Trump to attend opening of "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida

Trump to attend opening of "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida

Washington— President Trump on Tuesday plans to visit a new immigration detention center in South Florida that state officials are calling "Alligator Alcatraz," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Monday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed the Tuesday visit, saying DeSantis, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Republican Rep. Bryon Donalds of Florida will also attend. The controversialdetention facilityis at the Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Florida Everglades, and has its own runway. DeSantis said the site has been modified "within a matter of days" to also function as a detention center, and he expects the site to be operational Tuesday. "When the president comes tomorrow, he's going to be able to see," DeSantis told reporters in a press conference in Florida on Monday. The Florida governor said he spoke with the president over the weekend, and Mr. Trump is "very excited" to visit. DeSantis called the center an "effective way" to increase the numbers of removals and deportations of unauthorized immigrants as the state seeks to help the federal government's deportation efforts.The facility will have up to 5,000 beds to house, process and deport individuals in the country illegally, the Trump administration said. "There is only one road leading in and the only way out is a one-way flight," Leavitt said. "It is isolated, and surrounded by dangerous wildlife in unforgiving terrain." "They ain't going anywhere once they're there, unless you want them to go somewhere," DeSantis said Monday. "Because good luck getting to civilization. So the security is amazing — natural and otherwise." Last week,environmental groupsfiled a lawsuit to block the opening of the facility until it undergoesan environmental reviewas required by federal law. Video shows Arizona police rescuing baby left alone for days Saving money vs. saving lives Trump tells Republicans not to get "too crazy" on cuts in budget bill

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

Trump to attend opening of "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida

Trump to attend opening of "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida Washington— President Trump on Tuesday plans to visit a new immigration...

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Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day

Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former PresidentsBarack ObamaandGeorge W. Bushdelivered rare open criticism of theTrumpadministration — and singer Bono held back tears as he recited a poem — in an emotional video farewell on Monday with staffers of the U.S. Agency for International Development. Monday was the last day as an independent agency for the six-decade-old humanitarian and development organization, created by President John F. Kennedy as a peaceful way of promoting U.S. national security by boosting goodwill and prosperity abroad. Secretary of State Marco Rubiohas ordered USAID absorbedinto the State Department on Tuesday. The former presidents and Bono spoke during a videoconference with thousands in the USAID community, which was billed as a closed-press event to allow political leaders and others privacy for sometimes angry and often teary remarks. Parts of the video were shared with The Associated Press. They expressed their appreciation for the thousands of USAID staffers who have lost their jobs and life's work. Their agency was one of the first andmost fiercely targetedfor government-cutting byPresident Donald Trumpand his billionaire allyElon Musk, with staffers abruptly locked out of systems and offices and terminated by mass emailing. Trump claimed the agency was run by "radical left lunatics" and rife with "tremendous fraud." Musk called it "a criminal organization." Obama, speaking in a recorded statement, offered assurances to the aid and development workers, some listening from overseas. "Your work has mattered and will matter for generations to come," he told them. Obama has largely kept a low public profile during Trump's second term and refrained from criticizing the monumental changes that Trump has made to U.S. programs and priorities at home and abroad. "Gutting USAID is a travesty, and it's a tragedy. Because it's some of the most important work happening anywhere in the world," Obama said. He credited USAID with not only saving lives, but being a main factor in global economic growth that has turned some aid-receiving countries into U.S. markets and trade partners. The former Democratic president called Trump's dismantling of USAID a "colossal mistake" that hurts the U.S. and predicted that "sooner or later, leaders on both sides of the aisle will realize how much you are needed." Asked for comment, the State Department said it would be introducing the department's foreign assistance successor to USAID, to be called America First, this week. "The new process will ensure there is proper oversight and that every tax dollar spent will help advance our national interests," the department said. USAID oversaw programs around the world, providing water andlife-saving food to millionsuprooted by conflict in Sudan, Syria, Gaza and elsewhere, sponsoring the "Green Revolution" that revolutionized modern agriculture and curbed starvation and famine, preventing disease outbreaks, promoting democracy, and providing financing and development that allowed countries and people to climb out of poverty. Bush, who also spoke in a recorded message, went straight to the cuts in alandmark AIDS and HIV programstarted by his Republican administration and credited with saving 25 million lives around the world. Bipartisan blowback from Congress to cutting the popular President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR, helped save significant funding for the program. But cuts and rule changes have reduced the number getting the life-saving care. "You've showed the great strength of America through your work — and that is your good heart,'' Bush told USAID staffers. "Is it in our national interests that 25 million people who would have died now live? I think it is, and so do you," he said. Former Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, former Colombian President Juan Manual Santos and former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield also spoke to the staffers. So did humanitarian workers, including one who spoke of the welcome appearance of USAID staffers with food when she was a frightened 8-year-old child in a Liberian refugee camp. A World Food Program official vowed through sobs that the U.S. aid mission would be back someday. Bono, a longtime humanitarian advocate in Africa and elsewhere, was announced as the "surprise guest," in shades and a cap. He jokingly hailed the USAID staffers as "secret agents of international development" in acknowledgment of the down-low nature of Monday's unofficial gathering of the USAID community. Bono held back tears at times as he recited a poem he had written to the agency and its gutting. He spoke of children dying of malnutrition, a reference to millions of people who Boston University researchers and other analysts say will die because of the U.S. cuts to funding for health and other programs abroad. "They called you crooks. When you were the best of us," Bono said.

