Friday morning news: July 11, 2025

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Trump Administration pushes back on ICE unmasking » The White House is pushing back against an effort to unmask Immigration and Customs Enforcement -or ICE- agents.

Democratic senators Cory Booker and Alex Padilla have introduced a bill mandating ICE agents always wear visible ID, but forbidding them from wearing masks.

Booker says recent illegal immigrant roundups in which agents have worn masks have created confusion, stoked fear, and undermined trust in law enforcement.

President Trump blasted the bill. With assaults on ICE agents up almost 700 percent recently according to the Department of Homeland Security, he says agents need masks to protect themselves and their families.

He calls supporters of the bill “hypocritical.”

TRUMP: Sort of funny, when people picket in front of Columbia, in front of Harvard, and they have masks on, more than masks… but when a patriot who works for ICE or Border Patrol puts a mask on so that they won’t recognize him and his family…

Federal immigration agents have been increasingly targeted since last month, when anti-ICE rhetoric picked up as agents took criminal illegal immigrants into custody in Los Angeles.

That led to riots in LA, and protesters have since clashed with or assaulted ICE agents across several states.

White House ramps up pressure on Fed chair » The Trump administration is applying pressure more aggressively than ever on Fed Chair Jerome Powell.

In a letter sent Thursday, the White House budget director accused Powell of misusing government money in a costly overhaul of the Federal Reserve headquarters, and of misleading Congress when making the case for the renovations.

Trump’s larger, long standing issue with Powell is his refusal so far to cut interest rates. Powell says the Fed needs to hold the course to see what effect, if any, Trump's tariffs have on inflation.

White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett is working to undercut the Fed Chair’s credibility, telling Fox Business Powell is mismanaging the Reserve.

HASSETT: The Federal Reserve has made a lot of errors -- policy errors -- in recent years, and they haven't really explained where the errors came from.

Trump has reportedly considered trying to fire Powell, and earlier this week suggested Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent would make an excellent replacement.

New nationwide block on White House order to end birthright citizenship » A federal judge is blocking President Trump’s attempt to ban birthright citizenship for children of non-U.S. citizens.

Judge Joseph LaPlante is hearing a class-action lawsuit over the president’s executive order. He says depriving the plaintiffs of citizenship constitutes irreparable harm, meeting the standard for a nationwide pause.

Former federal prosecutor Elliot Williams agrees, saying if Trump’s order moved forward, it could create a confusing policy patchwork from state to state.

WILLIAMS: A child is born in Pennsylvania, crosses the border into the state of New Jersey or their parents do, they have different sets of laws regarding their citizenship. Regardless of what anybody thinks about what’s right, that is not workable in a country where everybody ought to be entitled to the same federal laws.

The judge stayed his order for a week to allow for an expected appeal from the Trump Administration. The case could quickly go to the Supreme Court for emergency relief.

You may remember the Supreme Court recently issued a near-ban on nationwide injunctions by lower courts. But in that ruling, Justice Sonia Sotomayor also laid out a class-action lawsuit as a legitimate remaining route to still challenge Trump Administration policies.

Abbott wants overhaul of Texas flood warning system » Texas Governor Greg Abbott is calling for an overhaul of his state’s flood warning system after officials say water rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes during that awful flooding of a week ago.

He’ll push for early warning systems and stronger storm communications in a special session of the Texas legislature this month.

President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump are headed to Kerrville, Texas today to see the damage firsthand and offer the community comfort.

Jonathan Lamb of the Kerrville Police Department:

LAMB: People from all over Texas, all over the country… continue to show their support in so many ways. And we are thankful.

At least 120 people are confirmed dead from the flooding and more than 170 are still missing. As the floodwaters reced, around 2,000 responders are in central Texas helping with search and cleanup efforts.

Rubio, Lavrov meet amid rising U.S.-Russia tensions » U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov exchanged new ideas for reigniting peace talks to end the war in Ukraine.

Rubio and Lavrov met on the sidelines of a forum for world leaders in Malaysia.

Rubio didn’t elaborate on the new approach Lavrov suggested, calling it a concept he’ll take back to President Trump, while also saying it wouldn’t necessarily guarantee peace.

Trump has increasingly been voicing his frustration with Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s recent escalation of the war, which Rubio echoed.

RUBIO: The president’s been pretty clear. He’s disappointed and frustrated that there’s not been more flexibility on the Russian side to bring about an end to this conflict. We hope that can change.

Rubio also hinted Russia could soon be facing stronger economic sanctions from the U.S.

State Department to begin mass layoffs immediately » State Department is moving ahead with plans for mass layoffs as the Trump Administration cuts tens of thousands of jobs from the federal government.

This comes after the Supreme Court cleared the way for the cuts in an 8-to-1 ruling this week.

State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce:

BRUCE: The Supreme Court's recent, near-unanimous decision allows the reorganization to commence, and will ensure that the department moves at the speed of relevancy and restores the department to its roots of results-driven democracy.

Bruce says the State Department will be laying off about 2,000 employees, saying the department has grown unsustainably over the years.

I'm Mark Mellinger.

Straight ahead: Culture Friday with John Stonestreet. Plus, Collin Garbarino reviews Superman, and George Grant has this month’s Word Play.

This is The World and Everything in It.

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