Approximately 1,800 people gathered in Roxbury Township, New Jersey on February 28 to protest a new ICE detention and processing center being established in the area. The rally, organized by the No Ice North Jersey Alliance (Project NINJA) and the Sussex Visibility Brigade, took place across three locations near the 470,000-square-foot warehouse off Route 46 that the Department of Homeland Security purchased earlier this month for approximately $130 million. Speakers at the event included Democratic congressional candidate Analilia Mejia, and some protesters called for the resignation of Roxbury Township Attorney Anthony Bucco, who also serves as the state Republican senate minority leader.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) called on President Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify before Congress about their relationships with Jeffrey Epstein, citing Bill Clinton's recent testimony before the House Oversight Committee as a precedent. Khanna stated he is working with a Republican colleague to subpoena Lutnick, with Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) also expressing support for Lutnick's testimony. Newly released Justice Department files revealed emails showing a longer relationship between Lutnick and Epstein than previously known, including coordination for a trip to Epstein's private island, though Lutnick has denied any wrongdoing and said his family accompanied him on the visit. The White House responded by asserting Trump has been "totally exonerated" regarding Epstein and highlighted the administration's cooperation with document releases.
Representative Joaquin Castro spoke with CNN's Wolf Blitzer about the escalating U.S.-Iran conflict, arguing that Congress should not be kept "on the sidelines" during the crisis. Castro discussed the possibility of a vote on President Trump's war powers resolution, emphasizing the importance of congressional involvement in decisions related to military action against Iran.
U.S. forces, in coordination with Israel, launched strikes against Iran in an operation called "Operation Epic Fury," with President Trump announcing the attacks via social media in the early hours of Saturday morning, citing the goal of preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Trump later claimed that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed in the strikes. Democratic lawmakers responded by calling for an immediate congressional vote on a War Powers Resolution, arguing the strikes were unconstitutional and unauthorized by Congress, while Republican leaders largely expressed support for the action. Iran's Foreign Ministry condemned the attacks as illegal aggression, noting they occurred during ongoing diplomatic talks, and vowed a military response.
Marjorie Taylor Greene has claimed her family received death threats following her decision to push for the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files, a move that put her at odds with Donald Trump. The story is highlighted in connection with an ABC (Australia) documentary titled *Diabolical: The Epstein Files*. The article provides limited additional detail beyond promoting the program, which aired on March 2 on ABC TV and ABC iview.
DHS Secretary Kristi Noem faced significant public backlash after posting social media videos praising unpaid TSA workers for their patriotism and professionalism during a partial government shutdown affecting the Department of Homeland Security. The funding lapse began February 14 after Democratic lawmakers and the White House failed to reach an agreement over proposed ICE reforms, leaving TSA agents working without pay while ICE remained funded through Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill." Noem urged Americans to contact their congressional representatives to resolve the impasse, but her posts drew widespread criticism, with many commenters calling for ICE to be defunded instead. The shutdown also prompted the temporary suspension of TSA PreCheck and Global Entry services, with the PreCheck suspension later reversed following public backlash.
The Trump administration's efforts to cut the federal government through DOGE are facing multiple legal challenges, with Trump publicly criticizing a judge who ruled against the agency's actions at the Treasury, Department of Education, and USAID. Two top ICE enforcement officials were reassigned amid calls for greater accountability in deportation operations. Separately, Secret Service Acting Director Ron Rowe retired after 26 years of service, having led the agency through reviews following the 2024 assassination attempt on Trump.
A $305 million jury verdict was awarded to 16 Oregon wildfire survivors represented by Susman Godfrey and co-counsel firms, who alleged that utility company PacifiCorp's negligence caused their losses in the 2020 Labor Day wildfires; PacifiCorp is appealing the decision. Judge Aileen Cannon permanently blocked the public release of Volume II of Jack Smith's special counsel report on the classified documents case, ruling the motions unopposed and accusing Smith of a "brazen stratagem" in completing the report after her dismissal of the case. Legal experts have questioned the scope of Cannon's authority to suppress the report given that the underlying criminal case is now closed, and advocacy groups are appealing her denial of their motion to intervene to the Eleventh Circuit.
Federal Judge John Coughenour, a Reagan appointee, told CBS News' 60 Minutes that he has received dozens to hundreds of death threats following his ruling that President Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship was "blatantly unconstitutional." Coughenour described incidents including an armed swatting hoax at his home and a bomb threat, as well as a congressional "wanted" poster featuring his image. The judge, who has served on the bench for 44 years and previously required protection after sentencing an Al Qaeda bomber, said he has never experienced hostility toward the judiciary at this level before. CBS News spoke with 26 federal judges for the story, though Coughenour was among the few willing to speak on the record.
Dozens of people rallied outside the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City on Sunday to protest ICE enforcement actions, organized by a group called "ICE Out Missouri." The event featured speakers including Robert Olson, a friend of Owen Ramsingh, a long-time Columbia resident and green card holder who was deported to the Netherlands in early February after being detained at Chicago O'Hare Airport in September 2025 following a routine family visit. U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials cited two past drug charges as the basis for Ramsingh's detainment. Organizers said additional protest events are planned, though no specific dates or locations have been announced.
The article's body does not contain substantive information about Governor Shapiro's meeting with local leaders regarding ICE detention centers in Berks and Schuylkill counties, as the text consists almost entirely of a country list. Based on the title and summary provided, Governor Josh Shapiro met with state and local officials to discuss the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's plans to convert two recently purchased commercial warehouses in Berks and Schuylkill counties into ICE detention centers. No further details about the outcome or discussions of the meeting are available from the provided content.
A public dispute erupted between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth invoked a supply chain risk designation — typically used against foreign adversaries — to terminate Anthropic's government contracts and restrict other defense contractors from working with the company. The conflict stems from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's refusal to allow its AI products to be used for mass surveillance or autonomous weapons, conditions the Trump administration rejected. Anthropic, which faces the loss of up to a $200 million Pentagon contract, has vowed to challenge the designation in court, arguing the action is legally unsound and unprecedented against a U.S. company. OpenAI quickly moved to fill the void by striking a deal with the Pentagon that, notably, includes similar safety restrictions to those Anthropic had demanded.
