 of 22

Draft funding agreement would give Trump appointees veto power over Radio Free Europe and Middle East Broadcasting editors, with authority to shut down operations on two weeks' notice.

Editorial firewall language stripped from contract

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

February 25, 2026

Justice Dept 11 of 22

FBI Director Patel fires at least 10 agents who worked on the Trump classified documents investigation, days after learning the bureau had obtained his own phone records during the probe.

Previously purged 30 agents over political views

Source: The Independent

February 25, 2026

Justice Dept 12 of 22

Trump's fraud division nominee Colin McDonald tells Senate he "follows the facts" but won't say whether he'd refuse a presidential order to prosecute Trump's enemies.

Co-chaired DOJ Weaponization Working Group

Source: CNN

February 25, 2026

Courts 13 of 22

Supreme Court unanimously rejects GEO Group's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging its Aurora immigration detainees were forced to work for $1 a day, sending the case back for trial.

77,000 beds across 98 facilities nationwide

Source: The Colorado Sentinel

February 25, 2026

Immigration 14 of 22

DOJ tells court the $608M federal reimbursement Florida counted on for its Everglades detention facility won't cover construction costs and may not materialize at all.

$92M to porta-potty company alone

Source: The Florida Phoenix

February 25, 2026

Immigration 15 of 22

Mostly blind Myanmar refugee who spoke no English found dead in Buffalo five days after Border Patrol agents dropped him at a Tim Hortons without notifying anyone.

Found 4 miles from drop-off site

Source: The Buffalo News

February 25, 2026

Immigration 16 of 22

Newark mayor says ICE pursuit of a van led to a crash that struck a vehicle carrying three children, as Sen. Booker vows to block all future ICE funding.

Newark police were not involved

Source: WNYW New York

February 25, 2026

Immigration 17 of 22

Texas grand jury declines to indict ICE agent who fatally shot 23-year-old U.S. citizen Ruben Martinez on South Padre Island, days after the only passenger who contradicted the government's account died in a car crash.

Family are Trump voters & supporters

Source: The Texas Tribune

February 25, 2026

Education 18 of 22

FBI searches home of Los Angeles school superintendent Alberto Carvalho and LAUSD headquarters under sealed warrant, with no charges or explanation disclosed.

Nation's second largest school district

Source: KTLA Los Angeles

February 25, 2026

Oversight 19 of 22

Trump's Treasury undersecretary for terrorism financing exits after objecting to blanket surveillance of Minneapolis Somali community, with administration offering him ambassador to Germany instead.

Trump donor and Army veteran

Source: The Washington Post [gift link]

February 25, 2026

Federal Personnel 20 of 22

USDA transfers massive DC headquarters to GSA as part of plan to cut capital-area workforce from 4,600 to 2,000, with $1 billion in deferred maintenance costs piling up.

70% of offices sit empty daily

Source: News from the States

February 25, 2026

Grift 21 of 22

Trump hosts private Oval Office meetings with construction firms to fast-track Dulles Airport redesign, with one company proposing to rebrand the shuttles as "DJTs" after his initials.

AECOM also building White House ballroom

Source: The Washington Post [gift link]

February 25, 2026

Fighting Back 22 of 22

Federal judge rules Trump's policy of deporting immigrants to countries they have no connection to is illegal, ordering notice and the chance to challenge removals before they happen.

$40M spent deporting 300 to third countries

Source: Courthouse News

February 25, 2026

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