Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) voiced support for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s efforts to apprehend illegal immigrants accused of child sex offenses, while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) called for those individuals to face the death penalty.

In a Monday press release, ICE noted that it “arrested 214 illegal aliens for immigration offenses in the Houston area in the past six months who have been charged or convicted of a sex offense involving a minor.”

Fetterman noted in an X post: “I don’t support or agree with all of ICE’s tactics or actions. I do fully support moves like these. This makes our nation more secure and all our children safer.”

In response to the news about the ICE arrests, Luna said in a post on X, “Skip deportation. Go directly to the death penalty. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200.”

According to the ICE media statement, one of the individuals arrested was “Jose Guadalupe Meza, a 40-year-old, four-time deported criminal alien from Mexico who was arrested June 24 and has been convicted of theft and sexual assault of a child. ICE removed Guadalupe Meza to Mexico June 25.”

The news comes as the Trump administration intensifies its crackdown on border security and immigration enforcement.

Fetterman has previously voiced support for ICE’s efforts, calling proposals to abolish the agency both “inappropriate” and “outrageous.”

But that said, Fetterman joined the rest of his Democratic Party in opposing the “Big, Beautiful Bill” that provides tens of billions more in funding for ICE and its operations. Included in the legislation was additional money to finally finish the border wall that President Donald Trump started during his first term.

“Bringing together the resources and expertise of the entire federal law enforcement community to confront the overwhelming surge of illegal immigration that we saw over the past four years has resulted in the arrest and removal of historic numbers of violent criminal aliens, transnational gang members and child sex offenders,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Houston acting field office director Paul McBride, as noted in the release.

Meanwhile, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who also oversees ICE, came under fire from local Texas officials following the deadly floods in the state over the July 4 holiday.

Kerrville officials were mostly unprepared for the disastrous floods that hit the Hill Country, according to recently made public city correspondence, including emails and text messages that KSAT obtained through public records requests.

Among the records is a text discussion in which Dalton Rice, the city manager of Kerrville, seems to make fun of Noem.

Hours before a July 5 press conference, held alongside federal, state, and local officials to update the public on rescue efforts, a city employee texted Rice, “Just saw you met Homeland Barbie. How is she?”

Rice replied, “Basically Homeland Barbie,” followed by a string of laughter.

Since Noem was appointed DHS Secretary earlier this year, the nickname and other similar titles, such as “ICE Barbie,” have been used online to mock her.

Given the seriousness of the catastrophe response and mounting criticism of its handling, the exchange has drawn attention.

Democrats, especially, have been critical of the response, which isn’t surprising. Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, one of the most partisan left-wing Democrats in the chamber, claimed the Trump administration undermined FEMA’s preparedness by firing FEMA employees while flood victims were actively phoning the agency for assistance, but he did not explicitly blame Noem for the flooding itself.

Earlier this month, Noem refuted claims of delay by defending the federal reaction in an interview on Fox News Sunday.

After speaking with Texas officials, she said, within hours, more than 700 FEMA employees were on the ground. She added that the Coast Guard was sent out right away after that discussion.

House Blocks Future Presidents From Banning Oil Drilling Without Congress’ Approval

Legislation was passed 226 to 188 by the Republican-controlled House to prevent future administrations from prohibiting oil and gas drilling without the consent of Congress, giving President Donald Trump another significant win.

The “Protecting American Energy Production Act” forbids the president from “declaring a moratorium on the use of hydraulic fracturing unless Congress authorizes the moratorium.”

Republican House members unanimously voted in favor of the legislation’s passage, while 118 Democrats voted against it.

Just weeks before he left office, former President Joe Biden banned future oil and gas drilling along 625 million acres of coastal and offshore waters, among other oil and gas-related regulations. The bill follows his actions.

The Republican who introduced the bill, Rep. August Pfluger of Texas, stated that the legislation was prompted by worries about possible fracking bans during the Biden administration.

“When President Biden took office, his administration took a ‘whole of government’ approach to wage war on American energy production, pandering to woke environmental extremists and crippling this thriving industry,” Pfluger said in a statement following the bill’s passage.

“My legislation that passed today is a necessary first step in reversing Biden’s war on energy by preventing the federal government from banning the use of hydraulic fracturing,” he said.

As part of his “drill, baby, drill” strategy, President Donald Trump has pledged to unleash energy produced in the United States since the campaign trail.

Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum launched internal investigations into agency actions that “burden” energy development, stripping the energy sector of “coercive” climate policies and oil lease bans implemented during the Biden administration.

Late last week, the U.S. House voted to pass a bill that would remove the Department of Energy’s authority to establish energy conservation standards for household appliances.

The vote, which was 217-190, primarily followed party lines, aiming to limit what many consider a direct intrusion of regulation into American homes.

