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What Happened Today – May 12, 2026

ICE agents are walking around with a target list of 20 million people on their phones.

Palantir compiled the list, which is roughly the number of undocumented people living in the United States. When agents conduct an immigration raid, the app displays the names of other people who may be nearby, so one arrest can turn into several. That kind of power doesn’t disappear when a new president takes office. It just changes hands.

In a country where being on ICE’s list is enough to get detained without cause, this list cannot exist. Use 5 Calls or Resistbot to tell your representatives to kill the Palantir contract.

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🟠 GovBrief Intensity Score 124
Elevated Activity. Watch for distractions.
Volume: Normal (17)
Severity: Moderate (1.82)
Defining Moments: 0
Previous 5 Days
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100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
Not even a little bit. The only thing that matters when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon. I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: we cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That’s the only thing that motivates me.
Donald Trump speaking to reporters on May 12, 2026, about whether Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to seek peace with Iran
Yesterday's Most Read

Photo and video show Trump with eyes closed for an extended period at White House maternal health event, prompting White House to insist he was "blinking."

Today’s GovBrief News


Dissent 1 of 17

Tennessee House Speaker Sexton strips Democrats from committees after they staged floor protests against mid-decade congressional redistricting.

Indefinite until Sexton decides otherwise

Source: WZTV

May 12, 2026

War 2 of 17

Iran war cost hits $29 billion as inflation reaches highest level since 2023 and gas remains up 50% since war began.

Pakistan shelters Iranian military aircraft

Source: CBS News

May 12, 2026

Health 3 of 17

FDA Commissioner Makary forced out after anti-abortion pressure as Supreme Court weighs ending mifepristone telemedicine.

Approved generic mifepristone last year

Source: Roll Call

May 12, 2026

Environment 4 of 17

Bureau of Land Management rescinds 2024 rule that recognized conservation as a legitimate use of 245 million acres of public land.

97.9% of public comments opposed

Source: The Deseret News

May 12, 2026

Voting Rights 5 of 17

South Carolina Senate rejects Trump-backed redistricting push to eliminate Clyburn's seat, hours after Missouri Supreme Court upholds new Republican map.

5 SC Republicans broke ranks

Source: Reuters

May 12, 2026

Censorship 6 of 17

Acting AG Blanche warns reporters of subpoenas after Trump slid him a list of Iran war stories with "Treason" sticky note.

Wall Street Journal subpoenaed in March

Source: ABC News

May 12, 2026

Military 7 of 17

CBO estimates Trump's Golden Dome missile defense will cost $1.2 trillion over 20 years, seven times the White House projection.

Russia, China attacks would overwhelm it

Source: Federal News Network

May 12, 2026

Justice Dept 8 of 17

House Judiciary Democrats accuse Patel and DOJ of paying over $3 million to fired FBI agents disciplined for misconduct.

Grassley staff helped broker payments

Source: The Hill

May 12, 2026

Courts 9 of 17

Appeals court lets Trump delay $83 million payment to E. Jean Carroll until Supreme Court rules, requires $91 million bond.

Trump denied 1990s sexual abuse

Source: NBC News

May 12, 2026

Criminal Justice 10 of 17

Federal prosecutors charge Dali operator Synergy Marine and employee with conspiracy and misconduct resulting in death over Key Bridge collapse.

MD also wins $2.25 billion settlement

Source: The Baltimore Banner

May 12, 2026

Immigration 11 of 17

David Venturella named acting ICE director after a decade at detention contractor GEO Group and a stint overseeing ICE's contracts at DHS.

Democrats flagged conflict of interest

Source: NPR

May 12, 2026

Immigration 12 of 17

Dominican Republic reverses position and agrees to accept third-country deportees from US without criminal records, joining El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama in similar agreements.

Deal excludes Haitians and unaccompanied minors

Source: The New York Times [gift link]

May 12, 2026

Immigration 13 of 17

Federal judge orders ICE to retrain Colorado officers after finding agents violated court order limiting warrantless arrests.

Agents could not explain rules

Source: The Colorado Sun

May 12, 2026

Immigration 14 of 17

ICE installed Palantir-built list of 20 million deportation targets on agents' iPhones, official reveals.

70%+ of detainess have no criminal conviction

Source: 404 Media

May 12, 2026

Propaganda 15 of 17

Trump fires off 55 posts in three hours calling Obama a "traitor" and tagging acting AG Blanche in demands to arrest him.

Reshare came from fake JFK Jr. account

Source: CNN

May 12, 2026

Grift 16 of 17

Justice Department, now run by Trump's former personal lawyer, weighs settling his $10 billion IRS lawsuit, with option of dropping audits.

Settlement could double Trump's net worth

Source: The New York Times

May 12, 2026

Fighting Back 17 of 17

The Secret Handshake installs satirical Iran war arcade games at DC War Memorial, mocking administration's video-game style war messaging.

Same group behind Epstein-Trump hand-holding statue

Source: USA Today

May 12, 2026

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