The Morning Sixpack - August 25, 2025
Trump expands National Guard crackdowns, clashes with governors, faces FEMA revolt, and cartel kingpins plead guilty as violence and politics collide.
From El Salvador to Uganda? Trump’s Immigration Crackdown Hits a New Twist
A Salvadoran man at the center of Trump’s immigration crackdown now faces the bizarre prospect of being deported to Uganda.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 30, checked in with U.S. immigration officials in Baltimore on Monday after being freed from a Tennessee jail just days earlier. His case, already a flashpoint in Trump’s hardline immigration agenda, has veered into stranger territory with officials pushing for deportation to a country he’s never lived in.
Federal prosecutors have offered Abrego Garcia a deal: Plead guilty to human smuggling and go quietly to Costa Rica—or refuse and risk being shipped off to Uganda under a new agreement allowing the U.S. to offload certain deportees. His lawyers say the government’s threats prove the prosecution is politically motivated, designed to punish him for fighting back against a wrongful deportation earlier this year.
“Either way, we will hold Abrego Garcia accountable and protect the American people,” Justice Department spokesman Chad Gilmartin declared, framing the choice as guilty plea or trial.
This is mob thuggery at its finest: “You have two options: Take it or leave it.”
Advocates, however, say Abrego Garcia’s ordeal shows the administration’s relentless push to make examples out of immigrants caught in the system, regardless of circumstance.
Abrego Garcia has lived in Maryland for years, has a wife and children, and briefly reunited with them last week before reporting back to ICE. Supporters filmed his return home with streamers, flowers, and hugs—an all-too-brief pause before the government renewed efforts to move him across the world like a pawn in a geopolitical game.
The case began with a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee and ballooned into a political symbol after his mistaken deportation to El Salvador in March. A judge had already ruled he faced “a well-founded fear” of violence there, forcing the Trump administration to bring him back. Now, with Uganda waiting in the wings, Abrego Garcia’s fight is about more than one man—it’s about how far the government is willing to stretch its power to make an example.
They aren’t “stretching” power—they’re taking power that they don’t have but NOBODY is stopping them.
Source: AP News
It’s one thing to deport someone back to their home country. It’s another to treat deportation like a game of “Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?” Uganda? Really? At this point, the only consistent thing in Trump’s immigration playbook is chaos.
Armed National Guard Troops Hit Washington Streets as Trump Expands Crime Crackdown
National Guard troops patrolling Washington, D.C., will now begin carrying pistols and rifles as part of President Trump’s crime crackdown.
Hundreds of Guard members have been stationed in the capital for two weeks, but Sunday night marked the first time they were authorized to carry weapons.
Drunk Reality TV Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave the green light, and officials confirmed troops will be armed with M17 pistols or M4 rifles. The Guard insisted weapons will only be used “as a last resort and solely in response to an imminent threat of death or serious bodily harm.”
Trump has already suggested Chicago and Baltimore could be next. “If Wes Moore needs help... I will send in the ‘troops,’ which is being done in nearby DC, and quickly clean up the Crime,” Trump posted on Truth Social. But Democratic leaders pushed back hard—Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said there’s “no basis, no authority” for federal troops in Chicago, pointing out crime there has actually declined in the past year.
So Hakeem, what the fuck are you and Congress doing about it? Yeah, that’s right. NOTHING.
In Baltimore, police data shows gun violence has dropped double digits and the city is on pace for its lowest homicide count in over 50 years. Of course, Trump claims the data is fake. He knows best. Because he’s a fuckin’ statistician.
But that hasn’t stopped Trump from framing Democratic-run cities as lawless zones ripe for federal intervention. Meanwhile, he’s claimed—without evidence—that crime has disappeared from Washington thanks to his deployments.
The legal fight looms large. Trump may try to invoke Section 12406 of Title 10, which allows the president to deploy National Guard units in cases of rebellion or to enforce federal law. But deploying Guard troops from Republican-led states into Democratic strongholds like Chicago or Baltimore would almost certainly trigger lawsuits.
Ooh, lawsuits.
Source: Reuters
So let me get this straight: Crime stats show declines, but we’re sending troops with M4s into cities anyway? At this rate, Trump might as well declare a “National Emergency on Bad Optics” and deploy soldiers to every place that doesn’t vote red. Oh, that’s coming… keep reading.
Trump Moves to Deploy 1,700 National Guard Troops in Immigration and Crime Crackdown
The Trump administration is preparing to mobilize as many as 1,700 National Guard troops across 19 states to bolster its immigration and anti-crime push.
According to Pentagon officials and documents obtained by Fox News, the Guard will be activated primarily in Republican-led states to assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other law enforcement priorities. The mission could involve “personal data collection, fingerprinting, DNA swabbing, and photographing of personnel in ICE custody,” an official told the outlet.
Texas is expected to see the largest deployment, with troops also coming from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Virginia, and more. While some state officials emphasize that Guard members will stick to clerical, administrative, and logistical roles, Pentagon documents note the possibility of “direct interaction with individuals in ICE custody.”
The legal framework is Title 32 Section 502F—meaning the troops technically remain under state command but are federally funded, letting the administration sidestep restrictions on military involvement in domestic law enforcement. As one Virginia Guard spokesperson put it, “VNG personnel will not conduct law enforcement functions, and VNG support will not include making arrests.”
The operation in Washington, D.C., has already seen over 700 arrests this month. But details on who was arrested—or why—remain fuzzy. Meanwhile, Trump is hinting at taking this show on the road, threatening to send the “regular military” into Chicago next, blasting its mayor as “grossly incompetent.”