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day

Bush, Obama and a tearful Bono fault Trump's gutting of USAID on agency's last day WASHINGTON (AP) — Former PresidentsBarack Obamaan...

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What to know about WNBA expansion in 3 cities by 2030

What to know about WNBA expansion in 3 cities by 2030

The WNBA has announced three new expansion teams coming to Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia over the next five years. "The demand for women's basketball has never been higher, and we are thrilled to welcome Cleveland, Detroit, and Philadelphia to the WNBA family," WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said Monday. "This historic expansion is a powerful reflection of our league's extraordinary momentum, the depth of talent across the game, and the surging demand for investment in women's professional basketball." Breaking: The WNBA announced it will expand to 18 teams with new teams in Cleveland, Detroit and Philadelphia.The Cleveland team will begin play in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030.pic.twitter.com/Ld4pCYL3eo — ESPN (@espn)June 30, 2025 Play in Cleveland will begin in 2028, followed by Detroit in 2029 and Philadelphia in 2030, pending approvals from the NBA and WNBA Board of Governors. Each of the three new teams have NBA ownership groups, with Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert at the helm of the franchise in Ohio, where the WNBA formerly had the Cleveland Rockers, which folded after the 2003 season. "It's such a natural fit that when you already have this basketball-related infrastructure, these strategies, cultures that you find to be successful, combinations of personnel that you find to be successful," said Nic Barlage, CEO of Rock Entertainment Group and the Cleveland Cavaliers. "Extending that into the WNBA is just a natural next progression, especially if you have a desire to grow like we do." Tom Gores, owner of the Detroit Pistons, is among the new Detroit team ownership, along with Detroit sports stars Grant Hill, Chris Webber and Jared Goff, who will have minority stakes in the team. The Detroit Shock was the city's WNBA team from 1998 to 2009 before it relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, and eventually became the Dallas Wings. All three teams paid a $250 million expansion fee, per the AP, which is nearly five times as much as the Golden State Warriors shelled out to secure theGolden State Valkyries in 2023. The teams will also invest more money through building practice facilities and other amenities, the AP reported. Philadelphia, which has never had a WNBA team, is owned by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-founder Josh Harris, who currently owns the Philadelphia 76ers. "We tell the city it's going to open in 2031. We're hoping for 2030," Harris said Monday. "We're trying to underpromise and overdeliver. But right now it's 2031 so that we have a year gap, you know. We've got the Xfinity center, the Wells Fargo [Center], they'll play there." While no team names have been decided or announced, the Cleveland and Detroit ownership teams said Rockers and Shock, respectively, would be in consideration, pending further research and input from fans. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

What to know about WNBA expansion in 3 cities by 2030

What to know about WNBA expansion in 3 cities by 2030 The WNBA has announced three new expansion teams coming to Cleveland, Detroit and Phil...

