Minnesota Investigates ICE Over Possible Kidnapping of American

Ramsey County, Minnesota, is investigating ICE agents over the alleged kidnapping of an American citizen in January. 

Federal agents broke down the door of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a Hmong American, without a warrant and then arrested him in his underwear, forcing him to walk outside in the freezing St. Paul streets with just a blanket. The incident was captured on video, with neighbors shouting at several armed agents as protesters gathered at the scene with horns and whistles.

ICE released Thao after a couple of hours in custody, determining that he was an U.S. citizen with no criminal record. DHS later claimed they were looking for two convicted sex offenders, although Thao told the AP he had not seen the two men before and that they didn’t live with him.

In a news conference Monday, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said that they are seeking evidence from the Department of Homeland Security over Thao’s arrest.

“There are many facts we don’t know yet, but there’s one that we do know. And that is that Mr. Thao is and has been an American citizen. There’s not a dispute over that,” Fletcher said. “There’s no dispute that he was taken out of his house, forcibly taken out of his home and driven around.”

The goal of the investigation, Choi said, is to find out if ICE agents committed crimes that they could be prosecuted under state or federal law, adding, “This is not about any type of predetermined agenda other than to seek the truth and to investigate the facts.”

Hennepin County, where Minneapolis is located, announced last month that they were looking into 17 instances of “potential unlawful behavior” conducted by former Border Patrol chief Greg Bovino and other federal agents during Operation Metro Surge, including the use of chemical agents and attacks on local residents. 

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in March that “I want to be clear with our community about the challenges these investigations entail, because the federal government has refused to provide us information about the actions of their officers in Minnesota.”  

The DHS has refused to provide information to Minnesota’s state and local officials regarding the most egregious offenses in the operation: the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In March, the state joined Hennepin County in a lawsuit against the Trump administration over their lack of cooperation. The Trump administration won’t take kindly to Ramsey County’s efforts, either. 

President Trump took time out of a busy day playing golf at Mar-a-Lago Sunday afternoon to ogle at a married woman.

Trump stopped the golf cart he was driving with his grandson, Donald Trump III, to stop and greet golf content creator and MAGA supporter Nina Coates, who was jumping up and down out of excitement.

“She’s in great shape, great shape, look at her,” the president said. “You want a picture? Come on over here,” Trump said, adjusting his pants and pulling her in close. “Is she in good shape or what?”

“This is how people (Trump) treat you if you keep staying in shape,” the video is captioned.

A second clip of the interaction showed Trump still with Coates—holding her hand—while other golfers and club members surrounded them. “Is that your husband?” he asked her, pointing directly at the camera.

“Yes, sir,” the man behind the camera replied.

It’s hard to brush this off as just some wholesome interaction, especially knowing what we know about the president—from his harassment of beauty pageant contestants to his friendship with perhaps the most infamous sexual predator of the modern era, Jeffrey Epstein. And even worse, he’s driving around in sunny Mar-a-Lago golfing while people home and abroad suffer because of the decisions he made.

Even Donald Trump’s guest of honor at an impromptu White House photo op Monday wasn’t willing to praise the president’s performance during his second term.

After grabbing two bags of McDonalds from his DoorDash driver, the president repeatedly prompted the food courier to compliment his policies in front of the press—to no avail.

“Well, you’re really nice, would you like to do a little news conference with me? These are not the nicest people, they’re not nice like you,” Trump said.

“I’ll do whatever you ask me to do, sir,” said Sharon Simmons, wearing a red T-shirt emblazoned with the words “DoorDash Grandma.”

Simmons had traveled to the White House from Arkansas to speak with the president about his No Tax on Tips program, which she told Fox News had allowed her to afford cancer treatments for her husband.

However, Trump’s press conference featured very little talk of the relevant tax cut. Instead, Trump pressed Simmons on a range of other conservative talking points, including banning trans athletes (primarily trans girls) from competing in their gender-aligned sports.

“Do you think that men should play in women’s sports?” asked Trump.

“I really don’t have an opinion on that,” Simmons insisted.

“You don’t? I’ll bet you do,” Trump pushed.

“No, no, I’m here about no tax on tips,” she said.

Trump also queried the grandmother of 10 about her opinion on the war with Iran, the scheduled White House UFC tournament, and whether she voted for him.

“And I think you voted for me? Do you think?” asked Trump, touching her shoulder.

“Uh, maybe,” Simmons said with a laugh.

Simmons later told Fox News that she was a supporter of the president.