The bill, introduced by GOP Rep. Rick Allen of Georgia, aims to amend the Energy Policy and Conservation Act by eliminating the requirement for the Department of Energy (DOE) to periodically update energy conservation standards. Instead, the DOE would only be permitted to amend these standards when necessary.

This represents a significant change from the current system, which places ongoing pressure on Washington bureaucrats to impose increasingly stringent regulations on appliances like dishwashers, stoves, and washing machines.

According to

the Washington Examiner, the proposed changes would establish a new process for the public to request specific energy standards.

Additionally, it would introduce new criteria to assess whether a standard is economically justifiable and technologically feasible—two concepts that were seldom emphasized by the Department of Energy during the Biden administration.

The legislation aims to address the fundamental mechanism that enabled the previous administration to enforce aggressive efficiency mandates across nearly all appliance categories.

Currently, the DOE is obligated to periodically raise standards, which essentially means that one administration’s environmental goals end up becoming the regulatory baseline for the next. Allen’s bill effectively breaks this cycle.

Provisions of the legislation include:

Terminating the mandatory periodic update requirement for energy conservation standards
Allowing the DOE to amend standards as needed, rather than on a forced schedule
Creating a public petition process for specific energy standards
Imposing new criteria requiring standards to be economically justifiable and technologically feasible
Banning the DOE from updating energy conservation standards for distribution transformers

Distribution transformers are essential components of infrastructure, and stricter efficiency standards on them can have significant implications for grid reliability and costs. The ban indicates that House Republicans recognize the importance of balancing environmental goals with the necessity of maintaining electricity supply.

The House is scheduled to vote on the “Homeowner Energy Freedom Act,” introduced by Rep. Craig Goldman of Texas. This bill aims to repeal several provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act.

Specifically, it would eliminate funding for the Department of Energy to implement a new high-efficiency electric home rebate program, provide training grants for home energy efficiency contractors, and offer financial assistance to states for meeting the latest energy conservation building codes.

Both bills pose a direct challenge to the previous administration’s strategy of embedding green mandates profoundly into federal law and agency practices, ensuring their survival through a change in the White House.

Supreme Court Retains GOP District in NY, Giving Republicans Midterms Win

The Supreme Court on Monday said it would keep New York’s current congressional map in place, temporarily blocking a lower court ruling that had found the map violated the Constitution by diluting the voting power of Black and Latino residents.

The unsigned emergency order did not include a vote count or written reasoning, which is typical for decisions issued on the court’s emergency docket. The decision allows the existing map to remain in place while appeals continue, making it likely the map will be used in the upcoming midterm elections, the New York Times

reported.

The ruling was a victory for Republicans and could help them retain control of a closely divided House of Representatives.

Representative Nicole Malliotakis, a Republican whose district includes Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, filed the emergency application after a state judge ordered her district to be redrawn.

In a statement, Malliotakis said the justices had “stopped the voters on Staten Island and in southern Brooklyn from being stripped of their ability to elect a representative who reflects their values.”

The case centers on New York’s 11th Congressional District, the only district in New York City currently held by a Republican.

The dispute is one of several mid-cycle redistricting battles that have reached the Supreme Court after President Donald Trump encouraged Republicans to pursue map changes that could strengthen the party’s position in Congress.

Texas redrew its congressional map, and California voters approved a ballot measure revising that state’s map in a way that favored Democrats.

In both instances, legal challenges were brought to the Supreme Court, and the justices allowed the new maps to be used for the midterms.

The New York case also unfolds as the court considers a separate voting rights dispute, Louisiana v. Callais, involving the creation of a second majority minority district in Louisiana.

A ruling in that case could have broader implications for congressional maps nationwide.

In the New York matter, the court’s three liberal justices dissented.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson, wrote in a 13-page dissent that the court had inserted itself into election law disputes during an active redistricting cycle.

“By granting these applications, the court thrusts itself into the middle of every election law dispute around the country, even as many states redraw their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 election,” Sotomayor wrote.

She warned that the decision could prompt more emergency appeals “without even bothering to ask the state courts first.”

Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing in concurrence, said he supported blocking the lower court’s order.

He wrote that the lower court had engaged in “blatantly discriminated on the basis of race,” calling it “unadorned racial discrimination” that violated the Constitution.

The legal challenge began last October when four New Yorkers sued over the district held by Malliotakis.

The lawsuit was filed by the Elias Law Group, which has represented Democratic interests in redistricting cases.

In January, Manhattan Justice Jeffrey H. Pearlman ruled that the 2024 map showed a pattern of discrimination against minority voters and ordered the state to reconvene its Independent Redistricting Commission.

Pearlman previously served as special counsel to Governor Kathy Hochul.

Malliotakis filed her emergency application on Feb. 12 to Justice Sotomayor, who handles emergency matters from that region.

Court filings show that the Black and Latino population in the 11th District has grown to about 30 percent, up from 11 percent over the past four decades.

Despite that demographic shift, the district has become more conservative.