Opening Florida’s ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ gives DeSantis a chance to boost his ties to Trump
CNN
Just months after President Donald Trump’s administration quietly moved to undercut a hardline immigration push by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the two former Republican rivals are set to appear side by side on Tuesday for the opening of a new migrant detention center in the Everglades.
Just months after President Donald Trump’s administration quietly moved to undercut a hardline immigration push by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, the two Republican former rivals are set to appear side by side on Tuesday for the opening of a new migrant detention center in the Everglades. Trump and DeSantis are expected to tour the compound — nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz” — built on a remote airstrip surrounded by swamp and predators. In the latest display of his support for a signature Trump priority, DeSantis used emergency powers to seize the land and fast-track construction with encouragement from the Trump administration. While a White House official described the Trump-DeSantis relationship as “fine,” DeSantis has faced a strained dynamic ever since he ran for the 2024 Republican nomination, crossing Trump, who believed he was responsible for the governor’s rise. The White House for months has moved in ways that effectively isolated DeSantis in his own state, working behind the scenes with Florida lawmakers who refused the governor’s demands on immigration. And Trump has elevated other Florida Republicans, inviting them to events in Washington that the governor did not attend. Also expected to attend Tuesday’s event: Rep. Byron Donalds, Trump’s favored pick to replace the term-limited DeSantis as governor, a not-so-subtle reminder of shifting Republican loyalties in their shared home state. DeSantis, meanwhile, has publicly suggested that his wife, Florida first lady Casey DeSantis, would be a worthwhile successor. The couple have quietly urged the president to scale back his involvement in the race. Trump has since made several high-profile appearances with Donalds.
Around 1,000 additional US Customs and Border Protection agents are expected to deploy to Minneapolis, Minnesota, according to two federal law enforcement sources. Follow for live updates.
President Donald Trump’s efforts to leverage the Justice Department for political purposes and to exact retribution against his perceived foes haven’t suffered from a series of setbacks.
Minnesota and Illinois separately filed lawsuits Monday against the Trump administration, arguing the president’s immigration crackdown is terrorizing their communities and violating the Constitution.
Former Navy sailor sentenced to 16 years for selling information about ships to Chinese intelligence
A former US Navy sailor convicted of selling technical and operating manuals for ships and operating systems to an intelligence officer working for China was sentenced Monday to more than 16 years in prison, prosecutors said.
The Defense Department has spent more than a year testing a device purchased in an undercover operation that some investigators think could be the cause of a series of mysterious ailments impacting spies, diplomats and troops that are colloquially known as Havana Syndrome, according to four sources briefed on the matter.
Jack Smith, the former special counsel who led two failed prosecutions of President Donald Trump, will testify publicly before the House Judiciary Committee on January 22, the panel announced Monday.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told people that he is unhappy with the decision to criminally investigate Fed Chair Jerome Powell, a source with knowledge of the matter told CNN.
Venezuela’s promise last week to release “a significant number” of political prisoners is progressing far slower than many had hoped, as hundreds of families continue to wait in agony for their loved ones to be freed.
President Donald Trump billed strikes on Venezuela earlier this month as being about drugs, gangs invading the United States and law enforcement – i.e. arresting indicted leader Nicolás Maduro. But of late, he seems conspicuously preoccupied with the country’s oil wealth.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Lt. Gov. Jay Collins announced Monday that he’s running for governor in 2026, hoping to take over for term-limited Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The top career prosecutor in the Justice Department’s Eastern District of Virginia office has been fired, according to three people familiar with the development Monday.
Lawyers for Sen. Mark Kelly filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to block Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s move to cut Kelly’s retirement pay and reduce his rank in response to Kelly’s urging of US service members to refuse illegal orders. The lawsuit argues punishing Kelly violates the First Amendment and will have a chilling effect on legislative oversight.
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on her party to “read the room” and begin appealing to a wider swath of the working-class public by keeping a stringent focus on the economy.