DoorDash celebrated the success of its White House event later that afternoon, noting in a statement that Simmons had conducted the “first ever White House delivery.”

Donald Trump bragged Monday about the number of ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz, shortly after imposing a military blockade of Iranian ports.

“34 Ships went through the Strait of Hormuz yesterday, which is by far the highest number since this foolish closure began,” Trump wrote in a brief post on Truth Social.

It seems the president is trying to suggest that his announcement of a military blockade was to thank for the sudden surge in trade through the Strait of Hormuz, but that “foolish closure” he referred to was spurred by his decision to join Israel’s reckless military campaign against Iran. As a result, Iran’s retaliatory attacks have brought trade through the Strait of Hormuz to a screeching halt, threatening global food and energy supplies.

Trump would like to pretend he’s the savior, when really, he’s the problem.

The reality of Trump’s blockade is a lot more tenuous. A sustained military blockade would be incredibly expensive and require a large number of warships, and U.S. allies have made it very clear they have no intention of helping out. While it may seem like a quick fix, taking Iranian oil off the market will only squeeze the market, causing energy prices to surge higher. Gas prices in the U.S. have surged beyond $4 a gallon, as crude oil has climbed to over $100 per barrel.

Plus, Trump’s numbers are a little off. In the last 24 hours, 31 vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz, carrying oil, natural gas, and other cargo, NBC News reported. As of early Monday morning, there were 11 vessels in the waterway, including three Iranian ships. That’s still well below the prewar daily average of 138 ships. Although it wasn’t immediately clear whether the U.S. Navy had begun its operation, CBS News reported, two ships immediately turned away from the waterway Monday.

Just minutes after Trump’s military blockade was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. EST, the president claimed that Iran’s entire navy had been “completely obliterated”—except for a fleet of “fast attack ships,” which he claimed posed no threat. “Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED,” he wrote.

Of course, that would throw a pretty big wedge in the tentative ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has also warned that any warships approaching the strait will be considered a ceasefire violation.

Donald Trump has deleted a post containing an AI image of himself as Jesus after backlash from his supporters and religious leaders.

The Truth Social post showed an illustration of the president, in the style of art usually found in Bibles, dressed in white in a red shawl with light emanating from him while he healed a sick man in a bed wearing a hospital gown. In the picture, Trump is surrounded by men and women, all white, while the background is full of soldiers, fighter jets, a bald eagle, a waving American flag, and the Statue of Liberty.

Shortly after deleting the image, he made a lame attempt to play dumb, saying that while he did initially post it, “I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross as a Red Cross worker there which we support, and only the fake news could come up with that one.”

Various figures on the right, including evangelical Christians and right-wing media personalities, decried the picture as blasphemous. Sean Feucht, who has performed worship music at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate and the White House, called on the photo to be “deleted immediately.” Christian influencer Mandy Arthur posted on X that “we have made a mistake and accidently elected the Antichrist. Send help.”

Anti-transgender activist Riley Gaines also chimed in, saying that “a little humility would serve [Trump] well” and “God shall not be mocked.” Conservative Christian commentator Megan Basham called the post “OUTRAGEOUS blasphemy” and called on Trump “to take this down immediately and ask for forgiveness from the American people and then from God.”

Trump has not endeared himself to his Christian supporters in recent days, drawing ire from Catholics, Protestants, and Evangelicals alike. After a report emerged last week that his administration apparently threatened Pope Leo XIV in January, Trump doubled down on Sunday and attacked the pontiff further, calling him “WEAK on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy.”

The pope deflected Trump’s comments on Monday, saying that he wasn’t afraid of the president and that he “will continue to speak out loudly against war, looking to promote peace, ⁠promoting dialogue and multilateral ​relationships among the states to look ​for just solutions to problems.”

“Too many people are suffering in the world today. Too many innocent ‌people ⁠are being killed. And I think someone has to stand up and say there’s a better way to do this,” the pope added.

This post alienated Christians of all denominations, even the right-wing conservatives in his base. But Trump doesn’t seem to care, and has enjoyed being compared to Jesus before, most recently at an Easter lunch at the White House by his spiritual adviser Paula White-Cain. The president has never rushed to correct anyone praising him, no matter how excessive.

This story has been updated.

Multiple House Democrats have called for the resignation of California Representative Eric Swalwell following serious sexual assault allegations against him. Swalwell dropped out of the California gubernatorial election Sunday, but remains in the House. He admitted to “mistakes in judgement” while denying all allegations.

