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What Happened Today – May 7, 2026

Kathy Hochul didn’t blink when it came to protecting New Yorkers, especially the kids.

She wasn’t guessing. Today, ProPublica documented 79 children harmed by federal agents using tear gas and pepper spray. Those are only the ones reporters could find and confirm. Tom Homan threatened twice this week to flood New York with more agents than the state had ever seen. That’s the same kind of surge that hit Minneapolis a couple of months ago, where federal agents shot three people, killed two of them, and lied about all three.

Hochul announced the budget framework anyway. The mask comes off in New York, and ICE can’t walk into a school or hospital without a judge’s warrant. Then she dared Homan to come ahead.

Don’t wait for the federal government to stop hurting kids. Use Resistbot and 5 Calls to contact your governor and demand protections from anonymous federal agents swarming your cities.

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🔴 GovBrief Intensity Score 140
High Intensity. They're flooding the zone.
Volume: Normal (15)
Severity: Moderate (2.33)
Defining Moments: 0
Previous 5 Days
🚨176|🚨180|🚨170|🟠121|🟡85
100 = normal day. Volume is headline count. Stories weighted by significance. Defining Moments are the ones history remembers.
Today's Quote
Well, no gas prices have come down today. Have you looked? They’ve come down very substantially today…The stock market hit a new high. Nobody thought that was possible. “Stock market today for the 59th time since I’m president, hit a new high.
Donald Trump speaking to reporters on May 7, 2026, when gas prices continued rising and the 3 major stock market indexes were down
Yesterday's Most Read

Trump asks 2nd Circuit to pause $83 million Carroll defamation judgment as DOJ joins push to substitute United States as defendant under Westfall Act.

Today’s GovBrief News


Dissent 1 of 15

Four Chicago protesters sue DHS and FBI to stop DNA collection from peaceful ICE protest arrests, citing CODIS surveillance abuse.

71-year-old Air Force veteran among plaintiffs

Source: Ars Technica

May 7, 2026

Disaster Relief 2 of 15

Trump's FEMA review council recommends shifting disaster recovery to states, privatizing flood insurance, and reducing federal housing aid.

Trump previously said agency should "go away"

Source: UPI

May 7, 2026

Foreign Relations 3 of 15

Rubio meets Pope Leo XIV at Vatican to repair ties after Trump's repeated attacks over Iran war and immigration.

Pope gave Rubio olive-wood peace pen

Source: The Associated Press

May 7, 2026

War 4 of 15

US strikes Iran after Iran attacks three Navy destroyers in Strait of Hormuz, with Trump calling retaliation "a love tap."

UAE under fresh Iranian attack

Source: CNN

May 7, 2026

Health 5 of 15

CDC tracks cruise passengers in five US states after hantavirus outbreak kills three on Atlantic birdwatching voyage.

First recorded shipboard hantavirus outbreak

Source: NBC News

May 7, 2026

DEI 6 of 15

ATF proposes rule requiring buyers to mark biological sex on firearms forms, exposing transgender Americans to perjury charges.

Cites Trump's biological sex executive order

Source: Federal Register

May 7, 2026

Voting Rights 7 of 15

Tennessee passes US House map dismantling state's last majority-Black district eight days after Supreme Court Voting Rights Act ruling.

Repealed law banning mid-decade redistricting

Source: The Tennessee Lookout

May 7, 2026

Courts 8 of 15

Federal judge rules DOGE used ChatGPT to unconstitutionally cut $100 million in humanities grants.

Holocaust education among canceled programs

Source: The Washington Post

May 7, 2026

Courts 9 of 15

US trade court strikes down Trump's 10% global tariffs, his second tariff scheme rejected since February's Supreme Court ruling.

Cited law targeted 1970s gold standard

Source: Roll Call

May 7, 2026

Criminal Justice 10 of 15

Man pleads guilty to assaulting Representative Ilhan Omar with vinegar-filled syringe at January Minneapolis town hall, faces eight years.

Tackled and arrested at scene

Source: KMSP Minneapolis

May 7, 2026

Immigration 11 of 15

Florida and DHS discuss closing Everglades immigrant detention center as agency finds the facility too expensive to operate.

22,000 detainees processed since opening

Source: The Florida Phoenix

May 7, 2026

Immigration 12 of 15

ICE plans facial recognition smart glasses to supplement Mobile Fortify app that scans faces against 200 million-image database.

DHS denies funds committed to project

Source: 404 Media

May 7, 2026

Immigration 13 of 15

ProPublica documents 79 children harmed by federal tear gas and pepper spray during Trump immigration crackdown across multiple cities.

6 mo briefly stopped breathing in MN

Source: ProPublica

May 7, 2026

Culture 14 of 15

National Capital Planning Commission weighs Trump proposal to paint historic Eisenhower Executive Office Building white at $7.5 million minimum cost.

Unpainted granite landmark since 1888

Source: WUSA Washington

May 7, 2026

Fighting Back 15 of 15

New York budget deal bans law enforcement from concealing identities, ends 287(g) agreements, and bars ICE from schools and hospitals.

Bill cites Pretti and Good killings

Source: WTEN Albany

May 7, 2026

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