Entry denied to El Salvador’s notorious prison
Hello! It’s Rebecca Morin here. Have you heard of "the manosphere,” a digital collection of websites and social media that promote male supremacy? Here’s how some men are trying to get out.
Defiant Senator stonewalled in El Salvador
Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., wants to see Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the father of three who was wrongly deported by President Donald Trump's administration a month ago. Even after traveling all the way to El Salvador and trying to drive out to the country’s notorious supermax prison, that’s not happening. Van Hollen was blocked Thursday by armed guards at a military checkpoint and turned away less than two miles from the notorious prison where Abrego Garcia is being held. This is the second day that Van Hollen was denied communication with Abrego Garcia. Paste BN was following the senator's motorcade when it was stopped. The checkpoint he was stopped at appeared to be set up specifically to keep him from the prison.
- Despite Van Hollen being blocked from El Salvador's Terrorism Confinement Center, CECOT, which has been criticized for harsh, dangerous conditions, other lawmakers have visited the prison. Two GOP House members, Reps. Riley Moore of West Virginia and Jason Smith of Missouri, posted photos on social media from inside the prison on April 15.
- Justice Department officials released documents tied to a 2019 encounter with Abrego Garcia that set off a chain of events culminating in his removal. Prince George’s County Police officers said he wore a Chicago Bulls hat and hoodie with rolls of money “covering the eyes, ears and mouth of the presidents on the separate denominations” indicating his gang allegiance. The report also relies on a confidential informant who indicated Abrego Garcia was an active member of MS-13 with the moniker “Chele.”
- Inside CECOT, the mega-prison in El Salvador where Abrego Garcia has been imprisoned since wrongfully deported on March 15.
A politics pit stop
- Schumer calls for US hate crime probe into arson at Gov. Shapiro's Pennsylvania home
- Putin meets with freed Russian Gaza hostages, says ties with Palestinians helped
- Reports: IRS could soon revoke Harvard's tax-exempt status
- Poll: Kamala Harris leading in California governor's race but voters split on her running
- Trump administration proposes loosening Endangered Species Act rules
Stagflation, judicial contempt, and sagging polls
Roughly two weeks ago, President Donald Trump celebrated his new sweeping tariffs with what he called "Liberation Day.” But now, the nation’s top banker said his tariffs were "highly likely" to fuel inflation and could slow growth. And that’s just the start of the president’s issues. A federal judge found "probable cause" his administration has committed criminal contempt. Americans are angrily confronting GOP lawmakers. And the president’s approval is sliding. So is Trump in trouble?
- President Donald Trump slammed Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying his "termination cannot come fast enough!" a day after the nation's top banker warned inflation could go up due to Trump's tariffs.
Angry confrontations at GOP lawmakers' town halls
“I’m pissed!” That’s what one person who attended a town hall on April 15 for Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said. Amid President Trump’s tariffs that have rocked the markets, firing of tens of thousands of federal workers, and numerous lawsuits due to his actions, Republican lawmakers are facing fired-up crowds at town halls that are happening while Congress is on a two-week break. House Republican leaders advised members in March to stop holding in-person town halls after numerous town halls were packed with people upset at the Trump administration's actions. Why GOP lawmakers are seeing backlash.
- On the Democratic side, Democratic National Committee Vice Chair David Hogg’s grassroots organization called Leaders We Deserve is launching a $20 million effort to primary “out-of-touch, ineffective” House Democratic incumbents in Congress.
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