“If you sexually assaulted someone, you should not be serving in Congress—[or as President],” Democratic Representative Melanie Stansbury wrote Sunday night on X. “Period.”

Some Democrats made a point to include other legislators with allegations of assault or corruption—like Republicans Tony Gonzales and Cory Mills and Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick—in their calls for expulsion.

“Congress should not tolerate representatives who abuse staff, betray public trust for personal gain, and generally violate their oath of office. Reps. Swalwell, Gonzales, Cherfilus-McCormick, and Mills should resign. If they refuse, they should be expelled,” Representative Nydia Velasquez wrote. “Americans deserve better and Congress must hold our members accountable.”

“The accusations against Rep. Eric Swalwell are serious and must be fully investigated,” Representative Greg Amo said in a statement. “The women who have come forward are brave, deserve to be heard, and have my support.... These allegations, like those against Cory Mills and Tony Gonzales, demonstrate they are not fit to serve in public office and should resign. If they do not and the House votes on their removal, I would vote to expel them from Congress.”

“I’ve seen enough. With his nuanced statement aimed at defending likely criminal charges, Swalwell all but admits a per se abuse of power under House ethics rules: sex with a subordinate,” Representative Jared Huffman wrote. “He must now drop out of the Governor’s race and resign from Congress. Rep. Tony Gonzales, who admitted to the same violation, should also resign. If they don’t, I will support voting to expel both of them.”

“I am sick and tired of watching powerful men in powerful positions be able to get away with sexually abusing and assaulting women,” said Representative Pramila Jayapal on MS NOW. “Representatives Gonzales and Swalwell should resign,” she added on X. “Otherwise, I would vote to expel them.”

Some Democrats made even stronger statements, although anonymously.

“People feel confident that the allegations against all four are credible,” one House Democrat told Axios. “[Members] are frustrated ... by what feels like a bottleneck of scandals without any real accountability yet in any one.”

“We want a full house cleaning,” said another. “Get the garbage out of here. These jerks are destroying Congress, for the American people and for all of us who came here to do good work.”

This is exactly what should be happening. The allegations against Swalwell are alarming, and there has been far too much passivity from both parties regarding the heinous conduct of their members, from sexual assault to corruption. This must be a moment of serious reckoning.

While U.S. negotiators shattered peace talks with Iran, Donald Trump was at a UFC event in Miami, fawning over the body of a Brazilian mixed martial artist.

The president shared some soft words with fighter Paulo Costa cageside Sunday evening, telling the sweaty light heavyweight competitor that he’s a “beautiful guy.”

“You could be a model, you look so good,” Trump can be heard saying in a video clip, gesturing his hands to frame Costa’s image.

“You’re too good lookin’ to be a fighter. You are some fighter,” Trump added.

Costa had previously refused to share the details of their conversation, telling reporters during the post-fight press conference that his exchange with Trump was “secret” and “personal.”

“As for Trump, I just kind of jokingly talked to him and then I said some things that were personal,” Costa said. “So just keep it a secret for now. It was just between us.”

That same evening, UFC dropped the first official promo video for the White House event, expected to take place on Trump’s birthday—June 14—in Washington.

Meanwhile, peace talks were falling apart with Iran.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a social media statement that his country had “engaged with U.S in good faith to end war,” but that U.S. negotiators had instead offered “maximalism, shifting goalposts, and blockade.”

“Zero lessons earned. Good will begets good will. Enmity begets enmity,” Araghchi said.

In the wake of the failed peace deal, Trump aggressed the situation yet again, promising to block all imports and exports from Iranian ports out of the Strait of Hormuz starting 10 a.m. EST Monday. As of publication, there has been no confirmation that the blockade is in place.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that the Trump administration reports to him every day about the ongoing war in Iran.

In a meeting with Israel’s Cabinet ministers, Netanyahu said, “I spoke yesterday with Vice President JD Vance. He called me from his plane on his way back from Islamabad. He reported to me in detail, as this administration does every day, about the development of the negotiations. In this case, the explosion in the negotiations.”

Netanyahu went on to claim that the U.S. broke off the negotiations because Iran didn’t immediately reopen the Strait of Hormuz and wouldn’t commit to getting rid of all of its enriched uranium.

“The explosion came from the American side, which could not tolerate Iran’s blatant violation of the agreement to enter the negotiations. The agreement was that they would cease fire, and the Iranians would immediately open the gates. They did not do that. The Americans could not accept that,” Netanyahu continued.