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NHL free agency live tracker: Deals made before opening day

NHL free agency live tracker: Deals made before opening day

NHL free agencydoesn't open until noon on Tuesday, July 1, but there will be plenty of action on Monday, June 30. Teams will take another shot at re-signing their unrestricted free agents before they hit the open market. Restricted free agents could also land new deals. The 30th is also the deadline for teams to buy out players' contracts and also to decide whether to give a pending restricted free agent a qualifying offer. Players become unrestricted free agents if they are bought out or don't get a qualifying offer. There also could be trades, and theNashville PredatorsandVegas Golden Knightsannounced one. Here's a look at the action on June 30 heading into the July 1 start of NHL free agency: The Mammoth get a conditional 2027 third round pick in return. Maccelli, 24, gets a fresh start after dropping to 18 points in 55 games this past season. But he can provide secondary scoring for Toronto after totaling 106 points over the two seasons before that. If he gets 51 points this season and the Maple Leafs make the playoffs, the third rounder becomes a 2029 second-round pick. Tarasenko has won two Stanley Cup titles but he disappointed with 33 points in his lone season in Detroit while averaging less than 15 minutes a game. He has another year on his contract at $4.75 million. Detroit gets future considerations in the deal. His one-year contract is worth $1.3 million. Hescored the series-clinching goalagainst theGolden Knightsinovertimeand finished the playoffs with three goals and three assists in 12 games. The Oilers had claimed him off waivers in November. TheNashville Predatorsacquire defenseman Nicolas Hague and a conditional third-round pick from the Golden Knights in exchange for forward Colton Sissons and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Nashville will retain 50 percent of Sissons' salary. If Vegas wins two rounds in the 2026 playoffs, the Golden Knights will move a second-round pick instead. Hague was a restricted free agent and Vegas needs to clear out cap space to prepare for free agency. He signed a four-year, $22 million contract with Nashville after the trade. He was the Golden Knights' second round pick in 2017 and is a physical player with 572 hits. Sissons and Lauzon are entering the final years of their contracts. The Boston Bruins re-signed defenseman Henri Jokiharju (three years, $3 million average), forward John Beecher (one year, $900,000) and goaltender Michael DiPietro (two years, $812,500 average). Jokiharju averaged more than 21 minutes a game and had four assists in 18 games after arriving in a trade from theBuffalo Sabres. Beecher had 11 points in 78 games and DiPietro was the American Hockey League goalie of the year. Boston's Morgan Geekie signed a six-year contract ($5.5 million average) after a breakout 33-goal season. Ottawa Senatorsforward Claude Giroux signed a bonus-laden one-year deal with a $2 million base salary. The contract can be worth another $2.75 million in bonuses. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro will average $4.125 million in his four-year deal. Playoff MVP Sam Bennett and other pending free agents havealready re-signed. Here's alist of the top 20available players. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:NHL free agency live: Tracking moves made before opening day

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

NHL free agency live tracker: Deals made before opening day

NHL free agency live tracker: Deals made before opening day NHL free agencydoesn't open until noon on Tuesday, July 1, but there will be...

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Trump admin will cut hurricane forecasters out of key satellite data in one month

Trump admin will cut hurricane forecasters out of key satellite data in one month

The abrupt cutoff of satellite data crucial for hurricane forecasting is delayed by one month, until July 31, according to amessage postedby the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Monday. The impending data loss from a Department of Defense weather satellite system was announced on June 25 and slated to take place "no later than" Monday, according to an earlier NOAA announcement. The Defense Department will still maintain the Defense Meteorological Satellite program, but announced last week it would cease sharing the imagery with NOAA and NASA. The decision, which was initiated by the Defense Department, caused an uproar among meteorologists, public officials and the media in the midst of hurricane season. The fear is that the missing information could degrade the accuracy of hurricane forecasts. The move comes in the wake of steep personnel cuts at the National Weather Service and other parts of NOAA. The data in question is from a microwave sounder data known as the Special Sensor Microwave Imager Sounder, or SSMIS. This tool is like a 3D X-ray of tropical storms and hurricanes, revealing where the strongest rain bands and winds are likely to be and how they are shifting. Such imagery provides forecasters with information about a storm's inner structure and is one of the limited ways they can discern how quickly and significantly a storm's intensity is changing, particularly at night and during periods when hurricane hunter aircraft are not flying in the storm. According to a former NOAA employee familiar with the matter, the Defense Department's actions caught the nation's weather and oceans agency off guard, along with NASA, whose scientists also use this satellite imagery. A current NOAA staff member also told CNN the agency, including the National Hurricane Center, was blindsided by the sudden data cut off when it was first announced. The delay through July, both sources said, is the result of pressure from NOAA and NASA officials. The new NOAA message supports this, stating: "Late on Friday, June 27th, CNMOC received a request from Dr. Germain with NASA to postpone the removal and to continue processing and distributing DMSP data through July 31st." "An update service advisory will be sent and FNMOC now expects to decommission DMSP processing no later than July 31st," the message states, referring to the Navy's Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center. The satellite status message references Karen M. St. Germain, the division director for NASA's Earth Science Division. This indicates the intervening of a high level official in this matter. The one month delay does not solve the issue since hurricane season peaks in August and September, and there currently is no plan in place for resuming the flow of this data, even when a new Defense Department weather satellite begins operations in October. Currently, NOAA is planning for that microwave imagery from that satellite will flow to the agency. According to media reports last week, the Defense Department's rationale for cutting off this data has to do with cybersecurity concerns stemming from the way the data is transmitted between agencies. NOAA has publicly maintained there are many other sources of data on hurricanes that will allow for accurate forecasts this season. The Atlantic hurricane season does not end until November 30, and this season is expected to be another unusually active one. This is a developing story and will be updated. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