Source: My Daily Grind News
Deploying troops across 19 states to do ICE paperwork and swab cheeks isn’t exactly the “law and order” image Trump loves to project. But hey, it does make for great optics if you’re selling fear and force as policy.
Trump Threatens Baltimore, Key Bridge Funding as Maryland Governor Wes Moore Pushes Back
Trump told Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to “clean up this crime disaster” before he would visit Baltimore—and even threatened to rethink federal funding for rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The clash started after Moore invited Trump to the city, calling out the president’s “performative” crime rhetoric and criticizing his deployment of National Guard troops for policing in Washington, D.C. Trump, never one to skip a grudge match, fired back on Truth Social: “Stop talking and get to work, Wes. I’ll then see you on the streets!!!”
Moore, though, is no pushover. On Face the Nation, he said Trump’s tough talk ignores reality: Violent crime is down. Homicides in Maryland dropped 20% since his inauguration, and in Baltimore alone, homicides fell 28% and non-fatal shootings 19% in the first half of 2025 compared to last year.
“Progress requires the right tool for the right mission,” Moore said, adding that National Guard policing “doesn’t meet that test.”
Trump insists crime has vanished in D.C. thanks to his Guard deployments—even declaring online that “there is NO CRIME AND NO MURDER IN DC!” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott wasn’t impressed, saying the city needs more federal law enforcement partnerships, not soldiers patrolling neighborhoods. “The National Guard is not the way,” Scott said.
And then came Trump’s parting shot: Tying Moore’s crime stats to the fate of the new Key Bridge. After Congress approved full federal funding to rebuild the bridge that collapsed in 2024, Trump suggested he may rethink the deal: “I gave Wes Moore a lot of money to fix his demolished bridge. I will now have to rethink that decision???”
Source: CBS News
Here’s the thing: Wes Moore isn’t just holding his own—he’s playing in the same league as Gavin Newsom. Both are polished, politically savvy, and comfortable going toe-to-toe with Trump. If Moore keeps this up, he may not just defend Baltimore; he may give Trump a run for his money on the national stage.
Moore will totally outclass The Biggest Loser in the White House.
Sinaloa Cartel Kingpin “El Mayo” Zambada to Plead Guilty in U.S. Court
Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, the legendary co-founder of Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, is preparing to plead guilty to federal drug charges in Brooklyn.
Court records show Zambada’s upcoming hearing has been switched to a “change of plea,” signaling that one of the most powerful drug traffickers in modern history is set to admit guilt. Prosecutors had already confirmed they would not seek the death penalty against the 76-year-old cartel boss, who faces 17 counts ranging from drug trafficking to money laundering and firearms offenses.
Zambada was arrested in Texas last summer after stepping off a private jet alongside Joaquín Guzmán López, one of El Chapo’s sons. Guzmán López remains in U.S. custody and has pleaded not guilty, while his brother Ovidio Guzmán López recently admitted to drug conspiracy charges and agreed to forfeit a jaw-dropping $80 million.
“El Mayo” isn’t the only kingpin the feds are closing in on. Two other sons of El Chapo, Ivan Archivaldo and Jesus Alfredo Guzmán Salazar, remain on the run with $10 million U.S. government bounties hanging over their heads. Federal officials say the brothers, along with Ovidio before his capture, consolidated control of the Sinaloa Cartel after their father’s 2016 arrest.
Meanwhile, violence in Sinaloa has spiraled since Zambada’s capture. Reuters reported that murders in the state quadrupled in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period last year—a grim reminder of how the cartel’s leadership shakeups continue to fuel bloodshed.
Source: ABC News
So “El Mayo” finally flips after decades of running the world’s most powerful drug empire. Funny how the guilty pleas come easy once the jet rides end and the prison lights stay on 24/7.
FEMA Staff Warn Trump’s Leadership Could Spark a Katrina-Level Disaster
More than 180 FEMA employees have sent a blistering letter to Congress, warning that Trump’s handpicked leadership is dragging the agency back to the incompetence of the Katrina era.
In the letter, FEMA staff accused DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and acting FEMA administrator David Richardson of lacking the qualifications, experience, and brain power to run the agency. They argue that budget restrictions, politically motivated firings, and program cuts are crippling FEMA’s ability to respond to disasters.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress,” the employees wrote.
The letter compares FEMA’s current state to the failures of 2005, when a lack of coordination and leadership turned Hurricane Katrina into one of the deadliest disasters in U.S. history. Employees say the Trump administration is repeating those mistakes by slashing community preparedness programs, halting resilience grants, and diverting FEMA staff to immigration enforcement instead of disaster response.
I wonder if “Ye” will say about Trump what he said about George W. Bush: “He doesn’t care about Black people.” Remember that?
Some of the consequences are already visible. During deadly floods in Texas this summer, FEMA teams couldn’t move quickly enough because of new budget approval rules imposed by Noem. Staff say that disaster exposed the “inefficiencies, ineffectiveness, and dangers” of current policies. FEMA insiders argue that these bureaucratic delays will kill people just as surely when the next hurricane or wildfire hits.
The employees are demanding Congress protect FEMA from DHS interference and make it an independent cabinet-level agency. But with hurricane season underway and one-third of FEMA’s workforce already gone, the warnings feel less like politics and more like a grim forecast of what happens when ideology trumps competence.
Source: Washington Post (gift article)
If FEMA collapses under political hacks, the next major disaster won’t just be a “natural” one—it’ll be man-made incompetence layered on top of it. And you don’t need a Category 5 storm to see that coming.