The Morning Sixpack - May 20, 2025
"Voluntary" deportations, Ashli Babbitt's estate gets $5 million, Indiana kills another inmate, schools forced to cut meal programs, and key European allies threaten Israel with sanctions
68 Migrants Voluntarily Deported to Honduras and Colombia in Controversial Trump Administration Initiative
The United States launched its first government-funded "voluntary deportation" flight on Monday, sending 68 migrants from Honduras and Colombia back to their home countries—with $1,000 debit cards and the possibility of future legal entry as incentives.
Among those deported was Kevin Antonio Posadas, a Honduran who had lived in Houston for three years but had already been considering a return. He praised the ease of the application, noting, “You just apply (through the CBP Home app) and in three days you’ve got it.”
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem issued a stern warning, stating, “If you are here illegally, use the CBP Home App to take control of your departure and receive financial support to return home. If you don’t, you will be subjected to fines, arrest, deportation, and will never be allowed to return.”
Despite the Trump administration's push for increased deportations, Honduran immigration director Wilson Paz predicted limited participation, suggesting the program appeals mainly to migrants already contemplating leaving due to rising hostility and employment challenges in the U.S.
Source: AP News
This is the equivalent of “You’re fired!” “No, I quit!”
Trump Administration to Pay $5 Million to Ashli Babbitt’s Family in Jan. 6 Lawsuit Settlement
The family of Ashli Babbitt, who was fatally shot during the January 6 Capitol attack, is set to receive nearly $5 million to settle a $30 million lawsuit accusing the U.S. Capitol Police officer involved of negligence.
The suit, brought by Babbitt’s estate and the conservative group Judicial Watch, claimed the officer acted improperly when he shot Babbitt as she tried to enter the House speaker’s lobby through a broken window. However, investigations cleared Lt. Michael Byrd of any criminal wrongdoing, stating he “reasonably believed that it was necessary to do so in self-defense or in defense of the Members of Congress.”
In response to the settlement, Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger expressed his disagreement, saying, “This settlement sends a chilling message to law enforcement nationwide, especially to those with a protective mission like ours.”
Former President Trump has frequently cited Babbitt’s death in his defense of the rioters and called her a “really good person” and “a big MAGA fan.” He also promised to look into the lawsuit after learning about it recently.
Source: Yahoo! News
She was breaking the law. Those treasonists were threatening not only members of Congress but also the Vice President. The cop did what had to be done to save their lives. The Babbitt family deserves ZERO.
Rep. LaMonica McIver Faces Federal Assault Charges After Protest at ICE Facility
U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver has been formally charged with assaulting and impeding law enforcement officers during a protest outside an ICE detention center earlier this month. The charges, announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Alina Habba, stem from an incident on May 9 at Delaney Hall, where tensions escalated among protesters, including McIver, other members of Congress, and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.
"Representative LaMonica McIver assaulted, impeded, and interfered with law enforcement in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 111(a)(1)," Habba stated. Despite efforts to resolve the matter without criminal charges, McIver declined to cooperate, prompting legal action to protect federal officers in New Jersey.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem supported the prosecution, emphasizing on social media that no one is exempt from consequences when assaulting law enforcement officers. “If any person, regardless of political party, influence, or status, assaults a law enforcement officer… you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” she wrote.
Rep. McIver responded by calling the charges politically motivated, accusing the administration of attempting to criminalize her legislative oversight.
“This administration will never stop me from working for the people in our district and standing up for what is right,” she declared.
House Democrats rallied behind McIver, denouncing the charges as an abuse of power and pledging to fight back. They also pointed out that McIver toured the detention facility after the incident, arguing this would not have been allowed if she had engaged in criminal behavior.
Source: ABC News
There should be recordings of all that happened that day. It shouldn’t be too hard to figure out who assaulted who.
Indiana Executes Man Convicted of Killing Police Officer in 2000, Ending a 15-Year Hiatus on Death Sentences
Benjamin Ritchie, convicted for the 2000 fatal shooting of Beech Grove Police Officer Bill Toney, was executed by lethal injection early Tuesday, marking Indiana’s second execution since 2009.