Trump admin will cut hurricane forecasters out of key satellite data in one month

Trump admin will cut hurricane forecasters out of key satellite data in one month The abrupt cutoff of satellite data crucial for hurricane ...

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'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP as Florida moves forward with detention facility

'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP as Florida moves forward with detention facility

As officials move forward with plans to open a new migrant detention facility nicknamed"Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida's Everglades, the state's GOP has startedselling themed shirts, hats and coolers. The items are available onthe party's online store, which feature the "Alligator Alcatraz" moniker surrounded by claw marks. The t-shirts and beverage coolers also show a stylized mockup of the building, with a large alligator and snake in the foreground. Gov.Ron DeSantissaid in a Friday interview on Fox News that the new detention center will host its first detainees by July 1, roughly a week and a half after State Attorney General James Uthmeier posted the first video about the proposed facility and a week after construction began. What is 'Alligator Alcatraz'?Migrant detention center approved in Florida. "The perimeter's already set by mother nature," Uthmeier said about the sitein an interview posted on X. "A lot of people thought maybe it was just a joke, but we're serious." The Florida GOP's items echo similar political merchandise popularized by the Republican party in recent years, like the Trump campaign's embrace of t-shirts using his 2023 mug shot. More recently, Trump supporters seized on the moment NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said "daddy has to sometimes use strong language," with the release of a video of Trump set to "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" by Usher and"daddy" t-shirtsfrom The Trump War Room, run by Trump's campaign operation. The federal government on June 23 approved a proposal to open a 5,000-bed detention facility on 39-square miles of land in the Everglades,according to Uthmeier, which includes converting existing structures from the Miami-Dade Collier Training and Transition Airport. The Florida facility, estimated to cost $450 million annually, could eventually house up to 5,000 people, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The facility, close to the Everglades National Park, has drawn backlash from locals and environmental groups. Two groups, Friends of the Everglades and the Center for Biological Diversity, have filed a lawsuit against the Florida Division of Emergency Management, the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to stop what they said is the "unlawful construction of a prison in the heart of the Everglades." Sierra Club Florida also is opposed to the development, which it said is "irresponsible." "This 30 square-mile-area is completely surrounded by the Everglades,"Uthmeiersaid in a video proposing the site. "It presents an efficient, low-cost opportunity to build a temporary detention facility because you don't need to invest that much in the perimeter. People get out, there's not much waiting for 'em other than alligators and pythons−nowhere to go, nowhere to hide." Within days, trucks were seen bringing in materials, the Department of Homeland Security gave its approval and said FEMA money would be used to help fund it, and the governor's office announcedthe state would use emergency powersto take control of the land away from Miami-Dade County. Alligator Alcatraz: the one-stop shop to carry out President Trump's mass deportation agenda.pic.twitter.com/96um2IXE7U — Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier)June 19, 2025 The governor told "Fox and Friends" co-host Steve Doocy is set to hold more than 3,000 undocumented immigrants. "We've got a massive runway right behind us where any of the federal assets, if they wanna fly these people back to their own country, they can do it one-stop-shop." The move comes as both DeSantis and the Trump administration ramp up efforts to seize and deport undocumented immigrants in Florida and across the country, and several weeks after the president ordered federal agencies toreopen the original infamous Alcatraz, long a San Francisco tourist attraction, to "house America's most ruthless and violent offenders." The "Alligator Alcatraz" facility is in Ochopee, Florida, just north of Everglades National Park and about 36 miles west of the Miami business district,CNN reported. According to theMiami International Airport, the Dade-Collier Airport is used as a training facility for "commercial pilots, private training, and a small number of military touch-and-goes." It's also around the ancestral homelands of the Miccosukee and Seminole Tribe of Florida.Tribal members have denouncedthe development of detainment camps on indigenous land. The facility was constructed in 1968 and originally known as the Everglades Jetport, according to theNational Park Service, before an environmental study and activist protests killed the plan. In 1974, President Gerald Ford established Big Cypress National Preserve in the area, the nation's first national preserve. The Alligator Alcatraz site is about six miles from Big Cypress National Preserve. Contributing: Melina Khan, USA TODAY, Antonio Fin, USA TODAY Network; Reuters. Kathryn Palmer is a national trending news reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach her atkapalmer@usatoday.comand on X @KathrynPlmr. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:'Alligator Alcatraz' merch listed as Florida preps detention facility

