🍲 Two Cabinet secretaries, Marco Rubio (State) and Pete Hegseth (Defense), told the world today that America can summarily execute people on drug suspicions in international waters.
And that still was not the day’s most shocking news. The pot is at a rolling boil. Authoritarian moves are spilling over every edge and scalding public life. The only way to cool it down is collective resistance.
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We have the absolute authority and complete authority to conduct that. First of all, just the defense of the American people alone. A hundred thousand Americans were killed each year under the previous administration because of an open border and open drug traffic flow. That is an assault on the American people.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaking to reporters on September 5 and justifying a U.S. strike that killed 11 people in international waters by claiming “absolute authority” and framing drug smuggling as an act of war.Yesterday's Most Read
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr is moving to end a school Wi-Fi hotspot program after a similar legislative ban from Sen. Ted Cruz passed the Senate but stalled in the House.
Today’s GovBrief News
After the fifth D.C. crime surge case was rejected by a grand jury, a federal judge said D.C. prosecutors have “no credibility left.”
September 4, 2025
DHS gave a no-bid sniper training contract to the brother of a GOP congressman whose firm was not authorized to operate in its listed state.
September 4, 2025
The Transportation Dept. moves to cancel a Biden-era rule requiring airline compensation for flight delays, part of a wider consumer protection rollback
September 4, 2025
The Smithsonian’s leader asserts the institution’s independence while forming an internal team to review the White House’s concerns.
September 4, 2025
President Trump is exploring a federal takeover of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, an institution chaired by his political rival Michael Bloomberg.
September 4, 2025
Northwestern University’s president resigns months into an $800 million federal funding freeze imposed by the Trump administration.
September 4, 2025
Trump advisers reportedly discussed ousting rivals of Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani to block what they call a “socialist-run City Hall.”
September 4, 2025
The Trump administration has detailed nearly 33,000 federal employees to ICE, diverting nearly 40 percent of the DEA’s workforce for immigration enforcement.
September 4, 2025
One month after publicly targeting Boston, the Justice Dept sues the city to overturn its “sanctuary city” law.
September 4, 2025
An appeals court blocks the shutdown of a Florida immigration detention center, ruling enforcement needs outweigh environmental risks.
September 4, 2025
On the same day as a major raid in Georgia, federal agents used crowbars to enter a New York food factory and arrest dozens of workers.
September 4, 2025
Federal agents arrested 450 workers in an immigration raid that halted construction at a new $7.6 billion Hyundai battery plant in Georgia.
September 4, 2025
As the DOJ investigates Lisa Cook and Adam Schiff for mortgage fraud, a report finds three Trump Cabinet members have similar mortgage issues.
September 4, 2025
Representative Tim Burchett pushed a Gaza war protester who bumped him, prompting an intervention by Capitol Police.
September 4, 2025
As his bid to fire a Fed governor stalls, Trump asks the Supreme Court to let him fire an FTC commissioner.
September 4, 2025
One month after it was thrown out, New York’s attorney general is appealing to reinstate the $454 million fraud judgment against Trump.
September 4, 2025
The Justice Dept. issues subpoenas in its probe of Fed governor Lisa Cook weeks after Trump tried to fire her over the same allegations.
September 4, 2025
An immigrant pleads guilty to being in the U.S. illegally five months after a Milwaukee judge was charged with helping him evade ICE agents.
September 4, 2025
Trump’s Federal Reserve nominee says he will keep his White House job if confirmed, contradicting his own 2024 paper calling for Fed independence.
September 4, 2025
The Trump administration asks the Supreme Court to quickly reverse a lower court ruling that found his emergency tariffs usurp congressional power.
September 4, 2025
A federal judge orders the Trump administration to release $11.5 billion in foreign aid, blocking a presidential move identified as a “pocket rescission.”
September 4, 2025
On the same day RFK Jr. testified to Congress, Massachusetts bypassed the CDC to require insurers to cover state-recommended vaccines.
September 4, 2025
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. faces bipartisan calls for his resignation during a chaotic hearing on his CDC shake-up and vaccine policies.
September 4, 2025
The Justice Dept considers classifying gender dysphoria as a mental illness to restrict gun ownership, citing recent shootings as justification.
September 4, 2025
After denying visas to Palestinians, the Trump administration now considers a Costco ban for Iranians and new restrictions for Brazil.
September 4, 2025
The Trump administration cuts hundreds of millions in security funding for nations bordering Russia one month after approving a major arms sale to Ukraine.
September 4, 2025
Venezuelan military jets fly near a U.S. Navy vessel two days after Trump announced a lethal strike on a Venezuelan gang.
September 4, 2025
Secretary of State Marco Rubio threatens unilateral U.S. strikes to “blow up” crime groups, days after a lethal Caribbean operation.
September 4, 2025
An appeals court blocks a lower court’s order from restricting National Guard actions in Los Angeles.
September 4, 2025
Sources
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