After the Department of Justice under President Donald Trump publicly warned that his coverage of an anti-ICE protest inside a Minnesota church could carry legal consequences, independent journalist Don Lemon has forcefully defended his journalism. Free press advocates say the administration’s posture reflects a broader, authoritarian, unlawful shift in how the federal government engages with journalists.

From a courthouse in Texas, a familiar figure in America’s culture wars delivered another ruling with significant consequences, this time by embracing a comparison that LGBTQ+ advocates say is both false and deeply offensive.

The U.S. Department of Justice is indeed investigating Becca Good, the wife of Renee Nicole Good, the woman who was killed by a federal agent January 7 in Minneapolis. One person it isn’t investigating: Jonathan Ross, the agent who shot her.

➡️ On the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration for his second term, the Advocate team is making our political predictions for 2026 and bracing ourselves for the battles ahead.

The U.S. House and Senate have negotiated final appropriations bills to fund the federal government through September 30, and they’ve been stripped of anti-transgender provisions.