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP as Florida moves forward with detention facility

'Alligator Alcatraz' merch pushed by GOP as Florida moves forward with detention facility As officials move forward with plans to op...

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MLB power rankings: Free-falling Mets suffer weekend humiliation. Can NY recover?

MLB power rankings: Free-falling Mets suffer weekend humiliation. Can NY recover?

In a little more than two weeks, the New York Mets went from comfortable division lead to the lowest of lows: Athree-game sweepdoled out by thePittsburgh Pirates. Not even a players-only meeting could stop the carnage, as the Mets' response after a Saturday night airing of grievances was a 12-1 loss at PNC Park that capped a three-game set in which Pittsburgh outscored the Mets 30-4. Little wonder, then, that the Mets tumbled four places in USA TODAY Sports' power rankings. NL CENTRAL:Milwaukee keeps its secrets in 'The Keg' It's hard to call this a low point since it's merely the end of June and the Mets are just 1 ½ games behind the similarly inconsistentPhiladelphia Philliesin the National League East. Yet on June 12, they held a 5 ½-game lead and the confidence that injured pitchers such asFrankie MontasandSean Manaeawere coming back. Well, Montas gave up a half-dozen runs to the Pirates on Sunday and Manaea now has an elbow injury to add to his oblique recovery. And trusty fill-in Griffin Canning is now out for the year with an Achilles injury. A look at our updated rankings: Tarik Skubal makes franchise history: 13 strikeouts and one hit over seven innings. Clayton Kershaw lined up for 3,000th strikeout at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. They win the Tucker-Paredes-Smith Cup to cap a 25-10 stretch. Ryan Pressly gets some home cooking in Houston as Astrosregale himwith old Johnny Cash intro. Ranger Suarez is dealing, as they say. Twelve runs of support a nice welcome back gift for Marcus Stroman. Brandon Lowe's career-best hitting streak reaches 16 games. Perhaps Jesse Winker - on rehab assignment for oblique injury - can save the day. The Quinn Priester joyride continues with 11-strikeout performance. Sonny Gray throws first shutout since 2015 - both at Cleveland. Closer Robert Suarez has hit a bump in the road. Dare to dream: A four-game sweep of Yankees could put them alone in first place. They drop a series at White Sox, and Justin Verlander still seeking first win as a Giant. HVAC pitchman Spencer Steer keys ninth-inning rally to take Padres series. That's pretty cool. Big Bummer:Cal Raleighgetting Barry Bonds treatment with four intentional walks over the weekend. Kinda need to firmly clear .500 before trade activity picks up. Walker Buehler had an 11.07 ERA in five June starts. An absolutely magnetic connection to the .500 mark. About time to toss them in the "deadline sellers" bucket. Royce Lewis once again set to return from injury. Mike Trout starting to muscle up a bit. Jurickson Profar returns Wednesday from 80-game PED ban - and they could probably use him. Just 20-24 at home. After sweeping Arizona, just a half-game behind Atlanta for third place. Coby Mayo finally clubs first career home run - off a position player. Fifth last-place finish in six years looking like a real possibility. Rollicking sweep of Mets afitting tribute to Dave Parker. After seeing Rays' sweet temporary digs in Tampa, Yolo County will look even grimmer. Luis Robert back on the IL with hamstring injury. Now 19-65, but their manager will surelyshow some fire. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:MLB power rankings: Mets' weekend beatdown latest in NL East standings

byMario Satorik

in

June 30, 2025

MLB power rankings: Free-falling Mets suffer weekend humiliation. Can NY recover?

MLB power rankings: Free-falling Mets suffer weekend humiliation. Can NY recover? In a little more than two weeks, the New York Mets went fr...

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