Abrego Garcia’s lawyers say they’re ‘still in the dark’ about government’s efforts to facilitate his return
Sen. Van Hollen’s Office via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — Attorneys for wrongly deported Kilmar Abrego Garcia said in a court filing Thursday that after conducting three depositions, they are “still in the dark about the Government’s efforts to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s release from custody and return to the United States.”
U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, seeking to determine how the government has failed to return Abrego Garcia after he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, last month ordered expedited discovery in the case which included the depositions of the four government officials who submitted status updates on Abrego Garcia to the court.
In their filing on Thursday, attorneys for Abrego Garcia asked Judge Xinis to authorize three additional depositions of officials from the Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of State, and the Department of Justice.
“As the Court stated in that Order, “discovery is necessary in light of Defendants’ uniform refusal to disclose ‘what it can’ regarding their facilitation of Abrego Garcia’s release and return to the status quo ante,” the lawyers wrote.
The motion comes a day after Judge Xinis, in a court order, said that the Trump administration had invoked the rarely used state secrets privilege to shield information about the case, and scheduled a May 16 hearing on the matter.
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran native who has been living with his wife and children in Maryland, was deported in March to El Salvador’s CECOT mega-prison — despite a 2019 court order barring his deportation to that country due to fear of persecution — after the Trump administration claimed he was a member of the criminal gang MS-13. His wife and attorneys deny that he is an MS-13 member.
The Trump administration, while acknowledging that Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in error, has said that his alleged MS-13 affiliation makes him ineligible to return to the United States.
“Garcia is a citizen of El Salvador and should never have been in this country and will not be coming back to this country,” Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem said Thursday in an appearance at a budget hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee.
“There is no scenario where Garcia will be in the United States again. If he were to come back, we would immediately deport him again,” Noem said.
(NEW YORK) — Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard is leading a U.S. delegation to Singapore this week to attend the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security summit, another signal of the Trump administration’s intensified focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
The summit will convene more than 550 delegates from 40 nations, including military, intelligence, business and security leaders, from across the Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, a source familiar with plans told ABC News.
Gabbard will be joined by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at the 22nd annual summit, hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, which runs from May 30 to June 2 in Singapore.
Gabbard is expected to “discuss major security challenges” with leaders, a source familiar with Gabbard’s plans told ABC News. This year’s U.S. delegation includes higher-level representation than in previous years, the source added.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is considered Asia’s top defense summit, comparable to the Raisina Dialogue and the Munich Security Conference, both of which Gabbard attended earlier this year.
This trip marks Gabbard’s second trip to Asia in recent weeks, seemingly reinforcing the Trump administration’s renewed focus on the region.
Shortly after her confirmation, Gabbard traveled to India and met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of President Donald Trump’s bilateral meeting with Modi in February.
Her relationship with Modi spans more than a decade, dating back to 2013 when she became the first Hindu member of Congress. They met again during her 2014 visit to India at Modi’s invitation.
Earlier this year, Gabbard accepted an invitation from Modi to speak at the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi, a multilateral conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics, but, before returning to Washington, D.C., Gabbard made stops in Japan, Thailand and France. Her diplomatic tour began in Honolulu, Hawaii — her hometown — where she represented the state in Congress for eight years.
While in Hawaii, Gabbard met with intelligence community partners and visited United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) headquarters in Honolulu.
In Singapore this week, she will hold bilateral meetings with regional leaders to “explore opportunities to chart a path that advances mutual interests of security, peace, and prosperity in the region,” according to a source familiar with the agenda.
Long before taking the helm of the intelligence community, Gabbard was already on the ground in Southeast Asia and, in 2019 while she was running for president, she paused her campaign for two weeks to serve on active duty with the U.S. Army National Guard in Jakarta, Indonesia, becoming the first candidate in modern history to do so.
Now, as director of national intelligence, her return to the region marks a shift from military service to high-stakes diplomacy, an evolution that underscores not only her long-standing personal and strategic ties to the Indo-Pacific, but also hints the administration’s broader efforts to elevate U.S. engagement in the region.
(Photo by Francesco Sforza – Vatican Media via Vatican Pool/Getty Images)
(CHICAGO) — When Sherry Stone learned that childhood friend Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday, she got on her computer and did what few people can do: She emailed him a note of congratulations.
“I told him we’re thinking of having our next grade school reunion at the Vatican,” she said.
The election of a former Hyde Parker named Barack Obama to the White House in 2009 catapulted this city into a joyous frenzy for months, and having produced a president still remains a source of pride.
When news broke Thursday about Prevost’s election as the first American pope, the mood throughout the city was similar. Immediately, memes went viral showing Pope Leo XIV holding a hot dog, dipping his Italian beef into gravy and gripping a bottle of Malort, the city’s unofficial liqueur. Outside Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs marked the moment by announcing on its legendary sign: “Hey Chicago, He’s a Cubs Fan!” Similarly, Bennison’s, a bakery in Evanston, just north of the city, announced a new sugar cookie with Prevost’s likeness that it promised was “as divine as the moment.”