Ritchie, who spent over two decades on death row, was pronounced dead at 12:46 a.m. at Indiana State Prison. His last meal was from Olive Garden, and he expressed love and peace to his friends and family before the execution, which came hours after the U.S. Supreme Court refused to review his case, ending his final legal avenues.
Toney’s widow spoke at a clemency hearing, calling for closure: “It is time for us to remember Bill, to remember Bill’s life, and not his death.” Meanwhile, Ritchie’s defense argued his brain damage and mental health issues, including bipolar disorder and fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, should have spared him from the death penalty. “This is a foolish, senseless, agonizing waste of time and money,” said his attorney Steve Schutte.
Indiana is one of just two states that bar media witnesses at executions, a policy upheld by a federal judge despite a lawsuit from news organizations. The state resumed executions last December following a long pause caused by drug shortages.
Attorney General Todd Rokita said the execution honored Toney’s sacrifice, while some activists and clergy called for alternatives to capital punishment. Still, law enforcement voices backed the sentence, affirming their support for justice in serious cases.
Source: MDGN
Putting a person away for life—at least to this guy—is far worse “punishment” (that’s all this is) than putting that person down in a state-sponsored execution.
Trump Administration Cuts Funding for Healthier School Meals as RFK Jr. Pushes for Better Nutrition
The Trump administration abruptly canceled a $660 million federal program that helped provide fresh, locally grown produce to school cafeterias nationwide — just as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ramps up calls to overhaul school nutrition for healthier meals.
At John B. Wright Elementary in Tucson, kids enjoyed fruits and vegetables grown nearby thanks to the Local Food for Schools program — funding that was suddenly cut in March under President Trump’s push to shrink the federal government. Meanwhile, Kennedy, leading a health campaign inspired by Trump’s rhetoric, publicly criticized current school meals as unhealthy and loaded with artificial additives, insisting, “We need to stop poisoning our kids and make sure that Americans are once again the healthiest kids on the planet.”
Local nutrition leaders argue that cutting these programs undercuts any effort to improve children’s health.
Lindsay Aguilar of Tucson Unified School District says, “If you want to make America healthy again, you have to invest in your school nutrition programs, not cut them.”
The irony isn’t lost — decades of work to upgrade school meals, including Michelle Obama’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, are now being dismantled amidst mixed messages and budget slashes.
The stakes are especially high in areas like Tucson, where nearly 30% of families rely on food assistance and live in “food deserts” with limited access to fresh groceries. Hunger and poor nutrition remain daily realities for many children, making federal support vital—yet vulnerable—in these communities.
As Kennedy pushes for banning harmful additives in schools and highlighting nutrition issues, the administration’s funding cuts threaten to undercut progress. Meanwhile, local districts scramble to keep fresh produce on menus amid rising costs and dwindling federal help. The battle over America’s school meals is far from settled.
Source: Reuters
The Trump tariffs will not help. The US gets literally tons of food from foreign countries, all subject to tariffs that didn’t exist a year ago or that have been drastically raised. He is a menace.
Britain, Canada, and France Threaten Sanctions if Israel Doesn’t Halt Gaza Offensive and Aid Restrictions
Britain, Canada, and France issued a stern warning Monday, pledging “concrete actions,” including targeted sanctions, if Israel does not stop its renewed military operations in Gaza and lift restrictions on humanitarian aid.
The three nations condemned Israel’s expansion of military efforts and criticized the resumption of aid to Gaza as “wholly inadequate.” They emphasized their opposition to any attempts to expand illegal settlements in the West Bank and declared they will “not hesitate” to respond with further measures.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded by accusing these countries of rewarding attacks on Israel and declared the conflict a “war of civilization over barbarism,” insisting that Israel will continue its defense “by just means until total victory is achieved.”
This escalation follows the deadly Hamas attack on October 7, which killed 1,200 Israelis and led to a harsh Israeli offensive that has devastated Gaza and killed over 53,000 Palestinians according to Gaza’s health ministry. The allied countries reaffirmed Israel’s right to self-defense but called the current military actions “wholly disproportionate.”
With tensions soaring, the diplomatic stand-off highlights growing international pressure on Israel amid the ongoing conflict’s devastating humanitarian toll.
Source: UPI
I’d drop Netanyahu like a hot potato. He’s also a menace.