The idea that the White House reports to Netanyahu daily is not likely to go over well with the growing number of Americans (including Republicans) who see the war in Iran as driven by Israel. Trump’s poll numbers are taking quite a beating over the Iran war, and after ceasefire talks failed over the weekend, those numbers are not likely to improve soon.

With more Americans now sympathizing with Palestinians over Israelis, the Trump administration appearing deferential to Israel could hurt them in the coming midterm elections, and even further down the road in 2028. President Trump and his fellow Republicans show no signs of recognizing this, and that may be at their own peril.

The Cook Political Report adjusted the ratings Monday for four Senate battles in favor of Democrats, as President Donald Trump’s leadership has resulted in an “increasingly sour national environment for Republicans.”

In Georgia, the crop of conservative primary candidates have struggled to distinguish themselves in a crowded field, without a clear front-runner or any endorsement from the president. Meanwhile, incumbent Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff has been able to keep his powder dry and maintain a considerable fundraising edge over his opponents. CPR has moved that race out of the “Toss Up” category into “Lean Democrat.”

Another race that has shifted from uncertainty toward blue victory is the Senate battle in North Carolina, where Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley is facing off against Roy Cooper, a Democrat and former governor, for Thom Tillis’s vacated seat. A recent poll by Quantus Insights saw Cooper secure a five-point lead over his opponent, continuing a positive trend since the beginning of the year.

In Ohio, former Senator Sherrod Brown is set to face off with Senator Jon Husted, who was appointed as a replacement for Vice President JD Vance. The Senate Leadership Fund, the main super PAC for Republicans in the upper chamber, is reportedly planning to spend a whopping $79 million to help Husted hold his seat. Still, CPR has moved that race from “Lean Republican” into the “Toss Up” column.

The CPR’s final leftward rating shift was for the race in Nebraska, where Independent Dan Osborn is back once again to duke it out in an increasingly chaotic primary election. In 2024, Osborn came within seven points of defeating establishment Republican Senator Deb Fischer, a remarkable feat for a progressive independent with zero name recognition in a solidly pro-Trump state. This time around, he will challenge Republican Senator Pete Ricketts. That race has been moved from “Solid Republican” to only “Likely Republican.”

Trump has put Republicans in a tough spot. Gas prices and inflation are up; employment and consumer sentiment are down. Trump’s reckless war in Iran continues to rack up an immense price tag, which will only grow if he makes good on his promise to install a military blockade around the Strait of Hormuz. (He had stated the blockade would begin at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, but as of publication, the deadline has come and gone with no confirmation that the blockade was in place.)

It’s only a matter of time before Trump’s disastrous leadership takes its toll on his own party members, and November is right around the corner.

America’s allies will actually not be joining the White House’s Strait of Hormuz blockade.

NATO has no intention of cooperating in the military endeavor, despite Donald Trump’s repeated insistence that “many other countries” plan to help U.S. forces take control of the vital oil tradeway.

Some of the biggest members in the defensive alliance announced Monday that they will not get involved, including Britain and France.

“We are not supporting the blockade,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told BBC Radio. He added that the U.K. “is not getting dragged in” to the U.S.-Israel war in Iran.

In light of the latest failed peace deal, the U.S. military announced that it would block all maritime traffic in and out of the strait starting at 10 a.m. EST Monday.

“The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,” U.S. Central Command said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

It is not clear exactly how the U.S. military plans to physically block ships from utilizing the waterway. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has warned that any warships approaching the strait will be considered a ceasefire violation.

The war in Iran has thrust the entire world into an energy crisis, spiking oil and gas prices, stalling movement, and tanking economies. At the time of publication, Brent crude—a global oil benchmark—had once again surpassed $100 per barrel. Before the war in late February, Brent crude was hovering around $65 a barrel.

But the U.K. and France are trying to solve the problem a different way. The two countries are co-hosting a summit with more than 40 nations this week in order to “restore freedom of navigation,” Starmer said in a statement. Its results, however, are dependent on a peace deal.

“The ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost of living pressures,” Starmer said. “This week the U.K. and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping when the conflict ends.”

Gas prices in the U.S. have surged beyond $4 a gallon, with some areas of California seeing prices as high as $7 a gallon. But the cost is even worse abroad: In the U.K., gas has hit the equivalent of roughly $7.50 per gallon, while in France, the price has soared beyond $8 per gallon. In the Netherlands, another NATO member, gas costs more than $10 per gallon.