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker released a statement calling the news “historic.”
“Pope Leo XIV ushers in a new chapter that I join those in our state welcoming in at a time when we need compassion, unity, and peace,” he said.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson used the news to send a more informal message to the new pope: “Everything dope, including the pope, comes from Chicago!” he posted on X. “Congratulations to the first American Pope Leo XIV! We hope to welcome you back home soon.”
While Leo spent two decades in northern Peru, where he became a bishop and a naturalized citizen, his early roots are in the southwest side, an area known for its legacy of steel mills and auto plants, White Sox and Blackhawks fans, rows of brick bungalows and neighborhood churches and grade schools.
Born in Chicago in 1955, Leo attended St. Mary’s of the Assumption, a now-shuttered grade school on the city’s edge, and he grew up in Dolton, a southwest suburb located just across the street from the school. He later earned his Master of Divinity in 1982 from Catholic Theological Union in Hyde Park, which is situated along the lakefront, and was ordained the same year. He started his ministry with the Augustinian Province of Chicago and later was named prior general of the worldwide Augustinian Order, according to the Catholic Theological Union.
The Rev. William Lego, who is also a member of Augustinian Order, attended grade school, high school and seminary with Leo before both men became young priests. He said on Thursday that he is still getting used of calling “Father Bob” by his new name.
“He was always very intelligent, never jumped to conclusions, he held people with respect, and he listened. I’m sure that’s what he will bring to the papacy,” said Lego.
As for their shared Chicago roots, Lego added, “There will always be a note of pride.”
As with Obama, many locals have a personal connection with Leo. Because their last names both ended with a “P” at the time, Nadia Weer sat next to Leo for eight years in the classroom. She said even back then he was so devout and studious his nickname was “Father Robert.”
“We always assumed he would be a priest,” she said. “He was true blue. He was good. I’m really proud of him. You like people to be successful when they deserve it. And Robert does deserve it.”
The intensity Leo had with his faith, even as a young boy, impressed Stone, who said he once told people he wanted to eventually lead the church as pope.
“Midwest people are very even keeled. I think having grown up in that environment that he’ll be a centralist pope. He’ll bring people together. He’ll be one of the great popes,” she said.
Leo’s brother John Prevost told ABC News on Thursday that Leo never “questioned” his vocation in life and that, as a child, he often “played priest” using the ironing board as his altar.
“I don’t think he’s ever thought of anything else,” John Prevost said.
Many remembered Leo’s family as similarly dedicated to their faith. His father, a school principal on Chicago’s South Side, volunteered at the Archdiocese of Chicago in the 1990s. Janet Sisler, associate superintendent of schools for the archdiocese at the time, remembered that “Father Bob” would stop by when he returned to his hometown.
It was obvious, there was “a family history of being dedicated to their faith and dedicated to service,” she said. “He grew up in that life and continued to imbue his life decisions with service of faith and the promotion of justice.”
Chicago’s roots in the labor movement were likely an influence, as well.
“He came from a family where both his mother and father worked. He understood how people can have a commitment to work and to family and to their faith,” she said. “This is a new pope who understands the importance of community and the importance of church interacting in a positive way to serve the world.”
(NEW YORK) — Millions of Americans are gearing up to head to the airport or hit the highway for summer vacations.
Here’s what you need to know before you travel:
Air travel
The Federal Aviation Administration said it predicts over 50,000 flights (including cargo flights) per day this summer, citing a 4% increase of summer flight schedules compared to last year.
United Airlines is projecting a record-breaking summer with about 50 million passengers from June to August — about 3 million more than last year.
American Airlines said it expects to operate 5% more flights this summer than it did last year. The airline said nearly five flights will depart every minute over the course of the summer.
American Airlines forecasts its busiest day to be Sunday, July 6, with nearly 6,800 flights.
Expedia said some of the busiest travel days are expected to be Thursday, June 19 (Juneteenth); Friday, June 27; Tuesday, Aug. 5, and Tuesday, Aug. 26.
Hopper recommends flying midweek, like Tuesday or Wednesday, to save up to 20% on airfare.
According to Expedia, the cheapest days to fly domestically this summer will be Tuesday, Aug. 19, and Monday, Aug. 25, due to the drop in demand as summer travel wraps up.
Expedia said the most popular domestic travel spots are Las Vegas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; Miami; Chicago; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Honolulu, Hawaii; Seattle; Los Angeles; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Internationally, Expedia said popular destinations include Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Paris; London; Tokyo; Rome; the Bahamas; and Barcelona, Spain.
Road travel
Good news for those taking road trips: Hopper said car rental prices are remaining steady from last year, averaging $47 per day.
The cities seeing the highest car rental demand are Orlando, Las Vegas and Denver, followed by Miami and Chicago, according to Hopper.
Cities in Florida are seeing the most affordable car rental rates this year, with daily average costs at $26 or less in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando and Tampa.
